Micah Clemente

Hey Reuel, I'm 17, so I am in a similar situation as you. FIrst off, there's nothing stopping you from making a short film! Use whatever camera you happen to have, use your phone even! Basic video editors can be free with Windows Movie Maker and iMovie. Just go out and make something, anything, just for the experience of getting your first short out of the way, and learning from it. With regards to your question, chances are your shorts are no-budget projects with friends, just like mine. For the sake of our projects with the resources of a young filmmaker who is starting out, I would actually recommend being both the director and camera operator. There is no one who knows what you want out of your film better than you do. For a lot of your projects, chances are you're the one that comes up with, and writes the scripts. So you have the best idea about what you envision your film to be. Plus, having to find a DP that is willing to work for you for free, since you probably don't pay the people that help and act in your films, is going to be very hard. Another thing is that if you are the one that is going to be editing the film, then you really should be operating the camera! You're the one that has the vision of what you're final product will be as a director, and operating the camera will make it so much easier to achieve what you want, rather than trying to explain it to someone else, no matter how good they are. As a young filmmaker, you should make as much quality content as you can. Put yourself out there! Constantly make films and expand your horizon. If you limit yourself, or don't do something because you can't get a DP, it will be very hard for you to gain the much needed experience to separate you from the competition. Doing things yourself while in high school is a great chance to learn and experiment with different things. Don't limit yourself to a textbook role of a Director. Get in there and get your hands dirty! Good Luck!