Directors operating cameras

Manu Delpech · April 22, 2014

I can never imagine directing a movie & never holding the camera at any moment. I'm about to shoot my first "pro" short movie, and I'm both excited & kind of wary about working with a DP. I'm a really visual dude & pretty much think visual first & then the story comes to me after seeing images in my head. I'm just hoping to find someone I can really trust & who'll get me 100 percent, I have a ton of visual references set up that really show what I'm after, but I know that I'll have a couple of tracking shots and I want to get in there and be in control of the movement.

I admire the directors (like Cameron for example) who can do it all, and not lose focus.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Manu Delpech

Michael LaVoie · April 23, 2014

Yeah, focus is a whole other argument for not operating on a take as a director. It's less likely for a director to want to operate a shot on sticks as it's just panning and tilting so why bother? But for tracking and handheld work, that's when directors get more eager to operate. But for those shots, It's always highly recommended to do a run through for camera and give your 1st A.C. a chance to get focus marks. Give the actors floor marks and also camera marks to hit. So it takes a while before you're actually rollling. This is why I don't understand this argument on why a director would want to operate during the actual take. I mean, sure, find the shot during the run-throughs and focus checks. Operate on those so that you can design the shot but then when you're actually going for a take, hand it over to the operator who saw your moves and watched you. I know personally I'd much rather be at the village watching it. Even as a DP, I'd prefer not to have to operate if I don't have to. You get a much better idea of the lighting and the performers in frame when you can just sit or stand comfortably and see it all on a bigger screen.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Michael LaVoie

Manu Delpech · April 23, 2014

Maybe, no idea, I'm new at this for now, and it's not like there's gonna be a video village or anything on a low budget level like I'm about to do. Good advice though ;)

Daniel Mimura · April 23, 2014

As an operator, I hate when a director grabs the camera and blocks it and then hands it over for the take. I can learn the beats by watching video village or being over the director's shoulder, but my body doesn't get the rehearsals everyone else has had by the point you're doing the take. Even the blocking is telling me I can walk backwards 4 steps before I hit the door...etc...it's all motor memory. Directors/DP's need to be able to articulate what they want. The inability to do this is often why a lot of directors will grab the camera and do it themselves (or attempt to do it themselves as is often the case.)

Vladimir Barberán · May 11, 2014

I work with a director friend and sometimes I gave her the camera, I always end delivery and let me do my job. Managers should focus on acting and operating the camera is difficult.

Matthew W. Phillips · May 11, 2014

Managers should focus on acting and operating the camera is difficult.

Managers can focus on whatever they want to focus on...that is why they are the managers. :D

Daniel Reed · May 28, 2014

Hey! I'm an aspiring Director! I'm just a student now, but I do a pretty darn good edit job B)

http://www.nextbooth.com

...I think of an editor as being a 2nd director (so much feeling/flow can be changed in the edit)

Am i delusional?

Operating the camera is no big deal. It's when the director insists on editing the movie that the fun begins! :D

R,

Aman Anand · July 28, 2014

As a frugal film student I always look for way on cutting down on my costs, but it would really be counter productive to cut out the DP.

Camera operating and directing at the same time cam be looked up by two distinct perspectives. As an actors director I have trusted my DP with framing and lighting (that is if I know them and they know what I want) but some directors are directing for the audience, they need to control every aspect of the frame including the performance. These directors would rarely "trust" someone to frame for them.

On short films with enough planning and rehearsal a director can camera operate and direct at the same time but like functioning alcoholic they might lack a bit.

Aman Anand · July 28, 2014

Hey! I'm an aspiring Director! I'm just a student now, but I do a pretty darn good edit job B)

http://www.nextbooth.com

...I think of an editor as being a 2nd director (so much feeling/flow can be changed in the edit)

Am i delusional?

I think of editors as prosecutors and the directors as the detectives. The directors gather all the information to be presented but the editor chooses to put a selection of the evidence that best tells the story in the information pool they have.

Brian Drysdale · July 28, 2014

The editor doesn't have the final decision and usually neither does the director. There are layers of executive producers and other people representing funders/ studios/broadcasters who can impact on the final cut.