A
cinematographer is one
photographing with a
motion picture camera (the art and
science of which is known as
cinematography). The title is generally
equivalent to
director of photography (DP), used
to designate a chief over the camera and lighting
crew working on a
film,
responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related
to the image. The term cinematographer has been a point of
contention for some time now; some professionals insist that it
only applies when the director of photography and camera operator
are the same person, although this is far from being uniformly the
case. To most, cinematographer and director of photography are
interchangeable terms. Sometimes, however, the term director of
photography can refer to the person who supervises the photography
in a
videotaped television production. For
example,
Larry Boelens's credit on the
Mikhail Baryshnikov Nutcracker was "director of
photography", although the production was shot on video.
Responsibilities
The English system of camera department hierarchy sometimes firmly
separates the duties of the director of photography from that of
the camera operator to the point that the DP often has no say
whatsoever over more purely operating-based visual elements such as
framing. In this case, the DP is often credited as a
lighting cameraperson. This system means that the
director consults the lighting cameraman for lighting and
filtration and the operator for framing and lens choices.
In the American system, which is more widely adopted, the rest of
the camera department is subordinate to the DP, who, along with the
director, has the final word on all decisions related to both
lighting and framing.
The cinematographer typically selects the
film stock,
lens,
filter, 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
aperture and
shutter angle. 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 they want from a scene visually, and allow
the cinematographer latitude in achieving that effect.
Societies and trade organizations
An elite group of American cinematographers are members of the
American Society of
Cinematographers (A.S.C.); this organization represents the
upper echelon of talent and is dedicated to the advancement of
cinematography. Membership is by invitation only. Equivalents in
other countries include the
Canadian Society of
Cinematographers (C.S.C.), the
British Society of
Cinematographers (B.S.C.) and the
Australian Cinematographers
Society (A.C.S.) Members of these organizations are entitled to
put designatory letters after their names (eg.,
M. David
Mullen, ASC).
There are
other similar organizations in many countries, including Argentina,
France
, Germany, Italy
, Spain,
Iran
and India.
In some countries,
cinematography is
a
unionized field. In America,
cinematographers (directors of photography, camera operators,
camera assistants and still photographers) are represented by the
International
Cinematographers Guild, Local 600, a division of the labor
union
International
Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). In Canada, they
are represented by IATSE Locals 667 (Eastern Canada) and 669
(Western Canada).
Noted cinematographers
- See :Category:Cinematographers and
Academy Award for
Best Cinematography
See also
References
External links
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