What does a director of photography do?

Common skills that a director of photography uses to do their job include "video projects," "dp," and "adobe photoshop." You can find details on the most important director of photography responsibilities below.

Computer skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director of photography to have is computer skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "film and video editors must use sophisticated editing software." Directors of photography often use computer skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "designed and troubleshot all aspects of video productions including a multi-computer final cut studio editing suite. "

Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of photography duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "editors look at every frame of film and decide what should be kept or cut in order to maintain the best content." According to a director of photography resume, here's how directors of photography can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene. "

Hand-eye coordination. This is an important skill for directors of photography to perform their duties. For an example of how director of photography responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "camera operators need to be able to move about the action while holding a camera steady." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of photography: "managed daily operation of waganer digital video including organizing event coverage teams and coordination of post-production work. ".

Visual skills. For certain director of photography responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "visual skills." The day-to-day duties of a director of photography rely on this skill, as "film and video editors and camera operators must see clearly what they are filming or editing in the postproduction process." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what directors of photography do: "developed visual identity and shot in-water video footage for independent surfing documentary. "

Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a director of photography to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what directors of photography relies on this skill, since "film and video editors and camera operators must communicate with other members of a production team, including producers and directors, to ensure that the project goes smoothly." How this skill relates to director of photography duties can be seen in an example from a director of photography resume snippet: "served as cinematographer, and editor for all corporate video communications within the kroger delta division. "

Creativity. Lastly, "creativity" is an important element of what a director of photography does. Director of photography responsibilities require this skill because "film and video editors and camera operators should be able to imagine what the result of their filming or editing will look like to an audience." This resume example highlights how director of photography duties rely on this skill: "collaborated with a creative team, developing a concept, style and shot list for all film and video productions. "

See the full list of director of photography skills