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.

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