Story Doesn't Matter (for a DP) - It's Skillset & Equipment (Rant/PSA)

Eric Coughlin said:
TL;DR: DP's job is filming, equipment, technical mastery, not story; leave story to writers, producers, and directors. Equipment is important for the DP.
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I hold completely the opposite view. Technical mastery of your tools is, in my opinion, a necessary condition of being a good DP but not a sufficient condition on its own. Nowhere close.

I came across this quote the other day from Roger Deakins on his website: "If there is one thing I know now that I never fully appreciated when I was beginning is that it is not technique or technology that makes a good shot but the choice of the shot in the first place."

I think it sums up this debate in a nutshell.
 
jvc said:
I hold completely the opposite view. Technical mastery of your tools is, in my opinion, a necessary condition of being a good DP but not a sufficient condition on its own. Nowhere close.

I came across this quote the other day from Roger Deakins on his website: "If there is one thing I know now that I never fully appreciated when I was beginning is that it is not technique or technology that makes a good shot but the choice of the shot in the first place."

I think it sums up this debate in a nutshell.
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:thumbsup: Nicely summed up.
 
jvc said:
I hold completely the opposite view. Technical mastery of your tools is, in my opinion, a necessary condition of being a good DP but not a sufficient condition on its own. Nowhere close.

I came across this quote the other day from Roger Deakins on his website: "If there is one thing I know now that I never fully appreciated when I was beginning is that it is not technique or technology that makes a good shot but the choice of the shot in the first place."

I think it sums up this debate in a nutshell.
Click to expand...

Yes exactly!!! Read my post three posts prior and I say the exact same thing.
 
In an interview Chris Doyle claims he doesn't even know how to put a battery on a camera, so I'm pretty sure we know where he lands on the technical mastery debate.
 
bill totolo said:
In an interview Chris Doyle claims he doesn't even know how to put a battery on a camera, so I'm pretty sure we know where he lands on the technical mastery debate.
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Haha, there is a sloppy clarity to that. Not having to cluter the mind with all the technicalities.
 
bill totolo said:
In an interview Chris Doyle claims he doesn't even know how to put a battery on a camera, so I'm pretty sure we know where he lands on the technical mastery debate.
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I think perhaps we mean slightly different things by the phrase "technical mastery of your tools". All I mean by that is the ability to execute your vision and to translate what you see onto the screen, and to do it consistently, reliably and quickly.

There are masters of the craft who have the understanding of engineers when it comes to the physics and engineering; Steve Yedlin, for example. On the other end of the scale there are many great DP's (including Deakins, I believe) who don't. Whichever route you take, it doesn't really matter as long as you arrive in the same place.

Mastery of your tools is a fairly low bar and should be a given for any self-respecting professional.
 
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