Derrick Butler is a director of photography based in Minneapolis, and the first thing worth knowing about him is the range of his gear list. He owns and operates an Arri Alexa Mini, a RED camera, a Sony F55, F5, FS7 and FS5, and a Canon C300. That means a producer calling him is not locked into one look or one workflow. A narrative-leaning branded piece can go out on the Alexa Mini. A two-camera corporate interview day can run on the F55 and F5. A run-and-gun documentary shoot where the camera needs to stay small and quiet can go on the FS5. He carries Fuji and Canon glass to match.
The lighting and support package is just as deep. Derrick brings nine Arri light heads with Chimeras, which covers most interview and small-set builds without a separate grip truck. He also carries battery powered Astra light panels for locations where power is limited or where you are moving too fast to run cable. Add a Sachtler tripod, IDX batteries and a Panasonic HD field monitor, and the practical result is that a one-day shoot in an office, a factory, a clinic or a private home can be staffed lean without giving up control of the image.
Audio is where his kit goes further than most DP packages. He owns a Sound Devices 633 and a six channel mixer, three Lectrosonics wireless transmitter and receiver sets, and wireless transmitters that send from the audio person to camera. He has an RE50 stick mic for man-on-the-street and press situations, four lavaliere mics for multi-person interviews and panels, and an audio boom with a Schoeps shotgun mic. He also carries an MP3 recorder with live transcription and timecode transcription capability, which is a real time saver on interview-heavy projects where a producer or editor needs searchable text soon after the shoot rather than days later.
Taken together, the package supports a range of crew configurations. Derrick can shoot as a solo DP with his own lighting and sound, or work as the camera side of a two-person crew with a dedicated audio mixer using his 633 and Lectrosonics. For projects that need multiple angles, the depth of his camera inventory means a second body is already in the truck rather than being sourced from a rental house.
In his own words, he brings a creative eye and a go-to attitude to every production assignment. For producers booking from out of town, that second half matters as much as the first. A DP who solves problems on location without waiting for direction is worth a lot when the client is in the room, the schedule slipped, and the space does not look the way the scout photos suggested.
Derrick is a good fit for corporate and brand work in the Twin Cities and the surrounding region, interview and testimonial shoots that need clean audio and a fast setup, documentary and long-form field production, and higher-end branded content where an Alexa Mini or RED is called for. He is also a practical choice for network and agency producers who need one local hire to cover camera, lighting and sound on a single-day assignment in Minnesota.