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Art director vs cinematographer

The differences between art directors and cinematographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an art director has an average salary of $88,367, which is higher than the $72,245 average annual salary of a cinematographer.

The top three skills for an art director include graphic design, art direction and creative concepts. The most important skills for a cinematographer are video production, cinema, and music videos.

Art director vs cinematographer overview

Art DirectorCinematographer
Yearly salary$88,367$72,245
Hourly rate$42.48$34.73
Growth rate4%12%
Number of jobs11,4725,748
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4037
Years of experience6-

Art director vs cinematographer salary

Art directors and cinematographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Art DirectorCinematographer
Average salary$88,367$72,245
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $135,000Between $43,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateWashington-
Best paying companyThe Walt Disney Company-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between art director and cinematographer education

There are a few differences between an art director and a cinematographer in terms of educational background:

Art DirectorCinematographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorGraphic DesignPhotography
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityJohns Hopkins University

Art director vs cinematographer demographics

Here are the differences between art directors' and cinematographers' demographics:

Art DirectorCinematographer
Average age4037
Gender ratioMale, 57.4% Female, 42.6%Male, 85.3% Female, 14.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%10%

Differences between art director and cinematographer duties and responsibilities

Art director example responsibilities.

  • Manage a small group of graphic artists for PC/Mac catalog.
  • Lead the conception, design and execution of cross channel initiatives for healthcare and pharmaceutical clients.
  • Monitor the day-to-day activities on projects working with editorial, design and technical teams to execute and achieve project goals.
  • Collaborate on marketing strategies and concept creation for sketch presentations, and photo shoots with talent.
  • Utilize working knowledge of HTML, CSS and PHP in the creation of web sites and social media campaigns.
  • Perform vast typesetting and paste-up duties.
  • Show more

Cinematographer example responsibilities.

  • Manage equipment setup and on-site DVD sales.
  • Manage all principal photography and editing.
  • Used DSLR, macro, and underwater camera equipment to film wildlife in wood settings.
  • Create promotional videos for viewing on the Lily.B website, Facebook, YouTube, and other social networking sites.
  • Work together with DP Brian Hwang
  • Produce documentaries, reality shows and live events.
  • Show more

Art director vs cinematographer skills

Common art director skills
  • Graphic Design, 11%
  • Art Direction, 7%
  • Creative Concepts, 7%
  • Sketch, 7%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%
Common cinematographer skills
  • Video Production, 15%
  • Cinema, 11%
  • Music Videos, 11%
  • DSLR, 10%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 7%
  • Photography, 6%

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