Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark LaFleur.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mark. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been working as a cinematographer in Los Angeles since 2004. That profession demands an understanding of the tools used for the job, which includes cameras, lighting, and lenses. My relationship with lenses in particular went beyond understanding and started to border on obsession.
As I grew as a cinematographer, I began purchasing equipment that I could use on my own jobs to elevate my work. The equipment was mostly rare, vintage lenses. This type of equipment can be quite expensive, so when I wasn’t using it for my own work, I felt pressure to have it earn money on its own in order to justify the investment. That’s how I first got into renting out equipment. Since the lenses I owned were really popular, word traveled pretty quickly within my community of cinematographers and filmmakers. I expanded my market by getting joining a camera equipment share community called ‘ShareGrid.’ This quickly expanded my client base, and rentals started to pick up.
My new side-hustle grew to the point where I felt like I had to make it an actual business. In 2014 I unofficially started Old Fast Glass. For the first year or so it was being run from my apartment, but the momentum continued to build. As I began renting out my lenses more and more, I could afford to buy more…
My search for the most interesting lens options out there introduced me to some unusual and quite rare optics. I starting using the lenses for my own projects and was becoming obsessed with the look I could get from some of these old forgotten lenses. I wanted to share what I found with the cinematography community. This led me into my desire to educate. It started with writing articles for some well-established blogs like Vintage Lenses for Video and The Cine Lens. I was also writing longer more in-depth articles for ShareGrid, as well as getting images and information out through social media.
In 2016, I partnered with ShareGrid to produce a huge lens comparison test of some of my favorite cinema lenses, called the Vintage Cinema Lens Library. It was a hit within the cinematography community, and a year later we did a follow-up called the Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test, which was one of the largest gatherings of rare anamorphic lenses ever. Our anamorphic lens test library was being used by the industry’s biggest cinematographers, which got Old Fast Glass mentioned in the pages of ICG Magazine and American Cinematographer Magazine.
Old Fast Glass started becoming fairly well known within the cinematography community. My rental business continued to grow as more and more filmmakers discovered who Old Fast Glass was, and found that they shared the same obsession with vintage lenses. It finally came time to open a proper brick and mortar rental house. Old Fast Glass, LLC now lives in Burbank, CA. We have a full-service prep facility, and we continue to rent out rare vintage cinema lenses, as well as full camera packages. Our philosophy has been the same since I bought my first set of lenses: I only own and rent out lenses that I would use to shoot my own projects. That has created a trust between Old Fast Glass and our clients. I’m more obsessed with lenses than ever, and I am continuing to add rare and amazing old lenses to our inventory, as well as continuing to educate. Our 3rd round of lens tests will be this summer, and the three tests will be combined to create the Ultimate Lens Library, which will be available in 2020 for free to anyone.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most difficult thing about building Old Fast Glass was to fully commit to it. When I was a full-time cinematographer with a small side hustle of renting lenses, there was very little pressure to grow and succeed my rental business. Any extra money I made felt like a bonus. But now, with a proper facility, a much larger inventory, as well as employees, the risks are much higher.
Another obstacle that continues to be a challenge is deciding what equipment to buy. Film equipment is a huge financial investment. Even the biggest rental houses have trouble keeping up with the ever-changing trends and constant new equipment popping up. It forces us to predict the direction the industry will go and stay ahead of it. It also means you might buy a $100,000 set of lenses that no one wants to rent four months after you bought them because a new, more interesting set of lenses comes out. It makes every equipment purchase feel like the biggest decision of your life.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Old Fast Glass – what should we know?
Old Fast Glass is a film equipment rental house that specializes in rare, vintage cinema lenses. We are known for not only having some of the most rare and hard to find lenses, but also keeping them in impeccable condition, and often modifying them or customizing them so that the client has the best possible experience using our equipment.
Since I have a background as a cinematographer, I know what it’s like to be on set. I know what filmmakers want in their equipment. I also think I have a good eye for choosing lenses, and my clients know it. They know if I recommend a particular lens for their shoot, it’s going to work out.
My favorite part of owning Old Fast Glass is the moment when a client returns a set of lenses to us, and they tell us how thrilled they were with the look they were able to get. I know what that feels like as a cinematographer, so I always love to see that reaction coming from one of my peers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The biggest reason for our success is that I came into the rental house world from the perspective of a cinematographer. I know what kind of equipment other cinematographers want to use. As a filmmaker, I know what it’s like to be on set and how demanding it can be.
The other reason Old Fast Glass has been successful is that we take risks when it comes to what lenses we purchase and offer our clients. When a new product comes out that we know will be exciting to filmmakers, we don’t wait to see what the other rental houses do, we jump in with both feet. I am so proud that we have been setting the trends with cinema optics, not following them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oldfastglass.com
- Phone: 323-915-0144
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/old_fast_glass/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldfastglass/
Image Credit:
Mark LaFleur
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