Needing Reliable Crew - Advice

T

TinselTown

Hey guys, I'm a producer on a feature film scheduled for next month--if everything stays on target. The hardest thing I realized is getting a decent crew together in Portland Oregon--Seattle.
We are filming on an Arri Alexa XL with Cooke Anamorphics. I need a great 1AC focus puller but it's been tricky getting one with the chops for the job. If you have the chops let me know.

We don't have a big budget but we are willing to pay a reasonable amount, or if anything we can fly you out, house you, and feed you :)

Okay it just so happens that the past stills I grabbed are female characters, but the movie is a wholesome family flick!

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I agree! But I've put myself in their shoes. Nobody likes to be micromanaged. So that's what's taking me so long to find a proper DP. To find one that has the exact same look that we envision is hard but it's doable. Finding that person you don't have to say a thing to. They already frame perfectly. They already light perfectly. They already do their job the way you want it. In fact, it makes it easier directing, you can leave them alone and you can do you. The hard part is finding that perfect person. I found that person, but I can't put all my eggs in his basket. I've received emails from DPs that won't take telling. Complain right off the bat. telling me and the director how to do things. The order of things. Telling me, without reading the script, that a 21 day shoot is too short and it'll cause stress and "actor fatigue." To be honest I want to bitch slap those types of people. Now, I wouldn't mind if they were Roger Deakins and used book light, bounced light, and diffused the hell out of light to make everything look soft but no. They have reels with hard spotlights on people, saturated colors like a late 90s batman movie and asking for 600-900 a day.

I'm clearly stressed. This month has slowed considerably in the pre-production phase. And because it slowed I feel like it's slipping away :(
 
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How does that work?

I understand how it's good for you; the first DP doesn't work out
after day 4 or 5 so he leaves and you have someone else so you
don't lose a day. Is this second DP just waiting for your call? What
do you tell DP number 2 when you hire him? And do you just have
one back-up? What happens if on day 3 DP number 2 doesn't meet
your expectations?
 
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I don't mean to sound like a nay-sayer, but do we ever get "perfect" in the indie film world?
And is it always good to find someone who envisions things exactly as we do, rather than someone who might bring a fresh set of eyes and new perspective to the project?

I absolutely agree that you need someone you can work with and who will follow the rules and guidelines (including re available time to shoot) but I do value independent thought as well.
 
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directorik said:
How does that work?

I understand how it's good for you; the first DP doesn't work out
after day 4 or 5 so he leaves and you have someone else so you
don't lose a day. Is this second DP just waiting for your call? What
do you tell DP number 2 when you hire him? And do you just have
one back-up? What happens if on day 3 DP number 2 doesn't meet
your expectations?
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You're too far ahead.

The perfect DP would have great work, plus shows enthusiasm for the project. You have actors desperate for the roles, willing to give an organ. You have hair and makeup enthusiastic. Same for all the other roles and crew. We cast and hire people who are great but also show that desire, because ultimately for something as big as a film to work out it's teamwork. Because DP 1 has great work we want him. However, he hasn't shown that enthusiasm that the rest of the team shows and because of that I do want to keep searching. I don't want to be forced to hire someone that couldn't be bothered.
 
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mlesemann said:
I don't mean to sound like a nay-sayer, but do we ever get "perfect" in the indie film world?
And is it always good to find someone who envisions things exactly as we do, rather than someone who might bring a fresh set of eyes and new perspective to the project?

I absolutely agree that you need someone you can work with and who will follow the rules and guidelines (including re available time to shoot) but I do value independent thought as well.
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I don't know what the indie film world usually gets, but we aren't trying to just put out obviously independent work. And in order to do so we have people, cast and crew, making sacrifices that I saw the director not wanting them to make. One 17 year old is possibly going to miss 17 days of school--which our director said no--to recast-- and her parents said otherwise. That's just one of the many. Our crew is patient and is just going to wait until everything lines up. But February has been a slow month. Locations/exotic cars have been sourced and waiting to go. But DP is holding us back. Male lead is holding us back. And it's just a downer to be honest to have another month go by and not moving closer to production.
 
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Keep looking and make sure to meet them in person once you like their reel and demeanor. You can tell a lot face to face.
 
