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Do emerging cinematographers own lens sets?


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You shouldn't list gear that is not your own on your website.

 

Yeah, normally I wouldn't it's just that the first thing that I get asked when I'm interviewing for a job is what type of glass I own or prefer to rent. Since I've had full access to any number of lens sets at school (which won't be the case after I graduate in a couple of months) I've made it simpler by listing it on my website. As soon as I am no longer to have full, 100% access to the super-speeds I'll take it off, but for now I don't believe listing it does any harm - it's not like I offer rentals.

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At this point I've got the goal in mind, but my bank account won't always let me stick to it, heh.

 

 

See, this is the problem all students run in to, at least, so I hear. And while the predominating advice is "if you want to be a cinematographer, then you should be shooting" it isn't always that simple. Many times but never consistently, the odd jobs I do in grip and electric departments and/or in camera department end up contributing to my rent. Of course, if it were my choice and I was well funded enough to always be able to DP a film then I'd do it. But, rent is due on the first of the month regardless of what jobs I'm getting, so I'll take anything that comes.

 

Someone mentioned the need to move up in clientele if the said clientele is really only choosing you because of the gear you own. To be perfectly honest, and maybe this is because my experience in the professional field is limited, but I think that's a pretty presumptuous statement. In filmmaking, producers are always looking for ways to cut down on costs because it yields a greater profit in the end - and this goes for Hollywood, independent film, music videos or commercials, what have you. In my experience which is mostly made up of shoestring budget features and shorts, the main way to cut costs is by hiring someone who owns gear because then you don't have to rent it, boom, costs cut. Why rent an Arriflex SRIII or 416 AND a cinematographer separately, when you know a cinematographer who owns a RED?

 

Now of course I'm exaggerating a little bit in my example - as cinematographers we could list off reason after reason why you'd go with the former, or the latter, depending on what the project is and what the budget is. But to producers, who lets be honest, rarely know the difference or can see it in the footage, it comes down to numbers. And generally, hiring someone with his own gear costs less. It's part of the reason so many students are looking at investing in RED packages when SCARLET releases - they see it as an opportunity to cast themselves into the indie industry as "RED OWNERS" which is essentially a big buzz word for producers and directors who aren't so knowledgeable on why RED is or isn't so great. All they know is that everyone seems to be shooting RED nowadays, and so they want to as well.

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The bigger issue I'm running into is keeping the assisting work consistent enough that I don't have to take gigs in other departments, mostly production, some art.... At this point I've got the goal in mind, but my bank account won't always let me stick to it, heh.

Yeah, that's always a problem when you're starting out. But just because you take a job in another dept doesn't mean it it has to go on your resume. Just cherry pick your credits depending on what job you're applying for until you have enough in the category you want to work in. Meanwhile, just keep telling everyone you meet what area you want to focus on. Eventually word will get around.

 

I have a sort of continuation question though: I thought it would be good for me this year to concentrating on assisting and possibly gripping or finding other ways to shadow a few good lighting crews in order gain experience in that side of the equation as well. I know a couple of guys in the SF area that do this and it seems to be working out pretty well for them. I guess the two resume approach is the way to go when sending out stuff, but what about online? Any thoughts from folks?

Yeah, keep working in any capacity. Just be honest about what your experience is and what it is you really want to do. You may not be doing exactly what you want for these guys but if you let them know where you want to be then you'll be on the right track. There are a lot of older guys around here who can help you out if they like you.

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I only really hear about very well established DP's owning Master Primes or Cookes. I know a lot of people who own Zeiss SLR primes, less who own Standard Speeds, less who own Super Speeds, and only one person who owns a set of Ultra Primes.

 

In LA, I know a DP who owns Master Primes and I know one DP in NYC who owns Cookes. These are not emerging cinematographers in anyway. :ph34r:

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Someone mentioned the need to move up in clientele if the said clientele is really only choosing you because of the gear you own. To be perfectly honest, and maybe this is because my experience in the professional field is limited, but I think that's a pretty presumptuous statement. In filmmaking, producers are always looking for ways to cut down on costs because it yields a greater profit in the end - and this goes for Hollywood, independent film, music videos or commercials, what have you. In my experience which is mostly made up of shoestring budget features and shorts, the main way to cut costs is by hiring someone who owns gear because then you don't have to rent it, boom, costs cut. Why rent an Arriflex SRIII or 416 AND a cinematographer separately, when you know a cinematographer who owns a RED?

 

Now of course I'm exaggerating a little bit in my example - as cinematographers we could list off reason after reason why you'd go with the former, or the latter, depending on what the project is and what the budget is. But to producers, who lets be honest, rarely know the difference or can see it in the footage, it comes down to numbers. And generally, hiring someone with his own gear costs less. It's part of the reason so many students are looking at investing in RED packages when SCARLET releases - they see it as an opportunity to cast themselves into the indie industry as "RED OWNERS" which is essentially a big buzz word for producers and directors who aren't so knowledgeable on why RED is or isn't so great. All they know is that everyone seems to be shooting RED nowadays, and so they want to as well.

 

In my experience, the only reason that renting equipment with the DP is cheaper is because the person is cutting either his own rate or the rental of the equipment, thereby losing money for himself. If you want to work for less than you're worth, feel free. I'm not a fan, personally.

 

Also, any producer worth anything realizes that hiring a good DP is one of- maybe even the best- money expenditures in the budget as far as what that money is buying. If the film looks good, that lures people to see it. If the commercial looks good, it catches the eye and makes people pay attention. The money that can make the company massively beats out the comparatively piddly sum they could save on gear rentals.

