Indie Filmmaker's Guide: How to Hire a Cinematographer

Whether you’re directing your first film, your 4th film, or even your 43rd film, knowing how to hire a great cinematographer is of key importance.

If you aren’t bringing on the best director of photography you have the means to secure, your film will suffer.

As you may already know, the core creative team of any film consists of the director, the cinematographer, and the production designer; thus the cinematographer is one of the most important collaborators a director will hire on to their film.

Directors, in this article, I’m going to tell you:

– What to look for when hiring a cinematographer

– How to attract the best possible cinematographer to your project

– How to make the most of your collaboration

I will be using the terms Director of Photography (DP) and Cinematographer interchangeably.

This is a guest article by cinematographer Jason Ryan.
Find him at www.psychicflyingmonkey.com.

1. Make a list of potential cinematographers

When first setting out to hire a great cinematographer, compile a list of cinematographers to evaluate.

If you don’t already know any DPs off hand, put out a crew call on crew websites, social media, Craigslist, etc. to gather some candidates.

Also ask other directors for their recommendations. When compiling your list of potential cinematographers, look at two key evaluation tools:

Demo reels and experience.

2. Watch the cinematographers’ latest demo reels

Start by watching each cinematographer’s latest demo reel.

You can watch their earlier reels as well. I spread my reels as far and wide as I can by putting them on my website and social media, but you may have to ask a DP for his/her reel.

Pay attention to highlight reels that are impactful and high quality. A good reel shows that the DP has excellent taste and knows how to create and identify quality shots and looks.

Don’t assume a DP can’t create a specific look or camera movement you want just because it’s not on their reel.

A few years ago I was turned down for the job of DP on a short film simply because the director didn’t see enough moving stabilized shots in my reel. This is understandable for someone who doesn’t have much experience working with good cinematographers.

However, had he contacted me with his concerns, I would have told him I had experience capturing moving stabilized shots, and even had a Steadicam/gimbal operator I could bring on as well if needed.

He had a narrow view of what he thought a DP could do for his film, and if he had communicated his concerns to me, I could have told him about my experience getting the look he wanted.

That’s why it is important to communicate openly about what you need when seeking to hire a great cinematographer.

Good DPs should be able to create any look you’d like, as long as you’ve done a good job communicating what you want with them.

3. Pay attention to the experience level of the cinematographer

Experience is also of prime importance when you hire a great cinematographer.

First, look up the cinematographer’s IMDB to see what they’ve shot.

Will your short film be the first film they’ve shot? Will your feature be the first feature they’ve shot? Maybe they haven’t DP’d any films but they’ve done amazing work in music videos.

That was the case with Shane Hurlbut, ASC, who has to-date shot multiple multimillion dollar films. Before his Hollywood career, he had not shot films, but was an excellent music video DP when he was hired to shoot The Rat Pack, his first film.

Second, ask each DP for their resume/CV. Chances are they’ll have more projects they’ve shot on it than what IMDB will show you, since some projects don’t qualify for IMDB such as commercials and promotional videos.

After you’ve looked at a few reels and resumes, narrow down your list of cinematographers in your area that you want to advance to the interview stage in the process.

I recommend cinematographers in your area primarily because you’ll need to pay housing and per diem for one if you bring them from out of state.

As long as there are a few good cinematographers in your area, keep the list local.

It will also make the work more feasible when it comes to tech scouting, shooting and performing color correction.

Lastly, set up interviews with your favorite DP candidates. Send each of them your script at least 2 to 3 days beforehand so they can read it to prepare for the interview.

When meeting with your DP candidates, ask what looks were formed in their mind’s eye overall and for key scenes. Ask about their leadership style. Get a feel for what it would be like to work with them.

Do they seem collaborative? Is accomplishing your vision as a director of the utmost importance to them?

It should be.

How enthused do they seem to be by the script? Hire a cinematographer based on their interview answers, reel, and experience.

4. Select a DP based on their skill and experience, never their equipment

I did not even mention the importance of the camera and gear the cinematographer personally owns.

That’s because it is far less important than the mind behind the camera.

There’s a very important reason that you should never hire a cinematographer because of their gear.

The camera doesn’t lead 3 departments on set. The camera does not arrive on set with the least bit of artistic inspiration. The camera does not determine the color, quality, intensity and direction of light. So what if a cinematographer happens to own an Alexa or RED?

A great cinematographer isn’t just someone who owns a camera.

They are a leader who can manage a team, and communicate well. They are a lighting expert, understand movement, and understand visual storytelling. They read your script and determine the best lighting and camerawork to establish the mood in each scene and visually communicate your story to an audience.

A cinematographer can make or break your film.

That’s why you shouldn’t hire a cinematographer based on their equipment.

Cameras and gear can be rented. The camera you should use is the one most fitting for the project, and that fits within your budget.

Briefly, the way to determine the most fitting camera is to factor in aspects such as weight (will there be a lot of handheld shots?), latitude (are you shooting day exteriors?), low light capability (are you shooting night exteriors?) and of course, price.

You and cinematographer should choose the camera together after he/she has been hired. That way, you can figure out which camera is going to best serve your project.

I simply cannot put too fine a point on this. I’ve watched far too many directors in my local area hire their cinematographer based on the camera he/she owns. I’m sure if it’s happening in my area, it’s happening in most other regions as well.

At best, these directors might easily have missed out on hiring a cinematographer that would do a much better job of shooting their film.

