Cinematographer - Responsibilities

Responsibilities

The cinematographer’s responsibilities as outlined below is an attempt to describe the duties a cinematographer is likely to encounter during his/her career. No two jobs are the same and the duties will contract or expand depending on the scale and complexity of the job. In the English system, the director of photography is called the lighting camera person, and has responsibilities that differ from those of the camera operator to the point that the lighting cameraperson is consulted, but has no final say over more purely camera operating-based visual elements such as framing. This system means that the director consults the lighting cameraperson for lighting and filtration and the operator for framing and lens choices. The lighting cameraperson is responsible for lighting the set, and the visual look of the film. The term DP or DOP is now widely used in the UK. "DOP" is used as an acronym to describe the director of photography, in Canada and equally in UK.

In the American system, however, the rest of the camera department is subordinate to the DP, who, along with and next to the director, has the final word on all decisions related to both lighting and framing.

The cinematographer selects the film stock, lens, filters, etc., to realize the scene in accordance with the intentions of the director. Relations between the cinematographer and director vary; in some instances the director will allow the cinematographer complete independence; in others, the director allows little to none, even going so far as to specify exact camera placement and lens selection. Such a level of involvement is not common once the director and cinematographer have become comfortable with each other, the director will typically convey to the cinematographer what is wanted from a scene visually, and allow the cinematographer latitude in achieving that effect.

Many American cinematographers have become directors, including Barry Sonnenfeld, originally the Coen brothers' DP; Jan de Bont, cinematographer on films as Die Hard and Basic Instinct directed Speed and Twister.