Video Production Crew

Video production on the famous High Roller at the Linq.

While only a few years old, the High Roller at The Linq has quickly become a very popular attraction for tourists and cameras alike. Whether you're hitting Sin City for some fun, or, filming a commercial, television show, or the like, the Linq provides excellent views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

It's not just a matter of stepping into a pod with your crew and talent and hitting record though. First, of course you'll want to contact the fine folks over at the Linq (they're nice folks) and make sure it's cool to film; here's where you'll not only get permission, but you can also see if they can make any concessions for you. Once you get into your pod, you'll note that there is no power available- so, bring batteries. Second, there's not a ton of room- while you're not in the coat closet, you won't be able to put that jib up. Next, depending on what time of day you're in there, you may have quite a battle on your hands with the sun. During the day, your view is less than stellar... while Vegas tries valiantly to make everything look nice when the sun is out, we all know this city looks best bathed in neon. So, you may be thinking to yourself, "Okay Jim, no problem there, we'll shoot at night.", well, after availability, you'll want to remember that those pods do reflect something fierce, so you'll need to get creative lighting your talent. Once the sun goes down, and the strip lights up, it's absolutely stunning (for about 15 minutes at the top).

I can go on, but, you're probably bored to death if you've made it this far. So, instead, go give it a shot, or, let FiveSix Productions do it for you- no fuss, no muss. Put your beloved video shoot in the hands of the best Las Vegas video production company!?


FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions

New shoulder rigs coming soon!

Every once and a while, you get that spark of imagination, the creative juices begin to flow... and suddenly, you have created something totally righteous. That's just what we're doing here at FiveSix Productions. We realize that to expand and improve upon what we can offer to our clients, and to continue to push the limits of what FiveSix Productions is capable of, well, we need to never stop expanding on our gear and skill sets. That's why we're building a pair of sleek, dynamic, and versatile shoulder-rigs that will allow us to push beyond what we've been able to do with our older shoulder rigs.

Now, don't get too excited, we didn't opt for the edition with the sparklers and mini-fridges, but we are pretty sure these will work just as well. Coupled with our new Tilta Nucleus-M follow focus system, and our upgraded power-distribution solution, anything from our Canon C300 Mark II's to our RED Epic Dragon will be set free. We are excited to announce that our new DJI Ronin 2 will also benefit from our Nucleus-M follow focus system, and between that and our shoulder rigs, series of sliders, jibs, and tripods, we've completely set our photography free.

Make sure to ask about our new shoulder rigs and DJI Ronin 2 when booking your next Las Vegas or Long Beach video production project with us.

Zacuto Shoulder Rig

Nuclueus-M

Tilat Nucleus m


FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions

The Best Choice for Your Next Meeting or Convention

FiveSix Productions has logged many hours, and exponentially more footsteps in a vast swath of convention and meeting halls. We pride ourselves on knowing the ins and outs of all those coffee-chugging, break-out session loving, swag-grabbing conventions and conferences. Whether we're posted up on a Spider Pod with a wicked smooth servo lens in the back of a break-out room like a majestic Blue-Throated Macaw, or silently capturing all the inspiring and exciting moments of a general session/show floor like an adorable and elusive Fennec Fox, we set out to make all of our clients dreams come true. And, we don't stop at breath-taking cinematography, we have audio skills that would make Beethoven tap his foot, producers who would make Mel Brooks stand and applaud, editors who construct stories that make Seven King look like a two-bit hack. We do session records, man on the street, green screens, white screens, no screens, and yes, so, so much more. Yes, from Long Beach, California, all the way out to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, if you have a convention video that needs to be done right, you just pick up that phone and call FiveSix Productions, the best and let us take it from there.


FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions

A Weekend with Santana

Video production in Las Vegas takes us to many different venues, shooting many different subjects. FiveSix Productions had the pleasure of doing a weekend shoot with guitar and rock legend, Carlos Santana and his original band. The rocker has a new album coming out soon that includes all his original band mates from his first few albums. Our crews shot interviews, shows and rehearsals, and other video clips and sound bites to help promote his upcoming album and concerts. We always enjoy the opportunity to be around such talented and accomplished artists and other such folks, and strive to give them, like all our clients, the best experience possible. We have one more day of shooting, so we better get to set. Rock on friends.


