A Good Gut Check
- Thread starter CamVader
- Start date
That was the tits.
On the nose.
You guys are right -- that cinematographer sure was needy. Jeez-Louise, you need a blanky, too?
I keed. I only keeeed!
I keed. I only keeeed!
clean my eye lid with a rusty nail. oh man.
Nice Vieo
hahaha that was so funny, i can't stop laughing. Nice video.
hahaha that was so funny, i can't stop laughing. Nice video.
heheh not bad! makes me feel bad asking actors to be in my short films though :-D
Here's a little list I wrote for a director friend's site who writes a list of 9 (like a Top 10 list minus 1) that talks about filmmaking and his life. I wrote this one which talks about how fun it is getting asked to shoot people's project for free:
_______________________________________________________________
the list of 9 for april 1, 2004:
NINE THINGS PRODUCERS WITH NO MONEY TELL YOU TO GET YOU TO SHOOT THEIR FABULOUS SHORT FOR FREE
The talented and often hilarious Scott Spears, the cinematographer for my first featureForeign Correspondents, came over to my house one afternoon and started rattling off allthe various lines low-budget producers have fed him when trying to get him to shoot their shortfilms for no pay. He hit it so right on the nose that I asked him to write me a list of nine suchcons. This list applies not only to directors of photography but really to anybody being asked to work on a low-budget film crew. So you budding independent filmmakers out there, take heed. Scott will take over from here:
1: "Shoot this short for free because we've got 'real' money coming forour next project." My response: I'll believe it when I see it and I make one project at a time.
2: "This will be a great way to get experience." My response: I've got 30 features' worth of experience.
3: "The footage from this short will be great for your reel." My response: I've got a good reel.
4: "This short will be seen by high-up industryprofessionals." My response: Yeah, the mailroom guy at ICM or CAA who'll throw the tape in the garbage or tape "Smallville" over it. (Note this was written in 2004)
5: "We've got crew folks from some big budget movies onboard." My response: A guy who gripped one day for the third unit crew on Godzilla.
6: "This one's a sure winner at Sundance." My response: They all are.
7: "We've got some big-named talent involved." My response: A phantom big-named star who'll never show, who was sent an unsolicited script which got thrown out and has never heard of the project. Option #2: Somebody who had one line on a WB show.
8: "We'll have great food." My response: Pizza followed by Taco Bell,followed by cold pizza, followed by stale chips and flat generic soda, followed by nothing...
9: "We're really cool people." My response: All people who work on movies are cool. Especially those with no money because they're not Hollywood sell-outs.
I may sound bitter here, but I'm not. I have worked for very low rates on some great shorts and even worked for free on a very few. I just want people to be realistic about what they are askingfrom prospective crews. Some folks seem to expect me to show up for free with my expensive film or DV camera and light kit and enjoy eating Ramen Noodles. If you want a good crew, save up somemoney and pay them. If this had been a list of 10, I would have listed "possible deferred pay." In all my years of shooting, I've never seen a dime of deferred pay except when I was a co-producer.
__________________________________________________________________
Here's a link to more of his list of 9s.
http://www.cassavafilms.com/list9.html
His name is Mark Tapio Kines and he directed the films "Foreign Correspondents" (which I shot) and "Serial Slayer".
Scott
_______________________________________________________________
the list of 9 for april 1, 2004:
NINE THINGS PRODUCERS WITH NO MONEY TELL YOU TO GET YOU TO SHOOT THEIR FABULOUS SHORT FOR FREE
The talented and often hilarious Scott Spears, the cinematographer for my first featureForeign Correspondents, came over to my house one afternoon and started rattling off allthe various lines low-budget producers have fed him when trying to get him to shoot their shortfilms for no pay. He hit it so right on the nose that I asked him to write me a list of nine suchcons. This list applies not only to directors of photography but really to anybody being asked to work on a low-budget film crew. So you budding independent filmmakers out there, take heed. Scott will take over from here:
1: "Shoot this short for free because we've got 'real' money coming forour next project." My response: I'll believe it when I see it and I make one project at a time.
2: "This will be a great way to get experience." My response: I've got 30 features' worth of experience.
3: "The footage from this short will be great for your reel." My response: I've got a good reel.
4: "This short will be seen by high-up industryprofessionals." My response: Yeah, the mailroom guy at ICM or CAA who'll throw the tape in the garbage or tape "Smallville" over it. (Note this was written in 2004)
5: "We've got crew folks from some big budget movies onboard." My response: A guy who gripped one day for the third unit crew on Godzilla.
6: "This one's a sure winner at Sundance." My response: They all are.
7: "We've got some big-named talent involved." My response: A phantom big-named star who'll never show, who was sent an unsolicited script which got thrown out and has never heard of the project. Option #2: Somebody who had one line on a WB show.
8: "We'll have great food." My response: Pizza followed by Taco Bell,followed by cold pizza, followed by stale chips and flat generic soda, followed by nothing...
9: "We're really cool people." My response: All people who work on movies are cool. Especially those with no money because they're not Hollywood sell-outs.
I may sound bitter here, but I'm not. I have worked for very low rates on some great shorts and even worked for free on a very few. I just want people to be realistic about what they are askingfrom prospective crews. Some folks seem to expect me to show up for free with my expensive film or DV camera and light kit and enjoy eating Ramen Noodles. If you want a good crew, save up somemoney and pay them. If this had been a list of 10, I would have listed "possible deferred pay." In all my years of shooting, I've never seen a dime of deferred pay except when I was a co-producer.
__________________________________________________________________
Here's a link to more of his list of 9s.
http://www.cassavafilms.com/list9.html
His name is Mark Tapio Kines and he directed the films "Foreign Correspondents" (which I shot) and "Serial Slayer".
Scott
You know, stereotypes start with a grain of truth. This may be an even bigger gut check for some... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImrGzDh9Tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImrGzDh9Tw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImrGzDh9Tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImrGzDh9Tw
Obviously made by a DP to an extreme.
I worked on a union gaffer's no budget home film project for free. He has gotten work on Hollywood productions in the NYC area time and time again.
The guy wouldn't even give me lunch or help with transportation costs even when I brought over sound equipment when the sound equipment he borrowed from a friend failed. This same guy charged me $3,000 for two weeks work as a DP with MY CANON GL-1, plus charged me for supplies on top of that.
He took a microphone and camera after that and never returned the equipment.
That's a real life reality check.
I've moved on from there.
I worked on a union gaffer's no budget home film project for free. He has gotten work on Hollywood productions in the NYC area time and time again.
The guy wouldn't even give me lunch or help with transportation costs even when I brought over sound equipment when the sound equipment he borrowed from a friend failed. This same guy charged me $3,000 for two weeks work as a DP with MY CANON GL-1, plus charged me for supplies on top of that.
He took a microphone and camera after that and never returned the equipment.
That's a real life reality check.
I've moved on from there.
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