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And I do think you should get a DP that has your vision. One of your fellow mods once said that I should leave the camera and lens choice to the DP. At first I thought that was ludicrous, but now I realized that he's right. Find a DP that uses or wants to use the combo you want. Find a DP that frames and lights the way you like. Then you can collaborate on making the film better. "Instead of that shot, lets make it even more interesting."
 
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The Director/DP relationship is absolutely crucial. Find one you want to work with and who wants to work with you.

I don't know many US DPs, but I do know that the DP is first and foremost there to serve the vision of the Director.

The DP should at least be enthusiastic. However, a face-to-face meeting is important, as enthusiasm doesn't translate particularly well via phone or email.

TinselTown said:
Find a DP that frames and lights the way you like. Then you can collaborate on making the film better. "Instead of that shot, lets make it even more interesting."
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This is the attitude I use to approach every project I do, whether it's narrative film, commercial or otherwise. We're all here to serve the Director's vision, and it's my job as DP to support that, and find and suggest ways to exacerbate the effectiveness of the storytelling. It's not ever about making a reel piece.

I think finding a DP who you have a great working relationship with is probably more important than whether their reel is the absolute best that you've come across.


That all being said, it's possible that there's some context we're losing. However, you should be able to ascertain to some extent whether what the DP is pushing for or is doing comes from a place of love and passion for the project (for example, pushing to shoot on a certain camera or format because he/she thinks it will serve the story the best) or from their own personal ego (for example, pushing to shoot on a certain camera or format because it's the latest new gadget and he/she wants to be able to put footage from it on their CV and showreel).
 
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indietalk said:
Keep looking and make sure to meet them in person once you like their reel and demeanor. You can tell a lot face to face.
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Today we woke up to this realization. Going to LA is pretty affordable so we will make the trip once we have a few to interview. Alas, so far we barely have one.

jax_rox said:
The Director/DP relationship is absolutely crucial. Find one you want to work with and who wants to work with you.


This is the attitude I use to approach every project I do, whether it's narrative film, commercial or otherwise. We're all here to serve the Director's vision, and it's my job as DP to support that, and find and suggest ways to exacerbate the effectiveness of the storytelling. It's not ever about making a reel piece.

I think finding a DP who you have a great working relationship with is probably more important than whether their reel is the absolute best that you've come across.
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The Director used to do his own DPing. He's spectacular. It's dark, grainy, softly lit, and cinematic from every angle. It's just not very American and it's hard to find that type of cinematographer in the states. So the list of DPs like him is small in the states, and the ones he does know are quite expensive...Probably the whole budget of the film expensive. If I can't find a DP soon the director might just take it back up...We'll see.

At this point we are definitely willing to fly people from a different country here. But I don't know what resources to use to find DPs. America we just use Craigslist. I don't know what to use in Germany, UK, and Scandinavian countries. We'll fly them out no problem. From those countries it's pretty cheap to Los Angeles, NYC, or Miami. And then from there it's affordable to anywhere else in the states. So if you guys know what sites I should check please, please, please let me know!
 
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So today I called the director. And he's so easy breezy. Just said go to vimeo. Type in cinematographer. Go through the list of reels. Call the ones you like.

I typed it in and sure enough there's a list of cinematographers from all over the world. :D
 
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What's prep time? And how much should you have? What goes into prep? I have DPs asking how much prep time. Do they mean before filming? I mean, I would suppose they need maybe a day to discuss everything with the director and then at the shoot they just set up and film? But I may be wrong here.
 
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What's prep time? Do they mean before filming?
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You're a hoot.

I would have thought that it'd be best to prepare for the shoot after you wrap. That way, you know what you need and all that jazz. ;)

What goes into prep?
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Everything that needs to be prepared. Even contingencies.

I would suppose they need maybe a day to discuss everything with the director and then at the shoot they just set up and film?
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You could do that and figure it out on the day. That is one way to do it... so long as you, the producer, the one footing the bill, is happy with most of the cast and crew standing around, being paid while your DP and director figure out what they're going to do next.

How can the production plan if your DP and director don't know what they'll be doing. How will you know what cast, crew or equipment you'll need. How will you know how long it will take? What are the options and so on.

TLDR: If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail.
 
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