Dan Collins

Thank you to all who gave genuine advice. While I get Richard's example he was attempting to make about begging anyone for work, it missed the point. I already have work with plenty of little productions. This post was about how change the way people view me with the big network shows I also work on. I appreciate the advice of having my skills ready for when the opportunity presents itself where I can show them what I can do. I'll stay persistent and keep working to show what I can do.

Over the last 5 years years I've been cam op'ing on low budget docu-reality shows and Ac/utility on higher end reality. I've been pushing to operate on the bigger projects but have been met with reluctance. It's tough changing how people view you. I have a lot of camera and lighting experience and have even occasionally had to teach the people I assist how to light an interview. I've paid my dues, gotten plenty of experience and am ready to make a name for myself. My question is about how to make the jump successfully. I know I have the technical skills down. Selling myself as an DP/operator is what I need to work on. Many people are reluctant to give advice to those moving up for fear of competition or whatever. Is there anyone on here willing to share their experiences and give advice?

Who elese has been dealing with the issue of classification by productions on union jobs for the data management? This has been an issue for me on certain projects. I get that producers will always try to be cheap save money, that's their job. Local 600 hasn't clearly defined the difference and roles for each clasiffication enough and that gives them loopholes to exploit. I'm union as a loader. On many digital jobs I'm digital loader basically media managing and assisting the department as a loader always has (chariging, running gear, video village, rental, inventory, etc). Some shows do everythign right, but more and more I'm getting calls that are looking for a loader because the production can't afford a full fledged DIT. I'm finding they want a lot of the DIT work still done, such as transcoding, one light color correction, etc. They want 80% of the DIT work done, but want to pay a loader rate or worse yet, want to pay a camera utility or digital utility rate. Sometimes I turn the gigs down and others I negotiate a substantial bump in kit fee for the extra work load if they won't classify me right. Ironically non-union jobs tend to be the opposite. They call people DITs who are only downloading. I draw the distinction that a loader downloads and checks media from cards. DIT is anyone who is doing more than that; live capture, syncing sound, transcoding, coloring, or making dailies. I am want to know where others draw the line between digital loader duties and DIT and their experienced with union jobs calssifying DIT duties as something else.

Lacie has an eSata hub. There are several companies in addition to Sonnet who you mentioned, that are coming out with thunderbolt docks to offer many more ports of varing types.

I worked at a rental house years ago and learned a lot, even thoough I got little to no time hands on with gear because I was an agent taking orders. Still, it was great and very valuable training on how to compile and prep a complete order. A few people I've worked for have told me that they valued that I have the rental house experience. I got one job merely because of that experience. The last AC they had said he knew about equipment but did a poor job checking it out so they ran into problems when on set. I have made very few connections directly from working there. I only worked there for 6 months and the manager who worked for years eventually went freelance and had a lot more connections after years of getting to know people, but my goal was to make a steady paycheck for a little while and learn equipment. If my networking skills were better, maybe I could have made more of it. If you have connections already to working in bigger budget productions where, as a 2nd AC or loader, you can attend a prep done by an experienced 1st, you can learn how it's done. If you're like me and are starting from low budget productions, often you'll be in video and the only ac. The DP made the order, but production would rather pay an AC rate for prep than the DP's rate, or the DP is not available. Then you are going to be thrown into preping on your own and that's where the experience comes in. I've picked up orders at pretty pathetic indie rental houses that leave out important items, like specific items asked for, correct cables, spare cables or batteries that hold a charge, etc. How can you trust their advice on what you might need if they didn't do it right in the first place? You need to know how to prep even if you're order is put together by an idiot.

I recently worked on a reality show and my shooting was criticized for lack of quality coverage (however the director was not very helpful in telling me exactly how I need to improve). I already understand the concepts of getting masters, wide mediums and tights, but apparently I'm not putting it together right when shooting on the fly. The vast majority of the time it was 2 cameras shooting and I shot by coordinating with the other op to get coverage from different angles for conversations, however often we had 3-4 people to be covered by 2 cams, so sticking to one person each was not feasible. I've been taught in the past to be careful when breaking up a shot and not to jump around too much, but I'm doubting my sense of when and where to reframe and when to switch to another person. If their are any reality shooters on here that could give some advice on how and when you decide to reframe or how long to hold on one person/thing, I would appreciate it greatly. I could also use advice on when having to cover a 2-3 person interaction as a single camera. Again, this is all for docu shooting when I don't know much about what will happen and getting the talent to repeat themselves is not possible.

