Where to find a top DP

It's always tricky trying to pick a DP for a project. Of course directors always want to work with someone they know. Unfortunately, that DP may not be the best choice for the project. So where do you turn when you need a top DP. Here's a list of DP agents and reps I recently came across . . .

In the USA:
Innovative Artists (no website)
ICM USA (no website)
Endeavor Talent Agency (no website)
United Talent, www.unitedtalent.com
Jacob & Kole, http://www.jacobandkole.com/
Orlando Managment, www.orlandomanagement.com
Radiant Artists, http://www.radiantartists.com/
Sherry Rousso Agency, http://www.sradp.com/
Stacy Sheriff Agency, www.stacycheriffagency.com
The Mack Agency, http://www.themackagency.net/
Montana Artists, www.montanartists.com
Sheldon Prosnit Agency, www.lspagency.net
Paradigm, www.jeannineangelique.com
Creative Entertainment Connections, www.cec-entertainment.com
http://lspagency.net/dp.html
http://www.pfd.co.uk...ts/anaylor.html
http://www.mirisch.com/
http://www.primeartists.net/
http://www.lenhoff.com/index.html
http://www.kmreps.net/
http://www.thecharacters.com/
http://www.thegelleragency.com/
http://www.judymarks.com/
http://www.nyoffice.net/
http://www.schneiderentertainment.com/
http://www.seslercompany.com/
http://www.dattnerdispoto.com/
http://www.tdnartists.com/
http://www.utaproduction.com/
http://www.alistartists.com/
http://www.allcrewag...home/index.php5
http://www.seslercompany.com/
http://vertigoreps.c...ster_index.html

The following fall under "crewing services" but are also options for finding DP's in both the US and internationally. I've worked with a few through these folks and have had good experiences:
www.crewscontrol.com
http://www.mediacentral.net 

Not a rep or agent but another great option for finding DP's (and other folks):
www.reelreview.tv

And for those projects out of the country where you want a local DP, here are some DP agent/rep options in England, France and Germany:

In England:
Casarotto Marsh, www.casarotto.co.uk
PFD (Peters Frasers Dunlop), www.pfd.co.uk
McKinney MacCartney, www.mckinneymacartney.com
Wizzo, www.wizzoandco.co.uk
Visions@Wizzo, www.visionatwizzo.com
My Management, www.mymanagement.co.uk
ICM UK (no website)
Dinedor, www.dinedor.com
Dench Arnold, www.dencharnold.com
Sarah Putt Agency, www.sara-putt.co.uk

In France:
Agence First One, www.first-one.fr
Cosmic Paris, www.cosmicparis.com
Kinou, www.kinou.fr

In Germany:
1st Unit, www.1st-unit.de
Traband Management, www.traband-management.com
Trinity Agency, www.trinityagency.de

Know of one we've missed that should be included on this list? Email me at palmer@redmaiden.tv and I'll add it to the list.

The Greenlight Coach

My friend and colleague, DP Jendra Jarnagin recently turned me on to a great new resource - Jessica Sitomer's site, The Greenlight Coach   http://thegreenlightcoach.com. The Greenlight Coach is aimed at industry professionals who are struggling by offering coaching, tips, a monthly newsletter, other assorted valuable tools and more where you can learn how to better navigate the "Business Side" of the entertainment business. I've only just begun investigating all of the Greenlight Coach offerings but so far am impressed. Check it out and let us know what you think . . .

Build a Brand

Here's a cool new website for the DIY small business, sole proprietors, creative professionals, freelancers and the like - Check out: buildabrand.com it's a new online branding system that allows entrepreneurs, businesses and individuals to create, manage and apply instant and personalized branding to their business.

Getting Paid - Easy Invoicing for Busy Freelancers

Greetings Peeps!

Why is it that for so many freelancer's invoicing is so painful? You'd think after all the long hours you've worked that getting paid would be a priority. And yet, so many of us put off invoicing after a job.

What's worse, we hate the confrontation of calling up clients when payments are late.

Who among us can really afford not to invoice in a timely fashion, not to mention get paid on time? (p.s. it's a rhetorical question, you don't really have to answer it.)

I stumbled across the great online invoicing service that you can try for FREE. It'll save you time, get you paid faster, make you look like the professional we know you are and best off all it has an iPhone app! How great is that?!

It's like totally awesome, duh!

Freshbooks.com - automate your invoicing and collections!

http://www.freshbooks.com/tour.php?ref=589

You can keeping your own branding in tact (you do have a brand, don't you?) with a custom login page that matches your website (please don't tell me that you don't have a website-hello?!).

And you can even have clients pay by PayPal.

Now there is totally no excuse for not invoicing on time. If only some genius could come up with an app that made clients actually pay on time . . .

Latestest, Greatest Industry-specific iPhone Apps

Here are a few great, industry-specific iPhone apps recently recommended to me by my friends and colleagues at ARRI/CSC:

Artemis (Director's Viewfinder)
Storyboard  (Storyboard Composer formerly called "Hitchcock")
Action Log Pro (Film & TV Logging Tool)
FilmCalc (Film Calculator)
Helios (Sun Position Calculator)
LightMeter (Exposure Calculator)
MatchLens (Focal Length Converter)
Pocket LD (Lighting Database & Calculator)
Business Card Reader

Cheaper RX's and Other Medical Resources

On behalf of a friend and colleague (film/video/tv biz) who has been hospitalized with kidney stones, high blood pressure and no insurance . . . here's a reminder about options for low cost RX's and more resources for all of you - please, visit one of these websites and print out and fill out a copy of this RX DISCOUNT CARD and put it in your wallet, immediately!!!

