How Much of a Team Does a DP Need?

Depends on what you're shooting and how and where you're shooting it.

People in a room talking? - crew, what crew?

What gear do you have? What setups are planned? Where are you shooting? When those 3 questions are answered, then you know.
 
I know there are alot of variables to factor in order to find a perfect answer. But I'm speaking in general terms. Let's say your average microbudget feature--a rom-com. No guns, explosions, or what not. Using an average prosumer HD camera.
 
How many pages are you hoping to cover in a day (and how long a day)?

This is very VERY general, but I'd say for simple setups at a reasonable pace on a 1-camera show you should try to have at least 5 people on the DP's team. Gaffer, Key Grip, 2 swing, and at least a 1st AC (add an operator too if that's how the DP wants to work). Basically this would allow the setting up of lights and cameras and such to be covered and the DP can just supervise and tweak setups when necessary.

Also, make sure everyone knows what they're doing. If you're going to have a gaffer who is inept and grips who don't know squat, it might be better off to just not have anyone at all. There is nothing more frustrating and more time-consuming than managing a large crew of glorified P.A.s who don't know the first thing about G&E. Also, along that thinking, it might be possible to accomplish a lot with an even smaller crew comprised of top-notch skill. I've breezed through a number of fast-paced narrative jobs with just a gaffer, key grip, and AC (all fantastic at their jobs).

You have to weigh the cost difference between hiring more (and better) crew and moving faster, or not hiring extra guys but having to pay for extra days.

Good luck.

~~Dave
 
shutterspeedfilms said:
I know there are alot of variables to factor in order to find a perfect answer. But I'm speaking in general terms. Let's say your average microbudget feature--a rom-com. No guns, explosions, or what not. Using an average prosumer HD camera.
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For example (some low budget films I've shot):

$75K DV feature with 2 cameras a while back in multiple locations over 5 weeks time and we had a crew of about 7 including two off and on B camera operators who did other things.

$45K feature on film more recently in mostly one house location and we had a crew of about 7 or 8.

$30K HD feature even more recently and we had a core crew of 2 besides myself who handled lighting and camera and sound.

$15K HD feature a few years back in multiple locations with a crew of about 5 including a script supervisor.

$5K feature last Spring in pretty much one location and I had mostly 1 person as crew besides myself.

Ideally, on a low budget, you'd have crew who were all capable of swinging. Having multifunctional crew is the way to go on a small budget.
 
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Thanks, guys.

I'm a little amazed at Davdo's figures. A 5-person camera department for a $30k budget? That seems extreme, but what do I know.

Chris, are your figures including only the dp crew?
 
Just to be clear, are we talking the ENTIRE crew or just the crew under the DP? My response referred to the latter, and it's not 5 people in just the camera department. It's 5 total between G&E and camera (not including the DP).

Are you thinking that's too many people for the budget? Depending on where you're shooting and who you're hiring, it may or may not be reasonable. I recently shot a $20k feature that had a total crew of about 20. That's A LOT for a budget of that size, but the director/producer made it work by getting a lot of people to work for free. In fact, the only folks who were paid were myself, the sound mixer and the makeup guy (who got a padded flat fee to "cover expenses"). Many of the people on the crew were students itching for the experience and my gaffer was eh... that's what you get with a free crew, but to the point, we had a BIG crew for the budget. Don't take that as a norm, though - it was an anomaly.

I guess my earlier response was more of a minimum ideal crew. "Essential" is a tricky word. When it comes down to it, a DP can shoot alone.

Also, I definitely second Chris's statement about a versatile crew. That's essential to low-budget work.

~~Dave
 
shutterspeedfilms said:
Chris, are your figures including only the dp crew?
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Yeah, they don't include anything outside camera/grip/electric/sound.

Actually, let me elaborate:

$75K DV feature with 2 cameras a while back in multiple locations over 5 weeks time and we had a crew of about 7 including two off and on B camera operators who did other things. [myself, gaffer, sound mixer (all paid), 2nd AD, 2 - camera ops (who did other things), art director, 2 PA/grips (all volunteer)]

$45K feature on film more recently in mostly one house location and we had a crew of about 7 or 8. [myself (functioning as DP/AD/producer/locations manager, key grip, focus puller, loader, sound mixer, art director, 2 grips, script (all paid), boom op (volunteer)]

$30K HD feature even more recently and we had a core crew of 2 besides myself who handled lighting and camera and sound. [myself, sound mixer/grip, AC/grip (all paid), various others in art, makeup, pa depts. (maybe paid)]

$15K HD feature a few years back in multiple locations with a crew of about 5 including a script supervisor. [AC, script, art director, AD, grip, day player makeup (all paid)]
 
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DP, AC, camera PA, Gaffer, GE, lighting PA (maybe an extra GE)

Anythings else has higher budget so it's a bit crazy fir them to hire a person who has to ask this question.

I didn't read the $30k part...

Once again:
DP, AC, GE, PA. More you can't afford.
 
The script tells you what you need. The pages drive the breakdown and the breakdown drives the budget.
 
How much of a team does a DP need? That depends on the DP. Ask the person you're considering hiring, how many they need on their team. Some might require more, some might require less. But whatever they tell you -- believe them. Don't try to badger someone into working with less than what they need, just because someone else uses less. People get the results they get, from experience and their existing workflow. If you can't afford someone's requirements, then you can't afford that particular individual, so keep shopping.
 
Normally, crews are configured by having your keys tell you what they need to get the job done. It's best to decide what keys you need and then ask them what they need. In low budget-land, your most crucial crew (the keys) may very well know good entry level people to use as crew.
 
Chris Santucci said:
Normally, crews are configured by having your keys tell you what they need to get the job done. It's best to decide what keys you need and then ask them what they need. In low budget-land, your most crucial crew (the keys) may very well know good entry level people to use as crew.
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Exactly -- you normally hire the few key positions (such as sound mixer, cinematographer, and art director) and they take care of filling in the rest of the crew. They will more than likely know of folks that they've worked with before, who would be appropriate for the type of shoot you've got going, and who would work well with them in those circumstances.
 
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