Las Vegas Video Production

Renting Video Production Gear

There are only two possible choices when deciding on gear for a shoot.  Own it or rent it.  Be it cameras like the C300, RED, Sony PMW 300 or Arri Alexa, cine lenses from Canon or Zeiss, or grip gear and lighting or even audio.  But who really cares about audio, right?  Renting gear is the way most productions tend to go.  This is because, first off, the gear is expensive and requires a good chunk of cash.  But there are other reasons too, you don't have upkeep costs as a renter or a depreciating asset and you can be more versatile and not locked into a single camera/format.  If you travel, you don't have to lug it around or keep up with firmware and updates.  These are all problems of the gear's owner.  But when renting, do you rent from a big rental house or a local production company or a local freelance owner/operator.  There are pros and cons to each of them.

Rental houses - They will usually have whatever you want in stock and available.  They will normally be a bit cheaper since they deal in bulk.  There is no negotiating on prices/dates, pick up times and drop off, they are locked in.  If something breaks on the shoot, it is difficult to get a replacement in a timely fashion. The gear has been highly used and is beaten up a bit.  Every add on is extra.  No real specific point of contact.

Local Production House - Depending on the size of the facility, camera availability may be an issue.  Prices are higher than big rental houses since they are only dealing in a few cameras.  Price/days/times are negotiable.  The gear is usually well taken care of and includes extra items in the package.  Add ons are negotiable and sometimes thrown in.  Replacements, if needed, are usually quick.  There is a known point of contact and someone is almost always available.

Local Owner/Operator - Camera availability can be an issue.  Prices are higher than rental houses and many times the owner will require they be on the shoot.  Price/days/times are negotiable.  The gear is well taken care of.  Add ons are negotiable, if they are available.  Replacements can be difficult.  There is a known point of contact but not always available since it is a single person.

With all this to take into account, when we here at FiveSix need to rent gear somewhere not in Las Vegas, we tend to try and find a local production company to help us out.  We like the upkeep on the gear, having a point of contact and the flexibility.  It may come with a slightly higher price tag but the benefits are worth it.


Saying Goodbye to the HDX 900 & HVX 200 #panasonic #cameras

We're saying good bye over here to a couple of our old workhorses.  Just sold a Panasonic  HDX 900 and a Panasonic HVX 200 and we'll be sending them off this week.  It's tough to see those two cameras go, we haven't had much call for them recently but they both made some incredible pictures and captured hours of great video.

The HDX 900 is still in use in many television productions as some old companies still prefer tape based archiving.  It's much more difficult to erase a tape they say.....I agree if you have no idea how to use a computer.  But that's for another conversation.  I understand it's a great camera but I think the time to upgrade to some of the more technologically superior formats.  We held onto it as long as we were getting calls but that time seems to be over.

The HVX 200 was a game changer when it came out.  It held up all these years and is still in use for indie productions all over the world.  We haven't had the calls for it due to upgrading our camera gear to the Panasonic HPX 500, Sony PMW 300 and Canon C300.  However, it was a valuable piece of equipment and no doubt has been for countless other individuals and companies.

So, thank you to Panasonic for these two great cameras and we're looking forward to more in the future.  They are going to good homes too!


Las Vegas Video Production

Our new camera bags - The High Roller

We decided on purchasing the Cinebags High Roller for all of our C300 and PMW-300 Camera Packages. The Lens Smuggler has been a great accessory to transport our lenses and additional gear as a carry on. The quality is what you would expect from a high end manufacturer. The Zippers and stitching are built to withstand heavy use. I personally love that there is a little more depth to the main compartment over the previous version the Camera Daddy. Because of the added space we can now store the C300 camera with the top handle as well as the 24-70 lens on the camera. This allows for quicker setups and I think the less we can take the lens on and off the body the better. Oh almost forgot... These new bags have a telescoping handle and wheels. No more lugging a 30lb. Camera bag on my shoulder running from plane to plane. Also, while we are on the topic of traveling. I have to mention the lens smuggler allows us to bring a variety of lenses and stash them under the seat very comfortably. It is slightly thicker than the laptop case but not one airline worker has given it a second look. A highroller and the lens smuggler are a great combination. One carry on and one personal item. We are very glad to have these new bags and I expect them to be a valuable tool for us for the life of our cameras.

Our new lineup of Camera Bags

Camera bag for the Canon C300

With our new camera in hand we wanted to find the right case to transport it. For our day to day shoot we opted for the Cinebags camera daddy. The bag holds comfortably the camera body and 4 lenses and accesories. We considered the Pelican 1660 case, I loved the build quality and protection it offered but we would have needed another case just for lenses. I'm sure we will pickup one of these cases for when we travel.