Responsibilities of the Cinematographer

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. As can be seen, there is a vast amount that a cinematographer is required to know and do and this can only be learnt over a number of years of filming. Our thanks to John Hora ASC who drew up this list for publication in the ‘American Cinematographer’ magazine. It has been slightly adapted for this website to reflect British technical terminology.

PRE-PRODUCTION

(a). Conceptual Research and Design Discuss all aspects of script and director’s approach to picture in preliminary talks with director

• Analyse script as whole
• Analyse story structure
• Analyse characters
• Research period, events, general subject and appropriate design elements
• Devise style, visualise approach
• Continue talks with director on new ideas
• Come to agreement with director
• Discuss and come to agreement with production designer
• Discuss and research with technical advisor

(b). Practical Research and Design

• Ascertain or find out budget requirements
• Recce and approve locations
• Plot sun position for locations
• Check local weather
• Check tide tables near ocean
• Review, discuss and approve set plans
• Review and approve props, action vehicles, aeroplanes, boats, horse-drawn vehicles, mock-ups and miniatures

(c). Technical Research and Design

• Visit laboratory to calibrate, customise and evaluate exposure system for any combination of electronic or chemical image capture; and establish developing, printing, set timing and transfer protocols
• Visit rental houses
• Explore new equipment
• Learn how new equipment works
• Invent (or cause to be invented) special equipment or techniques for show
• Standardise and create effects bible for show
• Help create and approve any story boards
• Design (or cause to be designed) and approve any built-in or practical lighting fixture
• Design lighting-plot plan and rigging for stages and locations with gaffer and key grip

(d). Quality Control

• Choose and approve crew, film stock, lab, equipment, second-unit and visual-effects crews
• Supervise manufacture and testing of new or modified equipment
• Visit sets under construction
• Approve wild walls, ceiling pieces and any moving set pieces
• Check lighting-fixture crew
• Walk locations and stages with all departments to discuss requirements
• Approve set colours and textures
• Approve costume colours and textures
• Approve makeup and hair
• Generate (or cause to be generated) and approve equipment lists for camera, electric and grip
• Check rushes screening rooms for correct standards and/or check quality of rushes telecined to tape.

(e). Implementation

• Approve stand-ins
• Train crew to use any new equipment
• Walk locations and stages with director and devise shooting plan
• Make list of special equipment for production manager and indicate number of days required
• Work with assistant director on shooting schedule (order of and days required for each scene)
• Estimate and order film stock (type, size and quantity)
• Generate (or cause to be generated) and approve rigging and shooting manpower and man-days
• Assist other departments in getting required equipment, manpower and tests
• Maintain regular contact with other department heads.
• Mediate any problems between departments
• Check loading of production trucks or cargo containers for location or international shipping
• Visit cast run-throughs and rehearsals
• Advise and back up director on any problems
• Help producer or studio solve any production problems

(f). Testing

• Shoot tests for style
• Shoot tests for lab
• Shoot tests for lighting of principal actors
• Shoot tests for camera and lenses
• Shoot tests for wardrobe and makeup
• Shoot tests for any special effects processes, unusual rigs, props or methods II.

SHOOTING

(a). Planning

• Check and approve all call sheets and shooting order of the day’s work

(b). Blocking

• Watch rehearsal of scene to be shot
• Devise shot list with director (coverage)
• Choose lens and composition; show to director for approval
• Make sure composition and movement fulfil scene task
• Work out mechanical problems with camera operator, assistant camera, dolly and crane grips
• Set any camera-movement cues
• Place stand-ins and rehearse, fine-tune
• Ensure proper coverage of scene for editor
• Work with assistant director on background action

(c). Lighting

• Design lighting to show set/location to best advantage relative to story, style and dramatic content
• Light each actor to reinforce and reveal character
• Make sure mood and tone of light help to tell story
• Design light for minimum reset time between set-ups
• Utilise standby painter for control of highlights, shadows, ageing, dusting-down of sets and props
• Set any lighting cues (dimmers, spot lights, colour changes and any pre-programming)

(d). Preparation

• Work out any sound problems
• Work out any problems with other departments
• Check, set and approve all stunts with stunt co-ordinator
• Set any additional cameras required for stunts
• Double-check safety with all concerned
• Show shot to director to make any final changes
• Get actors in for final mechanical rehearsal; solve any outstanding problems

(e). Photography

• Photograph scene
• Approve or correct take
• Check parameters and reset for next take
• Shoot any plates
• Shoot any video playback material
• Move to next set-up

