What makes a great photofilm team?

I recently finished the draft of a photofilm I directed in Bangladesh and sent a copy to the photographer and videographer for their feedback.

The photographer said, can you give the photos a bit more oomph to match the video? (on duckrabbit photofilms I process the RAW files and edit the photos myself) And the videographer said, can you give the video a bit more oomph to match the photos? They were both watching the same film with opposite reactions to the visuals dictated by their role on the team.

That’s why the best person to edit and produce a photofilm is usually anyone but the photographer/videographer. Their work requires a different kind of attention to detail. It’s almost impossible, in a short space of time, to think both about great looking shots and the wider narrative arc. Without a director, and even with one, if the photographer/videographer has free rein you can end up with an awful lot of shots that look fantastic but have no place in the film.

On our teams everyone is required to be multi-skilled. There’s no room at duckrabbit anymore for a photographer who can’t take video, or set up radio mics and light and conduct an interview. The same goes for the producer/director. They have to be able to pick up a camera and shoot video.

So if you’re a photographer and you want to make a business out of producing photofilms then you have to learn to shoot video. There are three compelling business reasons for this.

1. Clients are used to paying much more for video than photography, so if you want to push budgets to the point that you have a sustainable business then no matter how good a photographer you are, you almost certainly have to be offering video.
2. There are kids coming out of college who can shoot a great photo and take decent video and are willing to work at comparatively low rates. If you can shoot video than you have a lot more to offer than them because they don’t have your experience. If you can’t shoot video you can no longer compete (with someone who can).
3. You can and should charge for the rental of your video equipment. On an overseas shoot this will come to thousands of pounds. Photographers, though they spend a lot of money on equipment and often work for rates that don’t really incorporate the cost of their kit, can rarely do this.

When I say kids coming out of college that can take decent video and stills I’m only really talking about the US.  I don’t see any evidence that UK universities are producing students equipped with the skills to take advantage of the commercial opportunities out there for producing photofilms.  To be honest they’re lucky if they are taught by someone who has even used Lightroom, let alone woken up to the possibilities of producing photofilms and adding this in any meaningful way into the curriculum. Maybe that’s fair enough because most of the courses are photography, not film-making courses, but I do believe universities are missing a trick.

Of course what makes a really good team is the balance of the people on it. Over the last year I’ve been lucky to work with lots of amazingly talented people, but trust me, in a team environment, talent is not as important as temperament.

When people ask why I like to work with Felix Clay so much the answer is simple but it’s one you might learn something from if you’re looking to make photofilms pay. He’s an amazing photographer/videographer and if he has an awkward bone in his body I’ve yet to find it.  When it comes to working with clients that’s essential.  He’s secure in what he does and happy to share his skills; that means I am able to learn a lot by working with him.  The fact that he’s got off his arse and taught himself video shows that he’s always pushing himself forward, looking to learn new skills.  That means he’s valuable to duckrabbit now, but also in the future. To knock him off the top of my wish list when I’m putting a team together for a project you have to be able to match Felix and offer something else. I wish there were more people in the UK who could do that. Why that is, I’m not sure.

What prompted me to write this post?  This interesting conversation between Pete Brook and Andrew DeVigal over on Wired. Well worth a read:

AD: I’ve found it successful to send out the videographer/photographer with an audio producer. The audio producer will come back, work as the video editor and also edit images with the photographer. I prefer the videographer/photographer not to be responsible necessarily for editing. That intended disconnect is helpful; photographers tend to be sensitive in the editing suite. Photographers are essential collaborators but shouldn’t be leaders in the editing.

Audio is the backbone to multimedia. So, if the audio producer out in the field is also the video editor, it allows for audio to drive the narrative and the visuals to support that. Editing can be more nuanced and less literal