Post-production supervisor to director of photography
A post-production supervisor already meets 20% of what the director of photography role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.2/ 100
1 How much of what a director of photography is expected to do is already part of a post-production supervisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the director of photography role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A director of photography role treats 5 of its required skills as things a post-production supervisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult with production director
- film production process
- photography
- work with motion picture editing team
- work with pre-production team
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A director of photography role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a post-production supervisor background worth leading with.
- already held work with pre-production team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held work with motion picture editing team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held read scripts information skills
- already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held film production process arts and humanities
- already held photography arts and humanities
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the director of photography role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt designers’ work to the performance venue required
- still to learn adapt to type of media required
- still to learn analyse a script required
- still to learn design lighting required
- still to learn ensure visual quality of the set required
- still to learn watch scenes required
- still to learn develop creative ideas required
- still to learn translate artistic concepts to technical designs required
- optional, not held adapt a script optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held liaise with event sponsors optional
- optional, not held supervise script preparation optional
- optional, not held work with playwrights optional
- optional, not held attend rehearsals optional
- still to learn supervise camera crew required
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- still to learn supervise sound production required
- optional, not held hire human resources optional
- still to learn audiovisual equipment required
- still to learn cinematography required
- still to learn lighting techniques required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
- still to learn study media sources required
- optional, not held operate a camera optional
- optional, not held select camera apertures optional
- optional, not held set up cameras optional
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held perform video editing optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a director of photography role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt designers’ work to the performance venue practise this
- 02 adapt to type of media practise this
- 03 analyse a script practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held consult with production director skill
- already held film production process knowledge
- already held photography knowledge
- already held work with motion picture editing team skill
- already held work with pre-production team skill
- already held read scripts skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held adapt a script optional
- optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held hire human resources optional
- optional, not held liaise with event sponsors optional
- optional, not held operate a camera optional
- optional, not held perform video editing optional
- optional, not held select camera apertures optional
- optional, not held set up cameras optional
- optional, not held supervise script preparation optional
- optional, not held work with playwrights optional
- optional, not held attend rehearsals optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
13 held skills the director of photography role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate production costs skill
- not needed by the target role check the production schedule skill
- not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
- not needed by the target role hire post-production team skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor production costs skill
- not needed by the target role supervise video and motion picture editing team skill
- not needed by the target role supervise work skill
- not needed by the target role understand budgetary limits skill
- not needed by the target role work with video and motion picture production team skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn audiovisual equipment required
- still to learn cinematography required
- still to learn lighting techniques required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
Other moves recorded from post-production supervisor
Common questions about this move
Can a post-production supervisor become a director of photography?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A post-production supervisor already covers 20% of what a director of photography is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the director of photography role treats as required.
What skills does a post-production supervisor need to become a director of photography?
16 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt designers’ work to the performance venue.
How hard is the move from post-production supervisor to director of photography?
Its learning distance is 80.2 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.