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In my experience which is mostly made up of shoestring budget features and shorts, the main way to cut costs is by hiring someone who owns gear because then you don't have to rent it, boom, costs cut.

Yeah, but can you really build a career off of no-budget projects? I mean, it's just a means to an end, right? To get enough good material for your reel so you can start shooting bigger budget stuff that pays? In which case, be honest - the "cost cut" is just a temporary means of getting your foot in the door, not a viable way of doing business in the long term. I think that's what Chris was getting at.

 

Why rent an Arriflex SRIII or 416 AND a cinematographer separately, when you know a cinematographer who owns a RED?

From a DP's POV: Maybe 16mm is just the right look for the project. In which case, shooting on the Red would be a compromise. Why would you want to be tied down to shooting only one camera and one format if you didn't have to be?

 

From a Producer's POV: And hey, maybe that cinematographer without a camera to rent knows how to light and compose better than the other guy - that's the best reason. I'd rather have a DP like David Mullen or Chayse Irvin shoot my epic Spaghetti Western than random dude with a Red camera, know what I mean?

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From a DP's POV: Maybe 16mm is just the right look for the project. In which case, shooting on the Red would be a compromise. Why would you want to be tied down to shooting only one camera and one format if you didn't have to be?

 

From a Producer's POV: And hey, maybe that cinematographer without a camera to rent knows how to light and compose better than the other guy - that's the best reason. I'd rather have a DP like David Mullen or Chayse Irvin shoot my epic Spaghetti Western than random dude with a Red camera, know what I mean?

 

I totally agree with your viewpoints and I share the same beliefs. There's a bunch of people out there who call themselves cameramen because they own a RED, but can't light or frame properly. But for students like myself, it's definitely a temporary solution to getting jobs until your reel can speak for itself. Obviously, the best way to make it is to do great work and get your name into the hands of the people who are hiring, but you've got to start somewhere. And for students it seems to be like owning gear is a good way to get noticed until you can get jobs on the basis of your skill alone.

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Yeah, keep working in any capacity. Just be honest about what your experience is and what it is you really want to do. You may not be doing exactly what you want for these guys but if you let them know where you want to be then you'll be on the right track. There are a lot of older guys around here who can help you out if they like you.

 

Thanks. This seems to be working nicely. I just finished 10 days on a BBC long form radio drama that was also shooting video content of most of the scenes. Hired on as a PA, but ended up spending most of my time with camera (even found them the rental before they came to town, woot!), a good deal of time helping the production designer, and running audio on a few of the extra interviews. The director was pleased enough with my efforts and kind enough to bump my credit to camera assistant rather than PA.

 

Regarding gear, I think there is a place for owning kit depending on your needs. I might be off track, or have a mindset that spreads things too thin. I am totally open to suggestions and advice on anything below. ;)

 

In addition to cinematography I am also interested in documentary film, particularly in high-access, character-driven, observational stuff. That sort of thing seems easier to do consistently with a small package of your own - rather than renting the core gear continually. I concur on the "build a demo reel" portion of owning some stuff - more opportunities to practice with the tools. I was wracking my brain on how to afford a 7D this year, but two factors may alter that. First, the T2i is looking very attractive for both a personal DSLR as well as a tool for short from doc work and cine practice. Sure, it's not much more than a nicely featured pro-sumer box, but for less than a grand it is appealing for my current needs. While it probably has too many flaws for projection, it seems adequate for online delivery. Second, my ability to "borrow/rent" from folks in my network looks to improve nicely this year. If that holds true, then I don't see a reason to drop the money on higher end stuff if I can get periodic access to proper gear through friends/co-workers.

 

Another realm where it makes sense, depending on your geography, is miscellaneous videography work. I mean we all have to pay the bills somehow, and while shooting an entire day's worth of video depositions is hardly as sexy as working on an indie feature, it's paid work that keeps you free to pursue the more exciting and career enhancing work. Most of the work like this that I see available asks for owner/operator types - usually camera, small light package, and mics. From a business perspective - useless for the resume, but fills out the month when the other gigs aren't as frequent as you need. At least, that is my currently adopted freelancing theory.

Edited by David Bowsky
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Owning your own lenses was a good idea 90 - 100 years ago. Then the studios got going, and bought equipment, just like any other industry would. In the early days, DP's would take the studio's lens set home with them at night rather than turning it in to the camera department on the lot. They wanted to use the same lenses for the whole show, because there was so much variation from lens to lens. But that problem is ancient history.

 

As others have noted, owning a lot of equipment is the sure sign of a wealthy hack who can't get a gig any other way -- or at least it was back when I was competing with them 25+ years ago.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

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Owning your own lenses was a good idea 90 - 100 years ago. Then the studios got going, and bought equipment, just like any other industry would. In the early days, DP's would take the studio's lens set home with them at night rather than turning it in to the camera department on the lot. They wanted to use the same lenses for the whole show, because there was so much variation from lens to lens. But that problem is ancient history.

 

As others have noted, owning a lot of equipment is the sure sign of a wealthy hack who can't get a gig any other way -- or at least it was back when I was competing with them 25+ years ago.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

 

I resemble that remark.

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Owning your own lenses was a good idea 90 - 100 years ago. Then the studios got going, and bought equipment, just like any other industry would. In the early days, DP's would take the studio's lens set home with them at night rather than turning it in to the camera department on the lot. They wanted to use the same lenses for the whole show, because there was so much variation from lens to lens. But that problem is ancient history.

 

As others have noted, owning a lot of equipment is the sure sign of a wealthy hack who can't get a gig any other way -- or at least it was back when I was competing with them 25+ years ago.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

I'm the freakin' KING of that remark. All hail the King, Baby!! B)

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