image c. iStockphoto

In bidding on an Indie feature as a DP, I experienced the harsh reality of the New York feature market, to wit DP's are not working much and I guess for that matter others in the craft may not be much either. Rental houses are slow, Producers have their pick of the litter when it comes to owner operators who can charge next to nothing for a Vari-cam package with all the bells and whistle's, this just so they are working. For those of us who do not own gear, well were screwed.

This would have been my first feature and I've not needed to rent any gear in the past year or so. My friends at a small rental house said the market is flat and people are not renting except for little stuff, he used another word for stuff. This was echoed by another friend who sees a reduction of camera work, good that she has editing work to keep her busy.

Yet, I speak to iTV CEO's all the time and they see sufficient amounts of work to keep their tools, development or platform company busy. Is this stability in that part of the market so media outlets can create content to go on-line? Well I doubt it. Quarterlife was several million an episode (and I'd suggest about 80% of that was wasted money for distributing on-line) and while it had a following, it failed to gain enough eyeballs to drive cpm and make it worthwhile for established media execs who've gorged on the fat of OTA and Cable revenues for years. If this is the case how are Indie producers going to make it under the current economic model forget about that we are in the deepest recession since the 1040's?

Back to the feature, I was already planning out the a look in my mind (minimalist without too much camera movement, I love it when actors walk into focus, or when the shot makes it just due to great composition) for this 21-day project - it would have been great for my reel and the DP part of my ego. I guess I'll stick to 1's a 0's for the moment, at least there it seems I can find the dog food.