How much can DP's make?

Ive done 1 day jobs for 8$.. ( cst of tape) and ive done 1 day jobs for 1100$ a day. It really depends on the project for me. If i were shooting a Manhole movie for mar harris Free......

Shooting Commercial for Another director. G a day.

But you have to be able to produce what you say you can. Corporate folks are sometimes hard ot please. I havent been doingthis long, but if you keep doing it you of course with practice get better. After a while people like your work, and hey keep calling you.
 
overlandfilms said:
I have absolutely no response to that. Well, okay... I will say that he asked about mainstream DPs working on studio releases, not some slasher flick on a DVX.
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure -- the first thing he asked as "B-rated films". The way it's phrased, you might be able to take it that he's asking for both categories -- he said "B-rated films, feature films." Although granted the next line does mention current A-list feature films. So I found the question confusing, and thought I'd answer what I considered the first question, the B-film question.
 
Barry_Green said:
I'm not so sure -- the first thing he asked as "B-rated films". The way it's phrased, you might be able to take it that he's asking for both categories -- he said "B-rated films, feature films." Although granted the next line does mention current A-list feature films. So I found the question confusing, and thought I'd answer what I considered the first question, the B-film question.
Click to expand...

I guess you're right, those arn't B-rated movies, but I just didn't want someone to post something extreme about like, OHH! Lord of the Rings, Titanic, James Bond, blah blah blah.

I guess, average films, not epic levels, becasue thats not worth factoring.


i guess it was a silly question....

-matt
 
NOMADIC said:
dude, i checked your site out...you guys do some pretty rad stuff. I'm starting to motion design stuff at my work in anahiem hills. although it was for bratz, that intro was really cool. i dig that kind of stuff.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks. We do about half motion graphics stuff here, and the other half a weird mix of production, animation, writing, and VFX. Can't complain... rarely a boring day.
 
good question.. As a RED reserv. what should i expect to charge as a DP/CAMERA OP/equipment owner??? per day/week

ive looked around and some rental houses will be renting red for about 400 a day.. so i will at least charge that for the camera portion... then your looking at lenses...and Myself as a DP/camera operator..

so 1000 about right? 1200? what do you guys think
 
Somone who has the money to handle the RED 4K workflow, will expect alot form you considering they are dishing out for pro Editing and post production. so if youre confident enough charge 1500..... What you think you deserve for the amount of work you will be doing.
 
Zakaree,

With all due respect for someone I don't know, I think you're making a major (and possibly dangerous) assumption that having a RED assures your position among established DPs and the rates they are able to command. I don't know, maybe you have an ASC or SOC after your name, but I'm going to assume you don't for the purposes of this discussion. Please take what I'm about to say as a global comment, and not one directed at you as a craftsperson!

Firstly, you should never tie a camera package (which, with RED, might vary wildly from one show to the next) to your day or weekly labor rates. You might be bringing a pile of Cooke S2s and a few TB of drive space to a feature where a filmout is required, yet shoot a commercial or music video destined for HD broadcast with your RED zoom and little more.

If you're trying to set up your day rate, then you need only look at your resume to figure that out. What film or HD features, commercials, music videos or short films have you DPd? Operated? Assisted? If the answer is none or one or half of one, then a Panavision Millenium will do little to sell you - the camera is little more than a thirty-two pound lump in the wrong hands.

Your resume, guild affiliation (if any) and what you're willing to work for on any given project, not the camera you own, dictates where you fall on the matter of day rate. Also, with RED, it will not likely be just you operating! You'll need an assistant for 2k and 4k imaging - maybe two or more - nobody knows yet. Focus puller (1st), a DIT (2nd) and data assistant aren't unlikely necessities on a commercial, music video or feature film set.

I have said this a million times, but please, please disconnect your labor rate from what you'll charge for the RED camera package. It is still possible to combine two numbers to give people a day rate for both, but your labor and equipment rental should always be separated!

e
 
Last edited:
Also dont forget, alot of the time, someone else will be doing all the operation. I just got ALL my gear rented for a project and initially the client wanted someone else to DP. they jsut wanted my stuff. i talked them in to hiring me, but they really just wanted my camera, not me. kinda hurts your feelings actually.
 
Hey Barry,
I'm sure there's movies that only pay DP's 100 a day, but I have worked four of those straight to DVD movies and the DP was paid 500 or more a day, but he was a very experienced DP. The budget size of the movie has as much to do with what you can expect as anything, so that's usually the first thing I ask a producer calling me for a quote, what's the overall budget. Most will be up front with you and if they start to beat around the bushes, I just politely tell them I not interested. As Overland so eloquently stated separate your equipment cost from your labor, if for no other reason for taxes. I know several camera owners that hire on as camera support, so they are there with there equipment but not in the capacity of DP. If you have little experience it is not likely that a producer will offer you a DP position just because you have equipment. Think of it from their stand point, they have from a half to several million dollars at stake, would you take a chance on the entire look of your project to an inexperienced DP just because they own equipment?
 
