Cinematography : DP Rates by Joe Thayer

You won't be hiring a union DP, so you can negotiate whatever you want. Keep in mind that whatever you pay him may, may not include his camera package. Offer $200/day plus $100/camera package and see if there's any takers. Do ask for a link to their reel if they don't provide one. Your DP may, may not bring along an assistant / PA and there's an extra person to pay.

Thanks Lindbergh. Good advice. If we get no interest I'll have to raise the rate. I want to pay a fair rate, but we don't really have the budget for a seasoned pro.

In my experience, $200/day for a CamOp, much less a DP, will get you a student. My rates as a PC are at minimum $200/day non-union. You could probably snag a camera asst. at $200/day. If you want anyone with experience, but not big, you're better bet would be $400/day plus camera package. If you want to negotiate, offer to pay the full rate for their camera package and reduced or deferred day rate. Also, figure out what's fun for them - is there a cool/challenging sequence that will appeal to this DP? If you get them excited about the project and cover their minimums (food, lodging, credit, copy, and rental fees), then you can maybe offer less than $400/day.

Here's the layout, as I recall from BASE non-union rates for a 10-hour Day (slashes are not multi-hyphenates, just including other roles):

PA/Grips: $150/day (it's now $175)

PC/Key Grips: $200/day (it's now $250)

AC/Focus-Puller/Gaffer: $250/day (it's now $300)

MUA/AD/Associate Producers: $300/day (it's now $350/day)

DP/Director: $350/day (it's now $400/day)

Writer/Producer: $400/day (it's now $450/day)

I hope that helps!

THIS IS AWESOME!!! Thanks. $200 a day for a student, not when I went to school :)

Not for when I went to school, either, but that was 10 years ago. And you did ask about a DP, not a CamOp. If you want them to just do what yo tell them to do, you can get a CamOp/Focus-Puller for cheaper and you can play DP. But a DP is going to bring a LOT more into elevating the execution of the camera language.

I actually just posted about the cinematography on HBO's Insecure. You should definitely check out the short interview: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/cinematography/Cinematography-on-HBOs-Ins...

Karen "Kay" Ross Thanks Karen, I was just joking :) I appreciate your input and sharing your knowledge. We are definitely looking for a DP, I'm already playing too many roles on this thing.

I will be the first to admit that I can't tell when someone is joking online. I'm SUPER gullible LOL!

I would recommend starting an offer at $600 a day, plus at least $400 for a camera package. This is a rate that will get you choices of a good number of DP’s to at least have conversations with, and see their work. The conversation with experienced DP’s is where you will see your project start to blossom with fresh ideas and input. People responding to rates at $400 a day or less, will often not have experience. And you can find many a reel with some pretty images, but still have very modest experience behind it. Just be careful. Far too many shorts never make it half as far as they could just because they fail visually. Fail visuals = failed story ... even if people say different. It’s not really.

Jorel Odell not sure our budget can swing a thousand a day, but I know you get what you pay for. I appreciate your input especially from a DP's perspective. Looks like we'll start somewhere between 500 and 700 and see who is interested.

Great advice Jorel Odell! I would second this and equally - don't skimp on an audio engineer, either!

Real rates start at a minimum $1000 per day for a real DP. Separate the person from the equipment, they are different and if you are not treating them differently there are other issues. There are lots of equipment rental companies to choose from. Different cameras have different looks so should be chosen based upon the needs of the project not what someone owns and then mistakenly applies to every project.

It is possible to get people on projects for less. Be honest about how much money you have available tot he project. If you lie, we will know and that doesn’t end well. Best is to be good friends with a DP. I’ve done a number of free/extremely low budget short projects for friends. Next would be if the content of the project is near and dear to the person you want. Much can be done for various reasons. There is also the meet and be a thoughtful real person, that has more impact than many think if can. I’ve agreed to projects I was prepared to say no to, just on the basis of meeting and talking to those involved. Meeting in person is worth vastly more than resumes and reels, it is an opportunity to explore aspects of each other and come away KNOWING whether the other person and you are a good fit. Try to arrange an in person meeting, then be yourself. It works very well for both people involved.

Andrew Sobkovich Thanks for these thoughts and insights. I really appreciate your input especially around the personal meetups and your experience there. unfortunately I know we cannot afford 1K a day for anyone, not sure how many short films can, but not this one. I do hope to find someone also passionate about the project, for sure. We haven't officially started our search, but when we do, I'll keep your advice in mind. Best regards,

Joe

Joe look for recommendations from people you know. Once you get names, arrange an intro as it is better than a cold-call. Meet the people. Since you don't have a lot of money, the person you want is someone who is interested in more than money. Pitch yourself and your story honestly. Many of us have said yes during such approaches for many reasons. People may say no for many reasons, some not always obvious. But if you don't ask they cannot possibly say yes. There is a basic approach in low budget work of throwing creativity at a problem instead of throwing money. Finding a DP is just another problem.