There are many instances when combining the roles of director and DP has worked out wonderfully for filmmakers, sometimes resulting in career-defining films. However, this isn’t always the case. In this article, we\u2019ll take a look at how acting as the director and DP on your own film could be either the best or worst decision you could make.<\/p>\n
First, let’s take a look at a few success stories.<\/p>\n
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Jeremy Saulnier<\/h4>\n![\"Is](\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/saulnier.jpg\" "\\"Is")
<\/a>Image via IMDB<\/a>\u00a0(From left: Alia Shawkat, Imogen Poots, Jeremy Saulnier, Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin).<\/p><\/div>\nActing as the DP on their own films\u00a0has been\u00a0a career-launcher for many directors. For example, let\u2019s take a look at\u00a0Jeremy Saulnier<\/a>. He directed and DP’d his 2013 Sundance hit Blue Ruin<\/a><\/em>. By wearing both of these hats, he launched his career into his next film,\u00a0Green Room<\/a>,<\/em> and\u00a0he went on to direct\u00a0two episodes of\u00a0True Detective<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nI served as the writer, director, and cinematographer of Blue Ruin<\/em>. Call me a glory hound, but that move saved an estimated $30K in upfront fees and travel costs. I deferred all payment for my services and my camera gear. Also, the on-set collaboration between me and myself was effortless. (Except, perhaps, during heavy dialogue scenes \u2014 I found myself distracted by technical minutiae when I should have been focused solely on performance.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/a>Image via IMDB<\/a>\u00a0(From left: Alia Shawkat, Imogen Poots, Jeremy Saulnier, Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin).<\/p><\/div>\n Acting as the DP on their own films\u00a0has been\u00a0a career-launcher for many directors. For example, let\u2019s take a look at\u00a0Jeremy Saulnier<\/a>. He directed and DP’d his 2013 Sundance hit Blue Ruin<\/a><\/em>. By wearing both of these hats, he launched his career into his next film,\u00a0Green Room<\/a>,<\/em> and\u00a0he went on to direct\u00a0two episodes of\u00a0True Detective<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n I served as the writer, director, and cinematographer of Blue Ruin<\/em>. Call me a glory hound, but that move saved an estimated $30K in upfront fees and travel costs. I deferred all payment for my services and my camera gear. Also, the on-set collaboration between me and myself was effortless. (Except, perhaps, during heavy dialogue scenes \u2014 I found myself distracted by technical minutiae when I should have been focused solely on performance.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n