Where a director of photography can go next
5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a director of photography already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Directors of photography are responsible for the visual interpretation of the script and all photography components of the film, including framing, colouring, lightning, style and locations. They create the visual look of the film or television programme and select the filming equipment, including the lens and filters. Directors of photography manage the visual equipment operators and lighting technicians. They work together with the video and motion picture director to achieve the desired effect.
Also known as cinematographer, photography director, head of camera and lighting crew, lighting cameraman, camera and lighting director, senior director of photography.
Professionals 38 skills on file 5 career moves 1 above 60% overlap Closest: video and motion picture director, 74%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A director of photography needs 21 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- supervise camera crew management skills
- watch scenes communication, collaboration and creativity
- design lighting communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with pre-production team communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with motion picture editing team communication, collaboration and creativity
- supervise sound production management skills
- cinematography arts and humanities
- adapt designers’ work to the performance venue communication, collaboration and creativity
- study media sources information skills
- audiovisual equipment arts and humanities
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a director of photography does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- art director 52% covered · difficulty 54.1
- camera operator 51% covered · difficulty 54.4
- script supervisor 46% covered · difficulty 58
- miniature set designer 38% covered · difficulty 66.2
- performance lighting director 38% covered · difficulty 66
- storyboard artist 34% covered · difficulty 69.7
- production designer 31% covered · difficulty 71.6
- location manager 30% covered · difficulty 72.8
- set buyer 22% covered · difficulty 78.5
- post-production supervisor 20% covered · difficulty 80.2
Look up another occupation
Director of photography is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a director of photography’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.