How do I Hire a Professional Director of Photography?
The director of photography is often referred to as the creative leader of the production, and for good cause — the Director of Photography (DOP) acts as a liaison almost between ensuring that the lighting crew, costume designer, hair and makeup crew, and various other working parts to ensure the project runs smoothly throughout the production.
The goal? Produce an esthetic film that achieves artistic vision through light, layout, and a unified artistic balance. But, how do I hire a professional director of photography?
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KEY QUALIFICATIONS & QUALITIES OF A DOP
First and foremost, you’ve got to be on the lookout for professionals that employe particular skill sets and understandings of art, lighting, and theme. Before hiring a director of photography it’s important to have a solid understanding of the key qualities and qualifications that these professionals should possess.
Consider the following:
- Does their portfolio reflect memorable production work that you could see being used for your own project? Now is not the time to be lenient! You want to make sure that their skills will reflect the qualities that you expect to see used in your own production projects.
- Do you like the work that they have shared? If you’re uneasy or feel like the work is not the sort of style or element that you could see used in your own project, it’s probably not a good idea to move forward with the hiring process.
- Is their experience in line with the needs for your creative vision? You want to hire someone that appears to have knowledge and experience that will help them to be successful with your project.
- What’s their reputation like in the industry? Are they known? Any newly hired director of photography should be hired only after a thorough reference check and appropriate background checks to ensure they are both qualified, and safe, to hire for your crew. Make sure you call their references and ask questions about the reference’s experience with the DOP — did they enjoy the DOP? Would they work together again?
QUESTIONS TO ASK A POTENTIAL DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY CANDIDATE
Various questions come up early in the hiring process whether hiring a Director of Photography, an editor, or someone entirely different for your film production crew. In hiring a DOP it’s important to figure out how they can contribute to your project and whether they will be a good fit or not.
Consider the following:
- Have you worked on projects like this before? It’s not important that they have done the “SAME” thing, but you want to know how they have contributed to similar needs and visions in the past.
- What kind of benefits and value will you bring to this project? A creative director of photography will have a response that further defines their skills, techniques, ideas and important creative elements as related to thor individual skillset.
- What kind of key elements will you add to the project? A great DOP will have an answer that includes the use of light, symbols, and other techniques to add an element of creativity and value to the production. Now is their time to explain!
Asking these questions in advance of hiring a director of photography will help you to better understand each of the potential new hires that you interview. If this sounds like a lot of work, or if you’d like more information about hiring a DOP, give Beverly Boy Productions a call!
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