A famous DP once told me, “Never say no.” I suspect this is the best possible way to have a glorious career, but I don’t think it’s always appropriate. Here’s what I do…

Read the full article: Never Say No And Learn to Live with It - DV Info Net (http://www.dvinfo.net/article/misc/never-say-no.html)

Yup. Wise words in there.

Andrew

I really enjoyed this article. Wish I'd read it 30 years ago.

I work as a DIT and one of my favorite DP's made a similar argument that has stuck with me. He said that he missed the mystery of film. In film you actually had to trust the DP and listen to their advice based on years of experience, but in the digital world where producers can take 4k videos with their cell phones and make really cool shots with instagram sudenly everyone is an expert on how to shoot a movie. I do think its great that we live in a world that has made the basic tools of filmmaking available to everyone but i think somewhere along the lines the respect of knowledge has gotten lost and unfortunately i think it could be leading to the white-washing of the craft.

(That being said it goes both ways i've done work with some DP's who are convinced that they know erroneously exactly how some of the digital aspects work and despite my advice and warnings they proceed with their plans, and when those pieces fall apart somehow its still my fault. I try not to work with those guys a second time. But i have been lucky in that those guys were few and far between)

I think I'll share that with every single one of my clients...

It has to be frustrating to go down a path that you know will lead to difficulty, especially when you can see how it can be avoided. I do see similar experiences across a variety of industries. For me personally, my professional activities become more about how do I be effective in what I do, instead of pursuing perfection.

Client to indie producer: "Can you do X+Y+Z?"
Indie producer to client: "Oh yes, absolutely I can do X+Y+Z."
Indie producer to rental house: "I need to rent something that does X+Y+Z. And I need you to teach me how to do it. Also I don't have any budget."
Rental house: "BWAHAHAAAA!"

Counterpoint to the story... Don't write a check your ass can't cash.