Building Lasting Relationships

[Jon Amerikaner]

I want to know people's thoughts on building lasting relationships with a director(s) and on becoming a long-term collaborator. I keep filming for different directors. And my work is very good, getting better each time. But no one seems to be interested in asking me back for their next film. What can I do to make myself the guy people want to work with time and again?

 

Thanks

[David Mullen ASC]

I want to know people's thoughts on building lasting relationships with a director(s) and on becoming a long-term collaborator. I keep filming for different directors. And my work is very good, getting better each time. But no one seems to be interested in asking me back for their next film. What can I do to make myself the guy people want to work with time and again?

 

Thanks

 

Unless your parents' last name was "Cinematographer" and they named you "Digital", thus sealing your fate... ;) we have a real first and last name policy on this forum. You can go to My Controls and change your User Name to reflect that, thanks.

 

Not knowing what you are like to work with daily, I can't answer the question as to why you aren't getting asked back, though sometimes it's not personal... there can be a lot of reasons that are out of your control, maybe the budget is higher and the producers want the director to hire a DP with more experience, or maybe the budget is much lower and they feel you might not want to do it, or maybe they met some new DP they like, who knows? I don't know you so I can't say if you have any personality issues that may be getting in the way, assuming your work is good and you stay on schedule.

 

If you are fulfilling the director's vision, while staying on schedule and budget, and making the actors look good (if that's required), and are pleasant to work with every day, etc. I don't know if there is much more that you can do. I don't recommend being fakey and fawning all over the important people -- I can't do that myself -- whether or not it works, you have to be true to yourself. Maybe you don't exude enough confidence, I don't know... producers and directors are naturally nervous-types when it comes to their work, their babies so to speak, so they want to feel that the project is in good hands when they hire a DP, so you have to project a certain amount of can-do spirit.

 

But not everyone can work with anybody, perhaps you just haven't clicked yet with the right directors through no fault of your own. Some relationships are not meant to be.

[Jon Amerikaner]

Unless your parents' last name was "Cinematographer" and they named you "Digital", thus sealing your fate... ;) we have a real first and last name policy on this forum. You can go to My Controls and change your User Name to reflect that, thanks.

 

Not knowing what you are like to work with daily, I can't answer the question as to why you aren't getting asked back, though sometimes it's not personal... there can be a lot of reasons that are out of your control, maybe the budget is higher and the producers want the director to hire a DP with more experience, or maybe the budget is much lower and they feel you might not want to do it, or maybe they met some new DP they like, who knows? I don't know you so I can't say if you have any personality issues that may be getting in the way, assuming your work is good and you stay on schedule.

 

If you are fulfilling the director's vision, while staying on schedule and budget, and making the actors look good (if that's required), and are pleasant to work with every day, etc. I don't know if there is much more that you can do. I don't recommend being fakey and fawning all over the important people -- I can't do that myself -- whether or not it works, you have to be true to yourself. Maybe you don't exude enough confidence, I don't know... producers and directors are naturally nervous-types when it comes to their work, their babies so to speak, so they want to feel that the project is in good hands when they hire a DP, so you have to project a certain amount of can-do spirit.

 

But not everyone can work with anybody, perhaps you just haven't clicked yet with the right directors through no fault of your own. Some relationships are not meant to be.

 

 

Thanks David. Last time I posted in 2005, the policy was different.