Director. What I take from it is that directors have to do YEARS of development on a project that might never even get greenlit. So, when they finally do get to the shoot day, they can finally be paid the full DGA director’s rate. But until they are on set, they basically work for free and have a gigantic team of people that work for them to help them secure the gig.
This is what I had came to conclude about the real life prospect of being a DP. But this revelation isn’t unique recently. I heard the same thing in a podcast with a director. If true, this paints a damning picture of the film industry that even I (a union filmmaker) hadn’t fully come to understand.
Director. What I take from it is that directors have to do YEARS of development on a project that might never even get greenlit. So, when they finally do get to the shoot day, they can finally be paid the full DGA director’s rate. But until they are on set, they basically work for free and have a gigantic team of people that work for them to help them secure the gig.
This is what I had came to conclude about the real life prospect of being a DP. But this revelation isn’t unique recently. I heard the same thing in a podcast with a director. If true, this paints a damning picture of the film industry that even I (a union filmmaker) hadn’t fully come to understand.