(f). Administrative

• Define first set-up in morning and after lunch
• Make sure that stills are taken of scene
• See that “making of” and/or EPK crews get needed footage
• Make sure script supervisor has any special camera or lighting notes
• Check film raw stock inventory
• Try to shoot up short ends
• Check that camera logbook is being kept up to date
• Complete day’s work
• Discuss first set-up for the next day
• Ensure that camera, electrical, and grip crews get all copies of equipment rental or purchase invoices and approve before accountants pay vendors
• Take care of any future or ongoing production issues
• Answer any questions about future problems
• Visit production manager and producer at end of day
• Check for return of all unused equipment

(g). Quality Control

• Call in for lab report
• View previous day’s work in projected rushes with director, producer, editor and camera crew
• Discuss and approve rushes
• Consult with makeup, wardrobe, production designer and assistant director about rushes
• View, discuss, correct or approve second-unit or effects rushes
• Order reprints if necessary

(h). Training

• Teach beginning actors movie technique (hitting marks, size of frame, lenses, etc.)
• Train camera crew for next job up the ladder I. Contingency
• If director is disabled, finish day’s shooting for him or her III.

POST PRODUCTION

(a). Additional Photography

• Discuss and be aware of delivery dates for all post-production
• Photograph or approve any additional scenes, inserts, special effects or second-unit footage.

(b). Grading (Colour and Density)

• Grade and approve trailer for theatres and TV
• Approve all optical and digital effects composites
• Grade the picture
• Regrade until correct

(c). Quality Control

• Approve final answer print
• Show to director for OK
• Approve interpositive (IP)
• Approve internegatives (IN)
• Approve release prints
• Approve show prints from original negative
• Approve all blow-ups or reductions

(d). Telecine / Colour Correction

• Supervise and approve film or digital original transfer to electronic or film media (Hi-Def, NTSC, PAL, Secam masters, digital intermediates, archival masters, etc.)
• Supervise and approve all transfers to and from digital intermediates
• Supervise and approve all letterbox, pan and scan or reformatting of film
• Supervise and approve tape-to-tape colour correction and VMS, DVD, digital projection media, etc.
• Show electronic transfers to director for OK

(e). Publicity

• Do any publicity (newspaper, magazine, Internet, radio, TV, DVD commentary, etc.)

(f). Restoration/Archival

• Be available for any future reissue, archival reprint or electronic transfer of film

Job Description of a Cinematographer

Giving a job description of a cinematographer is a bit difficult because the term "cinematographer" can apply to various jobs ranging from camera operator to director of photography. Most often, the term refers to the director of photography, or top cinematographer on a film, so let's focus on that.

Basically, cinematography means bringing a story to life visually. The word's Greek roots are kinema (movement) and graph (writing). Bringing movement to screenwriter's script requires more than simply shooting photos or video of a scene. The primary cinematographer, or director of photography, works with the film's director to capture the underlying story in a way that will captivate the movie audience. Camera operators and cinematographers for specific scenes or types of scenes work to fulfill the overall vision.

The visual interpretation of the story can be as big as "Tropic Thunder's" napalm explosion or as small as a snow globe dropped from a dying man's hand while he whispers the word 'Rosebud' in "Citizen Kane" (1941). The cinematographer's job is finding the images that bring the story to life and capturing its meaning in a memorable way [source: Blain Brown].

But while that's a general description, the director of photography also has a lot of specific responsibilities related to making a movie. In fact, the cinematographer's job starts before a single frame of film is shot.

Preproduction

The cinematographer discusses the director's vision for the film with him, both overall and scene by scene. Based on that, the cinematographer determines what's needed for each scene, within budget, and hires the camera crew, arranges for equipment and buys film and supplies. The cinematographer also works with other departments, like sound and lighting, to coordinate production needs.

Production

The cinematographer coordinates the crew and works with the director to make sure each scene is set up and shot to match the director's vision of the story. For each scene, the cinematographer decides on the best combination of cameras, filters and lenses, as well as where the cameras will be placed, what the lighting should be and when the scene will be shot. On large films, several cinematographers may oversee different camera set-ups. Others may serve as second-unit directors, shooting background or locations without the actors. The director of photography oversees them all, often also managing the photography budget.

Postproduction

The cinematographer works with the processing lab to make sure the film retains the color and mood that he and the director wanted. The cinematographer also reviews dailies, as well as the first and final print of the film. Being a critical eye and part of quality control is important throughout postproduction [source:Tanja Crouch].

Being a cinematographer requires special skills. Go to the next page to find out what they are.