Wednesday, June 12, 2013
How to never find a real DP
Posted: 2013-06-12, 7:06AM PDT
Producers: if you list "pay rate TBD, please submit rate" you are an
idiot. Real DPs have a day rate you will balk at. Real producers have a
budget and know what people and gear cost for a given type and size of
shoot. Any DP knows YOU GO FIRST on CL. So producer... post the rate.
Now... DPs easily get $650-1500 a day for non union work ( labor only..
no camera) Yes $1500 is over scale but you don't need to be union to
make $. If you offer $500..400..300 a day AND expect a DP with specific
equipment (Epic+Zeiss) that rents for many times over what you offer...
why are you suprised that the only replies you get are "me and my T3i
instead" or trust fund kids with shit reels? You either get a green
shooter who arrives on a skateboard with his kit in his backpack or a
rich asshole who is subsidizing your movie with his gear to build his
non existant reel. In either case those rates do not indicate reliable
fasfast and repeatable quality. Most real DPs work part time and are
glad to do an interesting indie project for a few bucks. Do not tell
them what to shoot or how to shoot it or what to use if you cannot pay
for it. And as for reels... if you ask for camera -specific reels you
have no idea how to look at reels. None at all. There are over 25
cameras in current use. Which DP has demo footage from all of them and
owns all of them ? Exactly. And you do not know what it took in the way
of time lights and crew to get that reel. If the work is good TALK to
thd DP and TRUST the DP. Or shoot it yourself. Look in the hole a d push
the button. Its easy. You can do it; everyone else does.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Reality Check for Delusional Wannabe's
Who are the people asking for these ridiculous demands? DP with Epic, Scarlet, Alexa etc. must have own gear. Sound guys must have own gear mixer boom 4 lavs 8 channel recorder a 2 ton Grip truck with a generator and HMI's for $100? $70.00? $50.00? Are you serious? It costs me $60.00 to put fuel in my gas tank. was there some sort of email sent out to the general public stating that you can now ask for tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear and industry professionals for next to nothing? not to mention the most important thing EXPERIENCE! All of the greatest gear does not mean you can get the results you want. Im trying to understand where you people are coming from literally and figuratively.
please reply with an intelligent answer so i can understand.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
RE: Crew Survival
Our 12hr days were soon turning into 14, then 16, and once 20 hours. Turnarounds were shortened as well. Someone got wind that camera was getting a "bump" under the table every time we went over 12. So we rallied together, G&E, wardrobe, art, sound, Ad's, all of us. We went to the producers and demanded overtime. And the days got back to 12hrs.
It's important to stand together. Share information. Help keep your rates at an appropriate scale. Help keep your fellow crew members from getting burned. Collective bargaining works, whether you are working under an IATSE contract or not.
Original Story 2:
Much like the story below only working on a current digital film (the usual low/no budget music video crap) as the DIT. I held the footage hostage and didn't release any drives until we got paid..
Original story:
A friend told me a story about shooting a project on 35mm film back in the day....They did not pay the crew at the end of the shoot as agreed...He called the 2nd AC at the lab and had him hold on to the shot film....then he told them he would expose a roll of film to the California sunshine each day until he and the crew were paid...it only took one day...and one roll of film!
Do you have a production survival tip or story to share?
Have you had to go to the extreme to get an honest days pay for an honest days work?
Tell us how you did it.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Filmmakers: Stop Asking For Free Shit
If you have no budget do some things on your own. You don't need a storyboard artist. Draw stick figures. Spielberg did it, why can't you? No DP? Shoot it yourself with a camcorder. Lighting? 3 lights, Key, Fill, and Back. Done. Editing? Use freeware like Lightworks (28 Days Later, Hanna, Pulp Fiction and several other movies) or OpenShot Video Editor to edit your project. If you're creative enough to make a movie, you can budget your project. Want your Kickstarter project to look good? Pay for it to look good and I'm sure you'll get ample seed money. Don't expect pro level work if you can't pay for it.
Need DP with with Alexa
Need DP with Alexa
Monday, April 8, 2013
Attention all DP's & Camera operators!!!
Here's the plan and let's ALL stick to it.
When you see one of these "Looking for DP with gear for $100 per day or $75 or 50 or nothing. BOOK IT!!! YES BOOK IT.
And then stay home that day. Or call them 2 hours before the "shoot" and tell them a paying client just called last minute and sorry you CHEAP DICK.
So PLEASE let's ALL DO THIS AND MAYBE THEY'LL GET THE MESSAGE!!!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
RE: Location Sound Needed
Since you're a full service production company, obviously you're doing it for a profit. And what you're offering me is "no/low/deferred pay"?
So is it no pay, low pay, or deferred pay? They are all different in terms. Don't bother! Because we both know that you're not willing to pay a dime no matter what.
And here is your magic word, "We are looking to potentially hire someone full time onto our staff for future shoots."
By adding that one sentence, do you really believe that anyone believes you're gonna pay in future for something you're asking me to do for free this time?? With all my expensive equipment? Come on man, you're gonna just keep looking for more slaves, right sir MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!
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Original motherfucking post:
We are a full service production company looking for a sound mixer for a shoot this Saturday April 6th from 5pm-2am. Need someone with a boom and a few lavaliere microphones. Shoot will include 3 locations. This is no/low/deferred pay. It is for copy, credit, meal, and gas. We are looking to potentially hire someone full time onto our staff for future shoots.
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