Procam, a UK hire company, buys True Lens Services to offer bespoke lens service

Filming made in Chelsea

In an interesting and, indeed, pioneering new move, UK broadcast hire specialist Procam has brought lens service and manufacturing facility True Lens Services with the aim of being able to not only supply more 35mm glass to the high-end TV market, but also offer a bespoke lens design service as well.

This is apparently the first time a UK hire company has acquired engineering capabilities and, according to the company, addresses a surge in demand from UK production companies to create content with the higher production values often associated with films. And, to be honest, it’s not just the high-end market either, with a cinematic style of shooting increasingly commonplace within factual productions, documentaries and even constructed reality series such as Made in Chelsea (hence the picture).

True Lens Services has a growing reputation in the design, manufacture and servicing of lenses and support equipment, this year going so far as to create a bespoke digital conversion of the classic 1950s Cooke Speed Panchro lens for the Oscar-tipped Mr Turner. Procam now plans to offer bespoke lenses produced out of TLS’ in-house CNC workshop and other tailor-made packages to its client base, which it says will provide “new lens solutions to the shooting challenges the UK production industry faces on the frontline.”

Budget will, of course, always be an issue, but Procam should be able to take advantage of some decent economies of scale to offer top quality glass to productions at lower prices than seen before. Add in the bespoke lens design service too and in one acquisition you have quite a shake-up of a crucial part of the UK production scene.