RecordMove

Production designer to director of photography

A production designer already meets 31% of what the director of photography role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From production designer

Distant match

To director of photography

9 You already bring

13 Still to learn

38 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

71.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a director of photography is expected to do is already part of a production designer’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

Why this move works

A director of photography role treats 8 of its required skills as things a production designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adapt designers’ work to the performance venue
analyse a script
consult with production director
design lighting
ensure visual quality of the set
film production process

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 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 production designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held design lighting communication, collaboration and creativity
already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue communication, collaboration and creativity
already held ensure visual quality of the set communication, collaboration and creativity
already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
already held lighting techniques arts and humanities
already held film production process arts and humanities

All 9 carried skills, including the 8 the director of photography role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn adapt to type of media required
still to learn watch scenes required
still to learn work with motion picture editing team required
still to learn work with pre-production team 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

02 management skills 4 required, 1 supplementary

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

03 arts and humanities 2 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn audiovisual equipment required
still to learn cinematography required

optional, not held file-based workflow optional
optional, not held multimedia systems optional
optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional

04 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn study media sources required

optional, not held read scripts optional

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary

optional, not held operate a camera optional
optional, not held select camera apertures optional
optional, not held set up cameras optional

06 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
optional, not held perform video editing optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue skill
already held analyse a script skill
already held consult with production director skill
already held design lighting skill
already held ensure visual quality of the set skill
already held film production process knowledge
already held lighting techniques knowledge
already held photography knowledge
already held attend rehearsals skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held ICT software specifications optional

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

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 read scripts 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 multimedia systems optional
optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional

29 held skills the director of photography role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
not needed by the target role arrange permits skill
not needed by the target role assess production needs to plan a production schedule skill
not needed by the target role collaborate on costume and make-up for performances skill
not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
not needed by the target role create production schedules skill
not needed by the target role create set models skill
not needed by the target role design props skill
not needed by the target role develop a specific interior design skill
not needed by the target role develop design concept skill
not needed by the target role develop the look of a production skill
not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
not needed by the target role make film shooting schedule skill
not needed by the target role make photographic storyboards skill
not needed by the target role make set construction drawings skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage staff skill
not needed by the target role provide input to collaborators to guide their work skill
not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
not needed by the target role search for a suitable filming location skill
not needed by the target role select costumes skill
not needed by the target role supervise costume workers skill
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
not needed by the target role use storyboards skill
not needed by the target role work with the camera crew skill
not needed by the target role work with the director of photography skill
not needed by the target role work with the lighting crew skill

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn audiovisual equipment required
still to learn cinematography 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

Index

Other moves recorded from production designer

Full index of moves from production designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a production designer become a director of photography?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A production designer already covers 31% of what a director of photography is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 8 of which the director of photography role treats as required.

What skills does a production designer need to become a director of photography?

13 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 to type of media.

How hard is the move from production designer to director of photography?

Its learning distance is 71.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.