I'm not a DP, I just play one on this set

I've worn many hats on a film set - writer, director, producer, editor, wardrobe, background extra... Irish cabbie :)

My Irish Cabbie Hat. :)

When I made my film "HeadLines," my friend who is usually DP on my films was not able to be on set two of the days, so I wore a new hat and had to shoot myself (film speak, you know - get behind the camera myself). It was a run and gun shoot for a film racing contest so we had to move fast, but I think I did a sufficient job.

So when my screenwriting group decided to make a no-budget film to enter a contest, I volunteered to be DP (as I was the one with a camera). It turned out to be a very interesting experience.  This was the first time I was acting as cinematographer on a project I did not write the script, and I was not directing.

If you're in the industry, you know that filmmaking is a very collaborative effort. It takes many people doing many different jobs, all focused on one vision. Having made a feature and a number of shorts I did know this, but not being at the helm on this project, I experienced it in a different way on this project.

Top learnings from this experience:

My strength is not being a cinematographer
I couldn't pull focus like I wanted to, my white balance was off when I went from an indoor shoot to an outdoor shoot, and the jib was in the background of a shot (I didn't get my external monitor in time so I couldn't tell on my tiny camera screen!). When I watched the footage I uttered a phrase that I hate to hear as a director: "fix it in post." However, since I have edited two of my shorts, I did know that I could, indeed, fix it in post and we didn't have to re-shoot. Through these mistakes, I learned a lot which leads to...

It's helpful to know something about other roles on set (but you don't need to know everything)
Clearly, I only know maybe 1% of what cinematographers know regarding camera equipment and lighting, but this experience can only strengthen my working relationship with cinematographers on future projects. Having been behind the camera and having a director depend on me to get a shot, I more fully appreciate the role of the cinematographer and what is asked of them. There's nothing like spending a day in someone else's shoes to really understand what they go through.

Everybody has ideas
Everyone on set works to make the film great, each in their own discipline. The director is steering the ship, but there are many intelligent and creative people on set and one of them may just have that idea that can take a shot to the next level. Of course, there is a line between everybody shouting out ideas, creating chaos and calmly helping the director brainstorm a solution.

Learn something on every set
Besides one of the actors, I knew everyone who was going to be involved with this film. However, except my assistant camera (my mother), we had never worked together on a film set before. It's interesting to see how other people work and pick up little tidbits. No matter how many sets you are on, I'm sure there is something new that you can learn.

Cast & Crew of "No Peeking"

So that was my Sunday last week. I don't expect any calls for me to be a DP, but I'm glad to have had the experience. What are some things that you've learned on film sets?