NewEnglandFilm.com

How does a company stay on top in a business where technology is constantly changing? The people of Rule Broadcast Systems, Inc. seem to have mastered the art. Founded in the fall of 1990 as a full-service video equipment rental company, Rule has built a reputation for renting dependable equipment, staffing knowledgeable technicians, and providing state-of-the-art technology to area filmmakers. Recently, NewEnglandFilm.com spoke with Rule’s founder, John Rule, about what makes his business tick and how the rapidly changing world of digital technology has affected both Rule Broadcast Systems and the industry as a whole.

John Rule brought a wealth of equipment know-how to the table when he founded Rule, having worked in the film industry for 8 years and having founded and operated Boston Camera Rental Company. Significantly, film technology experienced little change as far as John was concerned, whereas video technology was on the horizon and looked to be an important new trend in the industry. It was the late 1980s, and John decided to embark upon a new venture — he founded Rule Broadcast Systems, Inc. as an equipment rental company specializing in video equipment rental.

"I wanted change. I wanted to be in an industry where you have to stay on top, and I haven’t been disappointed," John says. "You have to be on top of video technology, computers, and production technology to succeed. That’s what I love about the business."

Rule provides a wide range of production and post-production equipment on a rental basis by the day, week, or month. Yet John Rule conceives of his business and its purpose in a much less literal sense. "We need to serve the producer in such a way that the producer never needs to go anywhere else. We don’t see ourselves just as a service — we are a partner, a resource."

Apparently, a wide variety of area producers have discovered what partnering with a video equipment rental company can make possible. As when it opened, Rule’s list of clients remains as diverse as the filmmaking community itself: Fortune 500 in-house video producers, independent filmmakers, commercial producers, motion picture companies, and documentary filmmakers all make use of Rule’s equipment.

Interestingly enough, in today’s world where digital technology is everywhere it may be a bit surprising to learn that many in the film community were not quick to embrace digital video technology. According to John, it was only once the notion of shooting video lost some of its negative connotations that independent producers looked to it more to serve their purposes. And it is no secret how things have progressed from there.

"We try to anticipate what people need even before they are asking for it — sometimes to the extent that we lose money in the process." John cites the Digital Betacam ("we had it years before people really appreciated it, understood it, and used it") and High Definition as two examples of technology that he made available to customers long before it was widely used in the filmmaking community. Rule was also the first company in the country to rent Avid editing systems.

Keeping up with changing technology is just one of the challenges facing a company like Rule. As advanced technology becomes cheaper and more accessible to the public, it is increasingly necessary for the staff at Rule to make a more compelling case for renting equipment. "It is more important than ever before for us to show why renting is better than buying," John says.

I, of course, wondered why is renting better than buying? For John, the most noteworthy benefit is the flexibility that renting allows a producer. "You get the tool you need at the time you need it. Buying equipment locks you in much more to one piece of equipment. Renting means that you always use the appropriate technology. There is no one camera that does it all, and that’s why it is so important we are here. We carry whatever tool you need."

One notable addition to the Rule equipment offering is the 24p High Definition camera. For those not be fluent in the latest HD technology lingo, essentially the goal of the 24p Hi-Definition video camera is to utilize a progressive scan rate to achieve the image quality of a film camera running at 24 fps. "Basically, it [24p] is called the ‘universal master format.’ Once you have something in this resolution as a master, you can convert it to any other format, for instance PAL, NTSC, or film at 24 fps. It gives you incredible flexibility."

I wondered, is the 24p HD camera the single most important advancement in digital video technology? Would it have the most important impact on the filmmaking industry?

John couldn’t single out one piece of equipment as having the most important impact on the filmmaking industry. He instead suggested that the coming together of five major technology companies to determine the DV file format was probably the most important contributor to changes in the industry. John would argue that, once the file format was determined, "a whole new world opened up to filmmakers." Still, he cautions everyone about a tendency to label everything as "DV."

"There is a broad spectrum of digital video out there, ranging from camcorders you can purchase at Best Buy to 24p HD. Too many people use the words ‘digital video’ in a very narrow sense, when in reality there is a huge difference in image quality for the different digital formats."

But ultimately, it’s more than the equipment itself that has kept John in this business for 20 years. "We work with some really great people who work on really cool projects. The projects run the gamut, but there is one thing they all have in common — to convey a story or a truth. And we help them do that."