Can some list the full phonetic alphabet that is most commonly used in film slating. Im aware there can be many variations. I have typically used thr military version (alpha bravo charlie delta) but have noticed many film people think Im making it up out, when it has just never been an issue before. Since it is one now, I figure i ought to learn at one of the morr tradituonal ones foe the industry.

How did you cut the slots? Is there is a specific tool or technique used?

Double post, deleted.

We've been shooting a few days a week now and I'm getting better and more comfortable but I'm still noticing my camera work is a lot more shaky than it should be for a full-size, shoulder-mounted camera. I've had to shoot for 1-2 hours in a static position where I'm a human tripod, not moving except for framing from wide to tight. I find it much more fatiguing to not be able to take a step without causing shakiness. I'm trying to breath through my stomach, not my chest, but still I seem to see my breathing effect the steadiness of my shots. Is there something different I should be doing? Thanks!

Thanks for the tips Satsuki

I've just been given a great opportunity to be a camera operator for a new TV show. I have not done handheld on real, full-size ENG cameras in about 4 years, and even that was merely short 1-2 hours a day for my college. It's going to be almost 100% handheld because it's documentary. Even most interviews I'm told will be OTFs handheld. I'm worried because after an easy day of test shoots, my shoulder is killing me. At one point I even got dizzy because the camera was weighing down too much toward the inside of my neck. I have very narrow, thin and bony shoulders so I bought a shoulder pad, but I'm wondering if that made it worse falling in toward my neck and putting weight on on places. Should the camera be centered on my shoulder or more on the outside resting on the bone of my shoulder? Any other tips for a newbie on how to manage the weight better? I'm shooting again tomorrow, so please help quick!

Daniel, Your response is more apt that you could have ever know because it was actually a female grip that had called for the beaverboard in this particular case. The DP was probably overly cautious because of her, but since she's the one who used the term, she didn't have a problem with it. I don't get some of the "old timers" out there that can't just act normally and have normal expectations with women working. Actresses and similar types maybe the more sensitive, but grips are grips. Female grips wouldn't still be grips if they had a problem with it. I've heard what has been said around them and to them directly and none have ever been suprised or outraged in the least bit.

I was told on set today that we are not allowed to say beaver board any more because of the negtive origins of the term. The DP wouldn't explain what those origin are and I have to say I have no idea what the origin is ( I do know WHAT I is though). Now I'm really really curious to know. I'm aware that many terms were once derogatory, like best boy, but that is no longer the case for most, at least in my experienc and that is far from my intention here. I'm just looking to learn and understand what the problem with it is.

Can anyone recommend some good companies that I can look into for buying insurance on my own equipment? I need something that will cover lost, stolen, and accidental damage.

I'm looking at buy one of the new canon 7D's and I'm thinking through all the accessories that I'll need with it. I will be buying sandisk extreme IV 8GB CF cards. Will any older CF reader work or do I need a new reader to go with the faster speed of the newer cards? I'm wondering if there are bandwidth limitations on some of the older CF card readers that will slow down ingestion of video too much. Or is the transfer speed not dependent on the reader, but just the card and interface to the CPU? I'm looking for a good deal, like everyone else. I'd prefer both USB and firewire plugs, but either will do. I've seen some readers as cheap as $10, but since CF cards have been around so long, I don't know if there have been major changes in them. I appreciate any help form those more tech savvy and up to date than myself!

She seems much more balanced and rational in her argument and actually has more points make than you do. I find it very unbalance of you to being attacking other to make your point sound better. Just because someone does not agree with you does not make them wrong. Using persoanl attacks in debate is a pet peeve of mine. Many of the rest of us have been producers (if you look up Michele's imdb, as I did, she is one of them) and know both sides of the film business. Favoring the executives, does not make you well-balanced either. It just makes that your bias and your side of the argument. You have not said anything other than you took some supposed business class who know where, yet you expect us to believe you as some sort of expert. What are your arguments for not covering employees with worker's compensation? What makes it ok for you to break the law? Is it just to make more of a profit, because that's all you seem to be focusing on; how it's better business (ie more profitable) to classify people as independent contractors. How is a crew person, like an electrician an independent contractor when he is doing his job under the direction and approval of the director and producers? The AD tells him what time to come to work, when to take lunch and when he can go home, his gaffer tell him exactly how to do his job, the company provides the vast majority of the equipment (other than a couple hand tools and I haven't used a manual screw driver on set in a long time).

