RecordMove

Storyboard artist to director of photography

A storyboard artist already meets 34% 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 storyboard artist

Distant match

To director of photography

11 You already bring

13 Still to learn

38 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

69.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a director of photography is expected to do is already part of a storyboard artist’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 storyboard artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adapt to type of media
analyse a script
consult with production director
develop creative ideas
film production process
follow work schedule

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 11 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 storyboard artist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held work with playwrights communication, collaboration and creativity
already held study media sources information skills
already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
already held film production process arts and humanities
already held adapt to type of media communication, collaboration and creativity
already held develop creative ideas communication, collaboration and creativity

All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the director of photography role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 6 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 7 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn adapt designers’ work to the performance venue 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 work with motion picture editing team required
still to learn work with pre-production team 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 attend rehearsals optional

02 arts and humanities 3 required, 2 supplementary

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 photographic processing techniques optional

03 management skills 3 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn supervise camera crew required
still to learn finish project within budget required
still to learn supervise sound production required

optional, not held hire human resources optional

04 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

05 working with computers 2 supplementary

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

06 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held read scripts optional

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 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adapt to type of media skill
already held analyse a script skill
already held consult with production director skill
already held develop creative ideas skill
already held film production process knowledge
already held follow work schedule skill
already held photography knowledge
already held study media sources skill
already held ICT software specifications knowledge
already held multimedia systems knowledge
already held work with playwrights skill

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

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 attend rehearsals optional
optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional

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

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
not needed by the target role cameras knowledge
not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role create 2D painting skill
not needed by the target role create animated narratives skill
not needed by the target role create digital images skill
not needed by the target role create original drawings skill
not needed by the target role create sketches skill
not needed by the target role design graphics skill
not needed by the target role develop animations skill
not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
not needed by the target role familiarise with personal directing styles skill
not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage feedback skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role present storyboard skill
not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
not needed by the target role use storyboards skill
not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill

5 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
still to learn lighting techniques required
optional, not held file-based workflow optional
optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional

Index

Other moves recorded from storyboard artist

Full index of moves from storyboard artist

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a storyboard artist become a director of photography?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A storyboard artist already covers 34% of what a director of photography is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the director of photography role treats as required.

What skills does a storyboard artist need to become a director of photography?

13 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 6 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 storyboard artist to director of photography?

Its learning distance is 69.7 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.