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[caption id="attachment_19470" align="alignright" width="200" caption="You don't need to have hair like Brian Grazer to act like a producer. (Image Creative Commons.)"][/caption] Today is my third and final post in a series addressing three key roles in film production. In part 1 ("Are you a DP…

Last week I asked the provocative question, "Are you a DP or a light putter-upper." As expected, there was quite a diversity of replies and responses. This week I have another question for you. Are you a director, or are you a camera pointer? Actually,…

DP. It stands for director of photography (DoP for you British types. :) Two simple letters. D. P. It's funny how much is communicated when you add a few letters before or after your name. Dr. MD PhD MFA Esq. In each of these examples,…

Last week I talked about the importance of focusing your business in one particular area, rather than trying to be all things to all people. So, if you shoot weddings, your website and all your promotional materials should be about weddings. If you’re a commercial…

[caption id="attachment_16617" align="alignright" width="338" caption="Specialist make more money precisely because they specialize. Photo (c) ThePhotoBin on Flickr"][/caption] I must admit, I always get a chuckle when I come across a webpage for a photographer and filmmaker and they say something like, "We specialize in weddings,…

There's a terrible condition that's spreading among filmmakers and videographers all over the world. I call it video creep, and if you suffer from it, chances are you could be hurting your business. [adrotate group="6"] [adrotate group="9"] What is video creep? What is video creep you ask?…

Today is my third and final post in a series on choosing the path of an independent contractor (IC) vs. that of building a formal studio. In part 1 I wrote about the benefits of being an IC. Last week I wrote about the importance…

Last week I wrote about the benefits of a film and video career as an independent contractor (IC) vs. starting and growing a studio. The response was great. Thanks to all who commented on the post or in the Twitterverse. Today I want to follow…

There used to be a time when in order to start a video production business, you literally needed tens of thousands of dollars, years and years of experience, and the strength to lug around 30+ lb. cameras on you shoulder plus 15 lb. battery belt…

This short film was part of a film series I created for a CEO's Keynote address. He would be speaking to a room full of professional photographers from around the country about the creative process (as well as other topics). We purposefully chose artists in…