Equipos Profesionales Cinematográficos (EPC) has over 30 years of experience and is continually evolving and learning as film technology evolves.
Based in Madrid, Malaga and the Canary Islands, it offers equipment rental services for the audiovisual industry. They aim to offer their clients a wide range of technological products and services for an excellent final result.
Today we interviewed the person in charged of ECP, Óscar Pérez, so that he could tell us more about various topics.
- Tell us a little bit about the history of EPC.
EPC was born thanks to the restlessness of my father, Eduardo Pérez Climent, who worked as a camera assistant and 2nd AC in audiovisual productions such as Curro Jiménez, El sombrero de tres picos dirigido por Lazarov, La familia Colón, among others well known in Spain.
His experience and detecting the needs of the sector, he founded E. Pérez Climent to later become CAMARA RENT INTERNACIONAL, which for 9 years offered its services to the audiovisual industry until the actual Equipos Profesionales Cinematográficos S.A. appeared.
- What is the core of your work?
Our priority is to ensure the quality of the service we offer to production companies. My father has always told us that the most important thing is that the camera crew, the director of photography, the production company and the client end the proyect with the feeling of a job well done by our side. We want the equipment requested to be what they finally have for the shoot and to have it with the best possible conditions.
We do everything we can to ensure that both national and international production companies want to work with us again.
We have a wide range of equipment and rental material for 35mm, 16mm and Digital Cinematography.
We work with the most important brands in the market, such as Panavision, Arri, Red, Sony, Zeiss, Cooke, Hawk, Canon, OConnor, Angenieux, Leitz.
We also have a large GRIP department, we have telescopic cranes such as SCORPIO 45´, 38´, 23, 10´ , TECHNOCRANE 30´, Fischer dollies, Panther, Magnum always managed by great professionals.
- In fact… You have the exclusive rights in Spain and Portugal for Panavision. Don’t you?
That’s right, with our long history as a company at the service of the Spanish film industry, we are proud to receive the support and trust of multinationals such as Panavision, for whom we are exclusive agents. We also have the exclusive distribution of KODAK for 35mm and 16mm.
- What is your relationship with advertising film productions?
EPC has traditionally been more focused on feature films, but we have always had large advertising production companies who rely on the equipment and services we offer.
We want the client to be as satisfied as the production company; and in the case of international clients, we want them to always want to come back. The audiovisual sector in Spain is highly qualified in terms of professionals, equipment and technical materials.
- What are the traditional materials most in demand when producing advertising films/commercials?
Advertising films are very demanding, they tell small stories in a short time with impeccable technical quality. They always demand the necessary equipment so that the photography is in line with the story they want to tell, and for this they can request both equipment that has recently arrived on the market and optics that are more than 50 years old.
At EPC we are ready to always have what you need. For this reason we have created in these more than 30 years a networking with similar companies in other countries to sublet equipment when we do not have them or ours are been used in other productions.
Lately we are experiencing a strong increase in 35mm and S16mm productions for advertising film. For this we are upgrading our equipment with HD VIDEO outputs and battery adapters to unify them with the higher capacity digital video outputs.
When full frame came along, it meant a change of format and a similar investment in cameras and lenses as when we switched to digital format; but we were able to adapt on both occasions, I think quite successfully.
- The newest?
We can talk about the irruption in the FULL FRAME market. We have updated all our equipment with ARRI, SONY, RED cameras for Full Frame, and in terms of optics, LEITZ PRIMES, COOKE S7, LEICA R, Canon Summire, ZEISS SUPREME and ZESS SIGNATURE PRIMES. During this year we will receive the new ANGENIEUX PRIMES.
- What would you highlight about the EPC team?
We are youthful, or so we like to see ourselves, dynamic and with eager to work. We are always focused on each project, establishing a very close relationship with the camera crew that comes to the check-ups. That’s how we keep learning, improving day by day and being at the level of the big productions that trust us.
We offer 24-hour service 365 days a year.
We are a family business with a long history: on my father’s side my father’s all in regard of cameras and cinematographic production. On my mother’s side my grandfather founded “LA PONDEROSA” with which he worked with his horses and carriages in productions such as LAWRENCE de ARABIA, Salomón y la Reina de Saba, Doctor Zhivago, Fanny y Alexander, Rey de Reyes y El regreso de los 7 Magníficos among others.
- Do you have students within the team?
Sí, creemos que los inicios son claves para el desarrollo posterior. Apostamos por el talento joven y tenemos convenio con todas las universidades españolas para que los estudiantes puedan iniciarse en el mundo laboral con nosotros. Con la ECAM hemos establecido un acuerdo para becar a uno de sus alumnos y que hagan prácticas en EPC. Pero tenemos convenios con todas las universidades que nos solicitan que sus alumnos hagan practicas aquí.
Yes, we believe that the beginnings are key to later development. We are committed to young talent and we have agreements with all Spanish universities so that students can start out developing their career with us. In addition, we have an agreement with ECAM to give a scholarship to one of their students to do an internship at EPC. We are happy to have agreements with all the universities that ask us for their students to do internships here.
Thanks for welcoming us to your facilities in Madrid! We were also able to see one of the check-ups before an audiovisual production. It was great to know that you have a diverse, inclusive, young and dynamic team. We were also able to see first-hand how students who do internships in your company find great opportunities in audiovisual companies that share proyects with you.
For more information, we invite you to visit their website: www.epc.es
