Melbourne Cinematographer & DOP

Cinematography Gear List

Cinematography Process at Work.

Please note - I am able to slot into pre-existing crew or bring on board my own including 1st & 2nd AC’s and Gaffers.

Should you choose to hire as your cinematographer, this is the process I generally work within.

Initial Conversation
Starting off with a coffee or a phone call, we'll talk about the story, style tonality, locations, props, characters - everything that makes up the visuals of the film.

You tell me what your vision is, then I begin my preliminary research.

Full Script Reading
Reading the the script, I begin to make notes about what it would take to support your vision. This could include suggestions on how to approach lenses, colours, cameras, framing, point of views, key frame shots, props, locations etc. 

Further to this, I also write about what the most important visual items are in telling the story. This is important, as the audience must see & know what they are in order to truly understand your story. After this is done, I then begin a...

Visual Treatment
which is a document that breaks down how the film will be treated from the point of view of tonality/style, as well as what each scene's underlying emotional qualities are.

For instance, the opening scene on Normandy Beach in Saving Private Ryan is shot in a way that allows the audience to take the perspective of Captain Miller, so that they can experience the storming on Normandy as a soldier. This also allows the audience to be more empathetic to the horrors of war, whilst experiencing the rest of the story from his perspective. 

Without a strong idea of how to shoot this in the pre-production phase, this isn't achievable.

Rehearsals / Test Shots
Once we have come up with the main way to approach the filming of the script, I will come in for some rehearsals to understand how you work with the actor's, the staging of it, and the physicalisation of the story. 

This will help inform me of what can be done here. I will also do the same at the location should you require me to.

Storyboarding & Shot list

I'm very aware of how every director is different (being a director myself). If  you want to handle the storyboarding/shotlist yourself or as a team, then I'm always available to offer advice & bounce ideas back & worth because this film should be reflective of your vision, and the cinematographer is the helpful conduit to this.

If you do wish to entask me with the storyboarding/shot list, I'll then breakdown every scene into a logical storyboard of key frames (not every frame) and then work those into a logical shot list.

These will then be discussed & refined as we go further down the production process.

On the day

All my gear will be loaded & organised in my reliable transport. I do however unload & handle all my kit myself as accidents can happen on the set and I'd rather be responsible for the kit.

Having every planned out before, it will be much more organised and efficient. I can bring my own 1st & 2nd camera assistants should they be needed, or work with your own sourced ones.

You & I will work together closely on the day, and your say is final when it comes to framing & camera movements.

Whilst the shot list / storyboards are great, they can be thrown out if you feel on an instinctual level that they don't work - or a better idea comes along. I'm open & malleable to this extent.

Cinematographer Pricing & Quotes

DP with Basic Kit
Half day (4 hours or less) $699AUD / Full day rates (4.5 hours to 10 hours) $1099AUD.

With Camera Assistant
Half day (4 hours or less) $229AUD / Full day rates (4.5 hours to 10 hours) $359AUD.

The above rates may or may not constitute the full and final quote, as this is subject to change due to additional gear or crew requirements, expenses and other incidentals.

For no budget/micro-budget films, please feel free to get in touch with me (adam@moment2moment.com.au) as I am open to these opportunities. 

All enquiries will be replied to within 48 hours.