Knowledge base

Rental answers by workflow

Use these articles to understand booking, paperwork, pickup, return, damage, troubleshooting, and production support before your rental starts.

Illustration of a rental checklist, calendar, camera, and equipment case.

New renter checklist

Everything to prepare before submitting a rental request or arriving for pickup.

Before you build the cart

  • Choose the exact production dates, including prep, shoot, hold, travel, and return time.
  • Confirm who is responsible for pickup, return, payment, and on-set equipment decisions.
  • List any camera mount, lens mount, power, media, cabling, or rigging requirements.

Before pickup

  • Bring a valid ID and payment method matching the rental account or approved production contact.
  • Prepare insurance or deposit requirements for the replacement value of the equipment.
  • Review included items so batteries, chargers, cables, plates, adapters, and cases are checked before leaving.
Illustration of equipment selection and rental dates on a laptop.

How to find and book equipment

A simple workflow for searching, comparing, adding items, and sending a rental request.

Search and compare

  • Start from the Rental Finder, category pages, or package pages.
  • Use product pages to compare specs, included items, required accessories, related gear, and FAQs.
  • If an exact item is not available, ask support for an equivalent substitute before changing the creative plan.

Cart and confirmation

  • Select start and end dates on bookable products before adding them to cart.
  • Add accessories that complete the package, such as batteries, chargers, stands, cables, media, cases, and adapters.
  • Submit checkout as a rental request. Staff confirms availability, pricing, and requirements before the order is final.
Illustration of equipment protection paperwork beside a camera in its case.

Insurance, COI, deposits, and replacement value

Understand what paperwork may be needed before high-value camera, lens, lighting, audio, and studio rentals.

Certificate of insurance basics

  • A certificate of insurance may be required for higher-value rentals, production packages, or extended rental windows.
  • Use replacement value, not rental price, when planning insurance coverage.
  • Send COI questions early so support can confirm wording and coverage before pickup day.

Deposits and responsibility

  • Deposit or authorization requirements may vary by account history, rental value, and equipment type.
  • The renter is responsible for missing items, late returns, damage, loss, theft, and incomplete kits.
  • Inspect the kit at pickup and ask questions before leaving if anything appears missing or unfamiliar.
Illustration of organized equipment cases on a pickup and return cart.

Pickup, return, late returns, and inspection

What happens when gear leaves and returns to the rental house.

Pickup

  • Arrive during the confirmed pickup window and allow time to review the package.
  • Check cases, batteries, chargers, power cables, media, mounts, plates, adapters, and fragile components.
  • Ask support to explain unfamiliar gear before leaving for set.

Return

  • Return every item in the same cases and groupings whenever possible.
  • Notify support before the due time if production changes may cause a late return.
  • Returned gear may be inspected after drop-off; missing items or damage can be reconciled after the return is processed.
Illustration of a complete camera, lighting, audio, and accessory kit.

Package planning and required accessories

Build complete working packages instead of isolated product lists.

Common package checks

  • Camera packages usually need lenses, batteries, media, cards, readers, power, cages, baseplates, matte boxes, follow focus, and monitoring.
  • Lighting packages usually need stands, modifiers, sandbags, stingers, power distribution, dimmers, diffusion, flags, and grip hardware.
  • Audio packages usually need microphones, recorders, lavs, booms, shock mounts, wind protection, batteries, media, headphones, and timecode support.

When to ask support

  • Ask for package review when mixing unfamiliar cameras, lenses, wireless video, power, audio, or grip setups.
  • Ask for substitutes if dates are tight or a specific brand/model is flexible.
  • Send the shot type, location, crew size, power limitations, and delivery requirements when asking for recommendations.
Illustration of a camera and a tablet showing support and caution symbols.

Damage, missing parts, and on-set troubleshooting

What to do when something is damaged, missing, or not working as expected.

On set

  • Stop using equipment if it appears unsafe, overheating, physically damaged, or electrically unstable.
  • Contact support with the product name, issue, photos if useful, and what changed before the problem started.
  • Do not attempt internal repairs, firmware changes, or disassembly unless support approves it.

At return

  • Report missing or damaged items at return rather than waiting for inspection.
  • Keep small parts in labeled bags or original case compartments so kits can be checked quickly.
  • Damage, loss, and missing accessories may require follow-up billing after inspection.