Yeh, DP'ing is more about lighting, less about camera. The DP oversees the whole crew responsible for camera and lighting. Most good DP's are not operating the camera. Not pulling focus. Not changing mags. But overseeing all of those things... but it's always about lighting.
 
Not to mention that the final product will cut well enough to tell the directors vision.
 
overlandfilms said:
Also, with RED, it will not likely be just you operating! You'll need an assistant for 2k and 4k imaging - maybe two or more - nobody knows yet. Focus puller (1st), a DIT (2nd) and data assistant aren't unlikely necessities on a commercial, music video or feature film set.
Click to expand...


I know that when I was working on a music video that shot with the HVX, mini35 and real primes, we had the DP, 1st, 2nd, and I was the "loader" haha (p2 card downloading). I'm sure RED will be the same way.


after working on that project, I would really like to see some of those HVX videos posted here in full res. Holding a focus on the hvx with mini35 was so hard. we had some major back-focusing issues.
 
Joshua Provost said:
Yeh, DP'ing is more about lighting, less about camera. The DP oversees the whole crew responsible for camera and lighting. Most good DP's are not operating the camera. Not pulling focus. Not changing mags. But overseeing all of those things... but it's always about lighting.
Click to expand...


i disagree fully. yes its about lighting, but its also all about the camera too. yeah, they might not be operating the camera, but they are still selecting the angle, the lenses, the movement. they are still doing it all, just with other peoples hands.
 
Joshua Provost said:
Yeh, DP'ing is more about lighting, less about camera. The DP oversees the whole crew responsible for camera and lighting. Most good DP's are not operating the camera. Not pulling focus. Not changing mags. But overseeing all of those things... but it's always about lighting.
Click to expand...

I also disagree.

Aside from directing the gaffer in how to light the shot, he is also directing his camera team on camera placement, lenses, etc, ultimately capturing the vision of the director.
 
I have been the DP on a number of projects where I may have operated only on one or two shots. In some cases it may be quicker to grab the reins so to speak than to communicate a particular move to the op. However, most of the time there is so much more to do than handle the mechanics of the cameras that this task is best left to highly skilled ops.

Being a DP is as much a management and technical job as it is an artistic one.
 
NOMADIC said:
i disagree fully. yes its about lighting, but its also all about the camera too. yeah, they might not be operating the camera, but they are still selecting the angle, the lenses, the movement. they are still doing it all, just with other peoples hands.
Click to expand...

Sometimes. There is fine line, and many director are very specific about camera placement and angle, some get down to the focal length of the lens, and they almost always specify any camera movement. The DP has to execute the plan, but they may or may not contribute creatively when it comes to the camera, based on these factors. They almost always are the primary creative person behind the lighting.

I don't have a ton of experience, but even with the directors I have worked with, most of the camera direction has pre-determined by the director. Movement, always. Placement, nearly always. Vertical placement and angle is usually my call. I might speak up once or twice during a shoot and suggest an alternate placement or a different movement and a different time. Lighting, I always run the show.
 
NOMADIC said:
i disagree fully. yes its about lighting, but its also all about the camera too. yeah, they might not be operating the camera, but they are still selecting the angle, the lenses, the movement. they are still doing it all, just with other peoples hands.
Click to expand...

Sometimes. There is fine line, and many director are very specific about camera placement and angle, some get down to the focal length of the lens, and they almost always specify any camera movement. The DP has to execute the plan, but they may or may not contribute creatively when it comes to the camera, based on these factors. They almost always are the primary creative person behind the lighting.

I don't have a ton of experience, but even with the directors I have worked with, most of the camera direction has pre-determined by the director. Movement, always. Placement, nearly always. Vertical placement and angle is usually my call. I might speak up once or twice during a shoot and suggest an alternate placement or a different movement and a different time. Lighting, I always run the show.

I'm just trying to make the point that people shouldn't get so wrapped up in gear. A lot of people who claim to be DP's are really just camera operators.
 
usually BUDGET determines pay on low $$ movies ..
a "B" movie with a 1mil budget is going to pay different then a 3.5mil budget...

a "b" movie is different then a no budget movie ... low budget movie to most of us here is completely different then a low budget hollywood movie ...

average ?/ everybody's average is different - i consider the "average" commercial DP rate at 2500 day ( plus overtime after x hrs- no equipment included) ...
looking back over the years i got offers to shoot features for 900-2000 week flat rate with budgets from 60k to 1.5mil .. on a 3 mil budgets i've been offered 5k week flat rate ... and of course have been offered 500-5000k week deferrred ( which equals no $$) on no budgets ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top