Working as DP and Director / DP has been an interesting world to navigate. There are some directors I work with who I think really appreciate my directorial experience (especially when it comes to doc projects), but I also think working as both a Director and Director/DP has raised eyebrows with others…..
I once talked to a rep about signing as a DP and was directly told the Director/DP side of my work was a conflict and a non-starter. BUT I wholeheartedly feel working as a Director/DP has greatly, greatly benefited my role as a DP. I have learned a lot of lessons over the years, but here are a few of the ones that stand out:
It can take a lot of time and work to win jobs -- By the time the DP is brought onto the project, the Director most likely has put in enormous amounts of time to win the job. As a DP you should really read the treatment. Every word. Then read it again 10 times. Try to get inside the director’s head and really understand what has been pitched… chances are the Director has spent hours and hours working on the treatment. What may be a simple 1 day shoot for the DP could easily have been months of work for the creatives (including everyone on the agency side). It’s important to realize this, give the job the attention it deserves, and understand why there may be strong opinions coming from video village.
Scheduling / Holding crew -- As a DP I would sometimes get annoyed when I was put on hold only to find out that the production was holding other DPs or the job wasn’t even awarded yet. From bidding I have learned that some jobs are pitched on such short timeframes you have to start putting crew on hold before an award. I have also learned that some agencies will be particular about key crew members (hence multiple DPs on hold). I have also learned how “locked dates” aren’t actually locked and the whole production schedule can shift. These are all reasons why production may put multiple DPs on hold.
I always ask these four questions when I get put on hold for a job: Is the job awarded? What is the budgeted rate? Are the dates locked? Are you holding other DPs? I find most producers, PMs, etc are very honest and straightforward when asked directly… and in fact if I get weird vibes from any of these questions it usually throws up a red flag.
Additional Work Examples -- As a young DP I would get annoyed when the agency would request more specific work (the joke goes you can’t shoot a commercial for a red toothbrush if you have only shot a commercial for a blue toothbrush). I have learned this often doesn’t reflect the DP skill level but the agencies desire to nail the production (which is their job after all). As noted in #1; months of pitching and prep work can lead up to even a simple 1 day shoot. A lot of times the agency creatives have a lot riding on the shoot. They just want to nail it. In fact, as a director I find myself doing the same thing when hiring art directors or editors…. of course I want to see similar work in portfolios and sometimes ask for additional work samples.
Now a seasoned DP may read this and think… yea of course, I get all of these and I never directed. And I think this is true. However, working as a Director has given me first hand experience of working directly with an agency and I think I learned these lessons much quicker / sooner then I would have otherwise. .
Ultimately I think the most important lesson I have learned from working as Director that I can translate to DP jobs is a holistic understanding to bidding and production process, how everything doesn’t revolve around the camera department and how to help elevate the project and nail the project in the way the agency and director spent countless time on.
Here are a few random BTS photos… just to add some eye candy.