Apparently in your business classes they did not teach you that a does not always equal b. Not every waiver is the same and not all circumstances are the same. Being a customer at a gym is not the same as being an employee. No one if going to fire me if I don't use a particular gym machine. Those waivers do not protect them from criminal negligence. If a machine fell on me because it was not properly bolted down, then I can still take them to court. Negligence that causes injury is a crime and no one can use a form to get away with a crime. No one has come up with a good reason to convince me yet that it is an ethical things to skate around OSHA and workers comp laws. It all just seems like selfishness to make a buck for themselves.

I agree with Michelle, crew are employees not independent contractors. Don't you think the big studios would be the first ones to save money on all the crew they hire if they could get away with classifying them as independent contractors? Not everyone works at sony for a year or even a month. I day play all the time. The suits only care about money and profits. They don't supply worker's comp until they have to by law and still people like you guys still fight it. As a crew guy, I have to look out for myself when dealing with corner-cutting producers who will save a buck on my back. They are not the ones at risk, so of course it's no sweat off their backs, they just want profits. Producers and suits aren't generally known for being the most ethical. I realize all this, yet I'm still constantly surprised how people constantly are willing to leave another person so vulnerable just to make a little more money for themselves. If someone ever asked me to sign a waiver when working in the ozone, or on a camera crane or just around the equipment in general, I'd laugh in their face and walk off. I don't know anyone that wouldn't do the same. Why on earth would I risk myself for you? I'm very safe to begin with, but nothing is without risk. The guy stupid enough to work for someone like that is the guy you have to watch out for, he's clearly not that smart.

I'm going to be using some HMI on a shoot I'm helping out on tomorrow. I know about HMI's but haven't used them before. We will have a 575 and 1200, both electronic ballasts I think, but I'm not sure. I'm aware that is incorrectly striked or shut down one can easily blow bulbs or ruin ballasts. Can some tell me the basics so I don't look stupid on set.

I am going to be working a job 2nd AC's on the arri 535B. I was brushing up on it in the Professional cameraman's handbook and it mentioned that because of the collapsible core on the take-up, that after removing the exposed film to then insert a plastic core. I don't recall doing that when I learned that camera and mag in school. Is that right, or do the labs take it without a core as well? It seems very easy to cone the film trying to put a core in afterwards. For clarification, this is a really low budget shoot and the 1st AC and producer are well aware that I am still relatively new to loading film (I come from video) and willing to help me learn. I also plan to practice and brush up with some dumby loads when we check out the gear.

I would never pay to find a job from any of the online sites. The only kinds of places that I have heard of anyone finding work are from some of the larger staffing agencies, but they only accept very experience crews and usually not PA's. They mostly refer for EPK and local news stories or on-site interviews though. Personally, I have found most paid sites to be quite unethical, and I'm not even a member. I know procrewbook posts fake ads on craigslist on a regular basis. I have applied to jobs only to get a reponse basically advertising them but pretending to be a producer. It has to be from their company because they take the time and attention to spell their website ProCrewBook.com with capitals, no one else would bother or care about that. I know others who have gotten the same responses. Other sites, like media-match in particular, they just copy posts off craigslist and other free sites like mandy. I have posted a job recently on craigslist, only to find that media-match copied my ad directly off craigslist (CL anonymous email address and all) and posted it on their site. Why would you pay for what you can already get for free?

As much as I appreciate you trying to tell me what I am saying, I was just trying to clarify that my point was NOT to say someone can't use whatever title they please. My point is that title doesn't give you experience or respect (if anyone cares about respect these days) so young kids starting out and immediately calling themselves a DP need to be aware of that and have to earn that experience and respect other ways. It doesn't surprise me that ones who criticizes me for my opinion are the ones that choose to not work as a crew member.

Who said that there wasn't a DP on student and low budget projects??? DPing a student project gets one the experience they need. That's what I was referring to. Sorry if you didn't get it.

You don't get my point. You are taking it too personally. It may be hard for many to hear, but this is the honest opinion of me and many others. My point is that if you don't pay your dues working up the traditional ladder as a crew member, then you have to pay you dues another way. As I said in my original post, one way to do that is get some years of experience working on student and low budget projects. You don't have to be the most experience person to get respect, but no one wants to be bossed around by an egotistical newbie. Don't expect to walk out of film school onto a high profile production if you don't have experience one way or the other. No one is trying to stop anyone from calling themselves whatever they feel like, but a title does not entitle you to respect, respect is earned and may people seem to miss that. Just watch your attitude for anyone that decides to start calling themelves a DP from day one, and don't be another jerk out there. Treat crew members with the respect that they have earned.