Brad, I would recommend tring to get the absolute best DP you can. It is entirely conceivable that a great shooter can make a regular old DV camera look better than a hack with a full-on HD camera, regardless of the resolution differential.

There are plenty of top-notch DP's in Toronto; put out the feelers and start requesting demo reels. Look for guys with good-looking digital material on their reels to make sure that they have experience with the technology, but preferably have also done film work. Don't think "I only have $40K, why would a working DP want to shoot my film?". Most DP's are on the lookout for up-and-coming directors, and will shoot low-budget films if they like the script. Just make sure that you interview them carefully to see if they are on the same page.

For instance, did you chat with the DP of those commercials you were PA'ing on? He might have had some suggestions or could point you in the right direction.

It's always good to think big, and fall back small when you have no other choice.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice guys.

The main issue for me is my location. I'm in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The closest film Co-op is in Halifax, and that's 5 hours away...

I also checked on the Atlantic Film Coop, but apparently they're innactive now because the web pages I found weren't working.

I would love to get a good DP. I think I have some leads, and hopefully I'll find a great DP in halifax who's willing to work in Cape Breton for the summer.

Thanks again for the advice guys, I'll take any I can get!

<<<-- Originally posted by Charles Papert : It's always good to think big, and fall back small when you have no other choice.-->>>


true!

Brad:

No problem--make sure to hire a bunch of cute girls on the crew (as long as they are qualified to do their jobs!), and make sure to mention this fact in your interviews with the DP's!

I'm only half-joking here...you'd be surprised how far that may get you with a significant percentage of the prospectives. The male ones, at least. Or...well, I'll leave it at that.

haha, thanks for the tip =P