Am I going to hurt my rep?

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
I am getting ready to work on a short film that is for lack of a better word... atrocious. As long as it looks good will I lose rep for being part of this cringe fest? Anyone who thinks I am being cocky I would love to show them the script and cast...
 
This is something I've pondered when I make short films and I have come to the conclusion that if your prospective clients know anything about the way film works, then no. Your reputation as a cinematographer will not be hurt by the success of the film's story. Most people know that film is a collaborative process, and that different people have different jobs on the set. Your job is cinematography, and if the cinematography in the film is good, then why would your reputation decrease because your director is a poor story teller?

That's how I convince myself that bad projects are always worth doing. Course, there are probably SOME people in the world who hold everyone who makes the film accountable for the story, regardless of what their job on set might have been.
 
Generally speaking for purposes of professional cred as long as your part of it - cinematography, sets, costumes, props, vfx, whatever - looks good, it's very unlikely that anyone will hold the failings of an otherwise embarrassing project against you.
 
It's projects like this for which the Director's Guild endorsed the fake credit "Alan Smithee".

If you don't use your real name, how could anyone trace it back to you?
 
I think you will lose your rep for posting stuff like this on a well traveled film making website.

Every project you do, you post a long complaining post about how the project sucks, the director is terrible...blah blah blah.

From what I've seen here, I personally wouldn't even consider having your name attached to a project. Not that I would hire you anyways being so far away from you. But fact of the matter is, the film industry is incredibly small. People talk and word travels fast. You never know if your producer or someone who is attached to this project will stumble across your postings online during the course of production.

Do you want to be known as the guy who has no respect for any projects he works on? Because that is the "rep" that I think you are forming.

Just a heads up. You might want to reconsider posting stuff like that on ongoing projects you have. Unless you are cool with people forming negative opinions on your professional (or lack thereof) mannerisms. At least that's how I see it.
 
Mattykins I think your being a tad to harsh. This is only my second time complaining about a project it just so happens to be a coincidence that they were back to back. The first one I complained about I wouldnt give a crap about if the director read it that project turned into such a sh*t storm. For this project it is another hobiest who doesnt travel this site. I appreciate your concern but I am careful. I would challenge anyone else to DP this film and not worry about rep. For the rest of you thanks. I just figured it would be bad if someone asks me what my last project was and I have to tell them.
 
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I accept your challenge! I will shoot anything for anyone for embarrassingly low prices. Because at the moment, who the hell am I? No one.
 
wednesday 8pm be their or be square and dont forget to bring your audio gear so his friend can boom but you dont need lights because the house has some lights in the ceilings.
 
Ask for your name to be taken off the credits. I've done that a couple times on atrocious films. Just make sure your work is of the highest standard so you can use it in your reel and that nobody can blame you. At best people will say, "well, at least it's lit well and the guy running the camera knew what he was doing."
 
Well I wouldn't have the nerve to ask him that. I meen hes a nice guy as a person but as a filmmaker he is really bad. I dont want to be snobby about it I just wanted to know if I should be more careful picking and choosing jobs even though where I live their arent many to pick and choose from unfortunately.
 
To be totally honest I don't think you have much to worry about. Even ignoring the fact that we rarely have the opportunity to turn down jobs in this industry and especially in this economy, people generally see what's good and bad in a film and can attribute it properly. I mean, I don't go to Michael Bay movies and lump his visuals in with his horrendous storytelling. Because even if he is a terrible storyteller, man does he have a wild imagination when it comes to visuals.
 
Yeah. Its a bummer that the Philadelphia film scene sucks so much. Their are like 3 films a year so you really cant pass on bad ones. But the way I look at it is at the very least I have something that will at the least make my resume look a little longer and anyone who judges me for DPing a bad movie is probably not the person I want to be working with anyway... even though their are only like 3 movies a year hah. Vicious circle.
 
Regardless of what I think of a script for someone else's project, I give every project I work on my best effort. Always have and always will. I owe it to the people who thought enough of my past work to hire me.

Who knows when lightning will strike and something I don't personally think is that great, turns into a monsterous smash hit, wins a boatload of awards and rakes in enough money to leave Warren Buffet in awe.

Look at what Michelle Phillips said about the song Monday Monday they recorded for the Mamas and Papas in the 60's. She didn't like the song at all and thought its was a pretentious pile of drivel. A silly song about a day of the week! Turns out it was the biggest hit they ever had.
 
I wouldnt even consider giving it anything but my best. I am going to go all out on this one so at the very least the cinematography is good. I agree with you about that I am just concerned about the final outcome.
 
Finnegan said:
I accept your challenge! I will shoot anything for anyone for embarrassingly low prices. Because at the moment, who the hell am I? No one.
Click to expand...


Yeah, it sort of like Madonna posing nude way back when... and having those pictures show up somewhere some how... well, given what Madonna has done since... perhaps she would be embarrassed how 'tame' they were...

Or, maybe it's like Dr (fake, at least relative to psychology...) Laura, posing for her then boss and intimate partner, and having those pictures show up when she's trying to promulgate this holier than thou attitude...
 
"Dr." Laura's on-air behavior is substantially more obscene, and in a much more damaging way, than any naughty pictures for which she once posed back when maybe there was something worth looking at...
 
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