Whether you call this person the DP which is short for director of photography or the Cinematographer makes little difference. While this person has three title they all describe and mean the same exact thing. So what exactly does a DP do on a set?
Big shoots or smaller ones both have two key figures behind the camera, the Director or Chief and the DP. The Chief is head of the overall production and he or she is the one that has the vision of what the final production will look like. The DP on the other hand is the head of the lighting, the lighting crew, lenses and the camera.
The chief has a vision for the overall pacing and feel of a production. This vision requires that he or she can successfully communicate to their DP what that vision is. If successfully communicated the look of the production will be a harmony a melody of picture and light that captivates audiences.
The DP is key to making sure that the Chief’s vision does indeed appear on film the way he or she imagined it to be. These Cinematographers are specifically trained and have become masters of their tools; the camera, lenses and lighting. These DP’s understand the different nuances that each lens offers as well as the different features each camera brings to a production.
While the camera as well as lenses are critical so to is the lighting. Lighting can set mood for a particular scene, it can give a production a certain ‘look’. Each production has a look, they differ greatly and are the result of either an understanding an harmony between the DP and the Head of the production or are an unintended result of poor communication between the two. The Cinematographer and Chief will often spend considerable time mapping out how to shoot a scene, this then is translated into the DP making sure the lighting and cameras are set properly to capture the action
The job of the director of photography is crucial to any production. They are tasked with the responsibility to bring the directors vision to the life. Their understanding and knowledge of lighting, lenses and cameras is crucial to the success of any shoot, which is the result of the DP and Chief working in harmony. Director of Photography
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