Equipment just keeps on coming – Louis Beckmann & 25HOUR

Article for AV Magazine November 2024

When I interviewed Louis Beckmann from 25HOUR 2 years ago, it was “…full steam ahead” and it doesn’t seem like that has changed at all. 25HOUR has gone from 20 to ^250m2. And it doesn’t stop there, because the plans are big. In the beginning, part of the space was rented out to other freelancers, but that soon stopped because now they have to use the space themselves.

Louis is on a roll and has come a long way since we last spoke. Just take a look at their website and you’ll get a quick impression of some of the productions they are making and have made over the last few years. It’s an impressive body of work. But it’s not just their own productions that have taken center stage.

Employees

The last few years have brought new employees, with a third just around the corner. In 2023, Emma Vibæk joined the team. It’s been good because she handles the daily administration and has a penchant for paper calendars and colored folders. “Emma is my sparring partner and the one who sees development opportunities AND the holes in the cheese,” says Louis with a big smile. 10 months after Emma was hired, Iana Christiansen joined as a full-time editor. “She has taken our productions from a 10 to a solid 12. Iana is good at graphics, good at telling stories and “she has a head like no other, where we have, for example, gone from 8 to 3 passes in most productions. She makes what customers didn’t know they wanted.”

During the fall, Kasper Lund will join the team. He is a trained FTP and will work as a producer and photographer on 25HOUR’s own productions. Kasper will also take over for Louis so he can focus more on business development.

25HOUR has four strategic legs

Together with Emma, the company has been developed and systemized. Today, the company consists of the main company 25HOUR and four legs: The Studio part, which will be a rental studio that can be rented out, but at the same time also used for own things like video productions, stills and livestreams. Production Service, which is man-power that can be rented out as “non-label” to other production companies. The production company that makes its own productions. Last but not least, 25HOUR Rental is a rental company perfect for smaller production companies and owner operators.

25HOUR Rental and love for gear

When we last spoke, the groundwork for a rental platform had been laid. Today it’s in full swing, and it’s a little different to what you’d normally see from established rental companies or rental websites. Louis is still a big gear nerd, and that hasn’t changed at all. “Yes, it all started with the kids’ savings and a 5D MKII, and today it’s just become much more. Some people call it an addiction,” says Louis with a black smile. Rentals include Sony Burano, Kinefinity Mavo Edge 6K, Zeiss Cine 21-100, Sirui Cine Jupiter and Nisi Athena Cine primes. Louis is very happy to help/sponsor small productions with gear and really wants to help the whole industry get the most out of the equipment. So one of the things that is a little different about the 25HOUR Rentals platform is that the popular products have very detailed information and practical tips. For example, Sony FX3 and Sony Burano have an overview of the built-in formats and their space usage and media requirements. Something that can otherwise be a little difficult to find.

When we come across Sony’s Burano, which is on the shelf in the rental store, Louis’ eyes light up. The Burano shoots a Sony X-OCN (eXtended Original Camera Negative) codec, which is a 16-bit compressed raw codec with a good balance between quality and file sizes. An hour of 8K X-OCN LT footage takes up 780GB but in impressive quality. “Customers could see right away that we had upgraded the camera. I think it’s one of the best cameras ever made,” says Louis.

Community and the future

Before we end the interview, we touch on the idea of community, and Louis is clear on this. “I/we would love to help shape the new generation in the industry and help them become better.” The desire to support young people in particular in an industry that has been on its knees in recent years is high on the wish list. Louis would like to have some kind of rental ambassadors who can help build a community where there is even better access to information and where you can also geek out together and build something. With the move from Østerbro to Nordvest, 25HOUR version 2.0 began, and Louis makes no secret of the fact that more employees are a big wish. “Maybe 7-8 people,” he says, “and the studio part is also important. A studio that you can rent on a daily basis with a solid basic package, where everything is ready for customers when they arrive, or where you can hold lectures and seminars. It will be exciting to follow 25HOUR in the coming years.

The article is from AV Magazine November 2024