At worst, selecting an inexperienced DP for their gear can completely botch the production, requiring a complete re-shoot.

I saw this in the case of a reality show sizzle reel in which a DP was hired because he owned two RED cameras.

Unfortunately, it turned out he had not the least idea how to shoot a subject against a green screen. In fact, he sold the director on shooting the subject against white screen, and the editor could do nothing with the footage.

How do I know this? Because I was the DP brought in later to re-shoot the whole thing.

To be clear, if you’ve directed many films and have a good working relationship with a cinematographer, I’m not saying you should interview potential DPs every time you gear up to shoot a film.

But do make sure your DP is up to snuff.

I’ve seen many indie films where the director used the same DP over and over because he/she was a friend, or the DP had an expensive camera, or only because the DP was recommended by another director.

None of these are good reasons to hire a cinematographer. In Hollywood, the interview process I described above is by and large the way DPs are hired. Indie filmmakers would be wise to do the same.

And even if you find a DP that does great work for you and you’ve used them multiple times, it doesn’t hurt a thing to work with one or two other DPs, because at some point your regular cinematographer might not be available to shoot your next film.

You might also learn something new from working with different people.

When the Coen brothers went to shoot Burn After Reading, their longtime DP Roger Deakins, ASC was not available for them for the first time in 17 years because he had already committed to shoot Revolutionary Road.

Even the Coen brothers had to hire another cinematographer.

5. How to attract a great cinematographer to your project

When applying to shoot a film, DPs look for a combination of pay, how the film will advance their career, what is likely to make great shots for their next reel, the amount of exposure the finished film will get them, and what kind of gear the production will have available for the DP to work with.

The project pay rate makes a difference. Pay is of course important. But it’s not always the most important thing, especially for beginning cinematographers who need experience.

Everyone has to make a living, so asking a DP to shoot a 25-day feature for free is very unreasonable. Few people can work for a month without receiving any money for their efforts. By the same token, having a cinematographer shoot a short for 1 or 2 days is fine.

If you as a director can offer other perks to make your film appealing to a DP, it could easily be worth it to him/her.

Provide a career-advancing opportunity. Another thing you can offer is a chance for the cinematographer to advance their career. If you have a plan and a budget to enter your film into multiple film festivals, that is appealing.

Provide opportunity for a valuable shooting experience. Excellent locations or sets are enticing as well, since a DP’s reel is always going to look better with an interesting background behind the actors.

You won’t find many DP reel shots with the actor performing in front of a black hole.

Likewise, excellent acting adds value to a cinematography reel. And if you can get a name actor whose face audiences will recognize, that’s a big bonus.

Yet another opportunity you can offer a DP is the chance to work with new pieces of gear they haven’t previously used.

Maybe they’ll get to work with a grip truck for the first time instead of renting gear ala carte or checking equipment out from their film school (for beginning DPs). Or maybe they’ll be able to work with a camera or lenses they haven’t had the privilege to shoot on previously.

Top Gun cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball, ASC took a job shooting a low-budget indie feature in 2009 because it was his first chance to work with the RED camera.

He had only shot film up to that point, and since digital capture was an up-and-coming trend, he wanted to gain experience with it.

He took a pay cut from what a member of the American Society of Cinematographers would normally make on a feature, but it was worth it for him to work with digital capture.

6. How to ensure your Director/Cinematographer collaboration goes smoothly

Once you’ve hired a cinematographer, it’s of the utmost importance that you communicate to them how you want the film to look and feel in pre-production.

Visual references such as lookbooks are incredibly useful for this. If you aren’t sure how to make one, here’s an excellent tutorial made by a director, for directors.

Use photographs, films, TV shows, color pallettes, and anything that will communicate to your DP what you want.

It’s very important to listen to him/her as well. Meet often during pre-production. Have conversations about the film’s look. Do camera tests, lighting tests, even makeup and wardrobe tests.

It has surprised me that considering how many directors I’ve worked with, how few have a clear vision of the look they’re going for or at least can communicate it.

That’s okay, but if that’s the case, then directors must make sure to put the time in with your DP to develop a look that will augment the script.

Your DP will probably have ideas you had not thought of for looks, so don’t be afraid to ask for their help. Film is a collaboration, so directors should be open to their cinematographers’ creative ideas, although directors have the final say.

7. You need every advantage you can get

Films are difficult to make. The film industry is a survival industry.

You need every edge you can find to make a film that impacts people the way you want to impact them.

You need every department to fire on all cylinders in order to make a film that will advance your career and enable you to continue making better films.

That’s why it is so important to hire a great cinematographer.

It is true that people will usually only walk out on a movie if it has bad writing, bad sound or bad acting. But you don’t want to make a film that will simply keep people from walking out on it.

You want to make something that is visually striking. Something that will move them like only great cinema can. And being primarily a visual medium, hiring the best cinematographer within your means is a major part of making an excellent film.

About the Author: Jason Ryan is an award-winning Arizona-based cinematographer, director and owner of Psychicflyingmonkey Productions. He has shot feature films, short films, TV shows, commercials, music videos, documentaries, and online web content. Jason’s films have screened in over 100 film festivals worldwide, and his films are distributed in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. His work has aired on PBS, SPIKE, NBCSN, OLN, FSN, CMT, GAC, OXYGEN, RFD-TV and FUEL. You can find his work on his website at www.psychicflyingmonkey.com.