Aside from the director, the Director of Photography (also called the
“Cinematographer” or “DP”) is
the superstar on set and he knows it. Most of the DPs I have
met have been pretty cocky, as they feel they are really the people
running the show (not the director).
But their attitude is not unwarranted with me if s/he is good because I find I rely upon
them tremendously, especially coming from more of an acting background
than a camera/technical background.
If the director is in charge of the creative aspects of the movie, the
DP is the one in charge of getting the camera and lighting to create
the creative aspects the director is looking for and move the piece in
the required artistic direction.
Generally, my favorite DPs are technophiles that don’t like
making artistic choices. They have artistic sensibilities,
but even when I was starting out, they didn’t take over too
much or try to direct me (or maybe they did but they didn’t
make it feel like they did.)
We collaborated equally and came up with the best choice for the
project and then executed it. Simple.
I’ve heard horror stories of DPs ignoring the director and
doing what they want to do, and eating up a lot of time with
complicated shots. I’ve witnessed it a few times,
too, when I was not directing. I’m happy to say
that I’ve never had this problem when I was producing or
directing. (Thank God!)
If the DP has a camera and lights you can use for the shoot (or
anything else that would help) that’d be great!
This is sometimes a factor in who I bring in, but overall
it’s more important to get along with the DP rather than what
equipment they can provide.
Also, traditionally there is a gaffer on set that is in charge of
lighting. Many times, on short films, it is the DP who ends
up doing lighting as well as camera. Having a gaffer is
extremely helpful to the DP, however, and will help your production
move faster. So if you can get one to help out, then go for
it.
If you know the technical side really well, theoretically you could
shoot your short film without a DP, but I find them invaluable to have
on set and would never do this work without one.