The Job description of the director of photography will give a concise overview of the nature of work performed by the Director of Photography. The Director of Photography is also called a cinematographer and is responsible for planning, coordination, and direction of a motion picture films.

Roles and Responsibilities

Duties of Director of Photography

The director of photography has the following set of duties

  • Reviewing of the set locations is the main duty of a Director of Photography.
  •  Deciding the elucidation of scenes and other preferred effects of the scenes also forms part of the duty of Director of Photography.
  • To make drawings and find the lighting conditions are some of the other job duties of the Director of Photography.

The responsibilities of the Director of Photography have been listed below

  • Selecting of film stock, cameras, determining the amount of light, shutter angle focus, and the different effects of lighting is the main responsibility of the director of photography.
  • Coordinating with technical crew is one of the main responsibilities of director of photography.
  • The Director of Photography is required to put together the video footage of the film.
  • Select locations and designing the set for shooting on the selected place is the responsibility of the director of photography.
  • The Director of Photography is to make sure that each shot provides the desired outcome.
  • The Director of Photography is required to manage the set and change any setting if it is inappropriate.

Qualification and Skills Required

Credentials and Abilities Required

A Bachelor’s degree in Cinematography is required to become the Director of Photography.

A special training or internship is essential, which will give the required training in the different aspects of cinematography.

Necessary Skills

(1) A Director of Photography needs to have an imaginative bent of mind.

(2) Expert communication skills are required to convey messages to people.

(3) A Director of Photography needs to be a good leader as well as be able to work successfully as a team member.

Professional Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the career opportunities for the Director of Photography is supposed to enhance by an amount of 7-14 percent until the year 2018.

A director of photography can climb the ladder of hierarchy by moving on to the job profiles of a director and filmmaker after acquiring the necessary qualifications and work experience.

Published by Sarah Samson

Sarah Samson is a professional career advisor and resume expert. She specializes in helping recent college graduates and mid-career professionals improve their resumes and format them for the modern job market. In addition, she has also been a contributor to several online publications.

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