And yes, that's an order :-)

http://www.pharmafutures.net/bjs/rxdiscountcard.html

This is only one of several FREE RX discount cards available. This particular one is offered by BJ's Wholesale Shopping.

Do a Google search and pick your favorite.

Here's some for starters:

http://www.hsarxcard.com/

http://pennsylvania.statedrugcard.com/

http://newjersey.statedrugcard.com/

http://unarxcard.com

http://www.pharmacydiscountnetwork.com/

http://www.yourrxcard.com/

http://www.drugcardamerica.com/

http://www.shrinesavers.com/RxDiscountProgram.html

Some organizations, municipalities, counties and states also have their own versions (e.g. The Shriners, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Idaho, Ohio, Texas, etc).

Check here to see if your state has one:

http://www.yourrxcard.com/states.php

Some of these even work for RX's for your pets!

And remember that most pharmaceutical companies have patient assistance programs where RX's can be obtained at little to no cost, if you apply and qualify. Here is a website that lists those programs:

http://www.rxassist.org

Also, Target pharmacies (and many others including Wegmans and Walmart) offer low cost generics. At Target, for instance, you can get a 30 or 90 day supply of a generic blood pressure medication or statin for as little as $4 for a 30 day supply and $12 bucks for a 90 day supply! And that's regardless of whether or not you have insurance.

Call your doctor now and ask if you can take a generic instead of the brand name. FYI--not all generics are available and may vary in availability depending on where you have your RX filled. Do your research!!

You can also order RX's online from pharmacies in Canada. Yes, reliably and safely and at a significantly reduced cost! Canada Drugs is the largest. I've used them myself as do my parents and my boyfriend's parents - and lots of other folks!

http://www.canadadrugs.com

And if you don't have insurance there are some options out there. Here's a link for uninsured patients in Pennsylvania, for example:
http://www.healthassociates.com/uninsured.htm

If you can afford insurance, keep in mind that more affordable plans are often offered through the Chamber of Commerce, your state or city's film commission, professional organizations, unions, etc. And if you are in NY-check out the Freelancer's Union.

Also, here's a link to an older post on DISCOUNT DENTAL PLANS:

http://productionassistance101.blogspot.com/2009/02/dental-plans.html

I hope this information is helpful. As my mother always says, "health and safety, first!"

Giving films a starring role in N.J.’s economy

Here's an article from NJBIZ by Beth Fitzgerald that New Jersey-ites will find interesting. Hopefully this is an encouraging sign that the Garden State is finally taking the creative economy seriously . . .


Legislation aims to increase tax incentives for movie production
By Beth Fitzgerald
12/28/2009


(reprinted from NJBiz.com)


Movie and television production plays a supporting role right now in New Jersey, but proposed legislation is designed to give it a starring role in economic development.

The legislation aims to get more cameras rolling by increasing the state’s tax credit incentives for film and digital media production, raising the annual cap to $50 million, from $10 million. It faces an uphill fight with New Jersey facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, but advocates said the credits pay for themselves through increased economic development that boosts tax revenues.

“We believe this is a strategic long-term investment for the state,” said Christopher Eilert, senior chief of staff for state Sen. Paul A. Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge), who is co-sponsoring the bill with state Sen. Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R-Westfield). A companion bill in the Assembly is sponsored by Anthony Chiappone (D-Bayonne).

“If we can attract this industry to make New Jersey its home and its headquarters, it will pay dividends for years to come, in terms of economic development and income taxes, and all the other associated economic benefits that come with high-paying and high-tech jobs,” Eilert said.

Companies that shoot 60 percent of a project in New Jersey are eligible for a tax credit equal to 20 percent of their allowable expenses, but the state’s $10 million cap is quickly exhausted each year, leaving producers to line up for the next year’s tax credit pool, said Stephen Gorelick, executive director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. Production companies that owe minimal state taxes typically sell their credits for cash, at a discount, to profitable New Jersey companies that can use the tax credits to lower their taxes.

“Some of the independent producers depend on this money [from selling the tax credits] to finish the film, or to pay for distribution, or advertising and marketing, or even to finish the sound mix,” Gorelick said. “Why film here and wait, when you can get the tax credit right away in another state?”

More than 800 film and digital production projects were shot in New Jersey in 2008, contributing $114 million to the state’s economy — $76 million of which came from projects that got tax credits, he said.

But Sarah Stecker, policy analyst for the think-tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, is a skeptic of such a plan. “New Jersey needs its tax revenue to make investments in roads and in K-12 and higher education,” she said, adding that filmmakers “don’t decide where to make a film based on tax breaks.”

Simon Broad is chief operating officer of ARRI CSC, in Secaucus, the nation’s leading light- and camera-rental business. The company moved from Manhattan to facilities in Secaucus and Hoboken more than three years ago, and now has about 100 employees here. Expanding the tax credits “would help us continue our growth, and bring others to this area,” he said. “If there was an equal attraction to shoot in New Jersey, we would be as busy in this state as we are in New York.”

The tax credits “are a key factor that producers consider when evaluating where to shoot, and the improved incentive program would attract more productions to New Jersey,” said Matthew Savare, who practices intellectual property, media and entertainment law at Lowenstein Sandler, in Roseland.

Christine Peluso, an attorney and principal with Piscataway-based Tax Credit LLC, gets calls from studios and independent producers before they “green-light” their projects, to discuss tax credits and “without the incentive, filmmakers will simply take their millions of dollars elsewhere.” This year, New York budgeted $350 million for film and television tax credits, and Pennsylvania budgeted $75 million.

E-mail to bfitzgerald@njbiz.com