Where should a DP focus creative resources when making personal work?

Drumroll please…

It’s time for a question from our DP Cohort!

If you’re a DP and you’ve been reading this newsletter thinking to yourself, “I didn’t really sign up for this to only read about directors…” Have no fear. Today is your day.

The (+ogether) groups kicked off with more directors than DPs, so it took me a little more time to get the first DP cohort going. Now, as we are in the midst of our first DP cohort cycle, I’m really excited to see how the questions and dynamics compare and contrast between the director and DP groups.

In a recent DP cohort, one of our DPs asked this:

As someone who came up along the DP track myself, this question makes a lot of sense to me. As a DP, it’s clear that you would have a lot of creative concepts yourself, and if you want to make them, you’re likely going to feel the pressure to take action and figure out a way to make it happen.

However, you’re also working on a highly specific path towards growing the excellence and expertise in your craft as a cinematographer. Should you be editing said passion project? Do you need to find a director to partner with?

When this question was brought to the DP cohort, it was met with resonance and a fruitful discussion based on experience and a variety of POVs on this topic. Here are some of the main points raised by the other DPs in the group.

Get specific about what you want from the project

Expectations, expectations, expectations.

We know this, but it’s worth remembering. A group member began the discussion by asking the DP why he felt these past projects were not successful, and what he had been hoping to get from them.

Especially when working on personal or passion projects, it’s very easy for us to let our vision expand far beyond what are reasonable and realistic success markers. Will you only be satisfied with this short if it qualifies for the Oscars, or would it be a success if you can capture a dialogue scene in a new non-traditional approach you want to test?

The easiest way to avoid disappointment and frustration at the end of a project is to clearly understand and define what it is you want from it at the beginning. After you’ve done that, do some reflecting and ask yourself if these are fair or realistic expectations. Then, at the end, if you were able to achieve what you had set out to accomplish… celebrate it! We need to feel gratified and excited about what we’ve done. If not, we’ll struggle to find the motivation or desire to do it again months or years down the road.

Partner with a producer

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, but this is the number one thing that most of the DPs recommended. It was clear that our question asker was spinning his wheels a lot in the pre-production phase, and was also becoming overwhelmed and spread too thin during the production.

Finding and partnering with a producer from the early stages of the project can really help you, as a DP, protect your personal margins and to stay focused on the visual voice you want to develop rather than having to think about whether or not your crew is getting lunch and what foods your gaffer is allergic to.

As a DP, especially if you’re still in the early stages of your career, it may feel daunting or confusing to know where to find a producer to partner with. In our next newsletter, we’re going to focus on a question from our Director cohort that is all about how to find the right producing partner. Hang tight!

Try new things

One of our DPs mentioned that, as a cinematographer, passion work should really be an opportunity to try. It’s in these situations that the stakes are a little lower and you have a great degree of creative equity in the project that you can be intentional about doing something you may not often have the chance to do.

Is there a new lens that’s a bit too strange to get to use on a commercial job that feels right for this project? Have you been wanting to get more comfortable doing car-to-car so you can get more work in the automotive space? Do you want to see what it’s like to limit yourself to only shooting an entire film on sticks?

In the end, however, this DP mentioned that passion work should be something we are proud to share, because we were passionate about making it! Don’t try something just because it’s different. Try it because you believe in it.

Don’t be afraid of asking a director to collaborate

During his explanation of the backstory of his question, our asking DP expressed he feels hesitation and trepidation around inviting a director into an idea or concept he wants to make. He worried that a director wouldn’t want to execute someone else’s idea.

In response, someone mentioned that a great deal of the work of a director, generally speaking, is to come alongside the seed of an idea and to translate it, expand on it, execute it, and for many directors, they would probably love to have the opportunity to do this on an idea they connect with.

Unless you’re a DP who specifically wants to be able to function as a Director/DP, don’t hesitate to bring in a director who can really focus on the myriad of additional factors contributing to a concept, things like wardrobe, performance, locations, blocking, etc., and enable yourself to stay honed in on the visual language of the concept.

If you do invite a director into your project, it’s important to really define what each of you would like to get from the process. Having a clear conversation early on to understand what goals you each have, and how you can ensure that you are both working together to make sure those particular objectives can be mutually supported, will bring greater clarity in how to define a successful project as a team.

In conclusion, I want to note that a big part of the beauty of filmmaking, and I’d imagine a major reason in what drew you to this art form just like it drew me, is that it is a group effort. Even as this industry is ever evolving and changing, I hope this characteristic of filmmaking remains true. The value of our work increases exponentially as we invite others to partner with us in its process.