I was hoping the R3 would be less than the R5 but with eye-focus AF, internal 4K recording in Canon Log, the stacked sensor taking photos at 30fps, and the built-in grip I don't think it'll be possible.

Shows are already making a nod to the fact that the Pandemic happened. This Is Us had characters in masks and social distancing. New Amsterdam showed what doctors actually went through during the pandemic and after with the vaccine. Celebrity Family Feud contestants are standing six feet apart and bumping elbows instead of shaking hands. The Masked Singer created an AI audience and used shots from older seasons to fill in the applause shots.
What's the point of avoiding the Pandemic if your show is about the real world? I wouldn't expect Manifest or Good Girls to talk about it because those shows are fiction but shows like Law and Order that are intentionally "ripped from the headlines" should confront what happened head-on less we ignore it like it never happened.

"...the second we were shooting for real and set up the Alpha 1 as a C-camera in the field, it overheated almost immediately" You don't say...how interesting.

No wonder Andrew Reid hasn't talked about it on his site since January.

From a Jan 26th 'article': "It has a 30 minute limit in 8K mode due to heat, but a proper structure inside the camera to dissipate it more quickly. The camera is $2000 more expensive than the Canon EOS R5, but likely more dependable rather than the toy-like will-it-won’t-it get through a shoot reliability we have come to expect from Canon."

Nor did he blast Sony's rec limit time like he did Canons. Wondering if anyone else finds this weird?

If I wasn't so heavily invested in the Mac realm these laptops would be more than welcome on my desk. I do have one PC though just in case I need to do something a Mac can't do, like scan an SD card for errors natively. I guess if it croaks I know what I'll be getting next.

I’ve been using my Atomos Ninja Blade with my C100 and 5DIV with plenty of success!

Have you thought about reaching out to other local musicians in your area to see if they’ve ever worked with a videographer before?