DP Career Coach

DP Career Coach | four tools for working Directors of Photography: an earnings calculator, an AI career coach, a hands-on craft library, and a bankroll desk. What does a working DP actually earn? This app gives you the honest answer based on real US market rates. 10 inputs in: years experience, market tier (smaller market through LA/NYC), production mix, days per month, reel and network strength, kit ownership, union status, specialty add-ons, retainer clients. Year-one income range out: low, median, high. Effective day rate. Days booked per month. A 10-year career projection chart showing how the trajectory compounds as your reel and network grow. Plus a built-in AI coach that can interpret your numbers, suggest moves, and help you think through career math. Want to know if buying a full cinema kit pays off for your market? Ask the coach. Considering joining IATSE Local 600? The coach can run the math on what changes. Wondering whether to chase a strategic retainer client? Same, the coach can compare scenarios. CRAFT A library of hands-on lessons that work offline, on the stage or in the truck. Build an exposure in stops across key, fill, back, and background and watch the frame respond. Read a scene in shot sizes and camera moves. Work through motivated lighting, natural light, contrast, and ND filters. Each lesson pairs a short, plainspoken read with an interactive tool. Also includes Career Strategy, a lesson on setting 90-day, 12-month, and 3 to 5 year goals and deciding which jobs to take. BANKROLL The month as it actually happened: booked DP days versus the holes in between. Log DP days and gap-day work, see whether the gap fills paid, keep a ledger, write and track invoices, and run a rate lab that turns the income you need into a day rate. A playbook of gap-day work covers what to charge and what to send. The calculator and Bankroll math run locally on your device, and Craft works offline. Only the coach chat connects to our backend (no account, no login required). Built by a working commercial cinematographer who got tired of guessing. - One-time purchase, no subscription - No ads - No account required - Calculator, Bankroll, and Craft data stay on your device Rates compiled May 2026 from IATSE wage schedules, DGA rate cards, AICP commercial production agreement, Wrapbook, Mixing Light, AIR Rate Guide, and peer surveys.