English
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Answer:

All of these

Consider Another Career If:

  • You don't like change. Cinematographers have to adapt and balance many changes daily to support the director's vision.

  • You'd prefer a 9-5 schedule. Cinematographers often work at all hours of the day. You might have to be up early to film a sunrise or work late into the evening.

A woman wearing a lanyard, shrugging her shoulders

Take Action

A man holding a camera and shooting an image of a person standing on a staircase. Photo by Steven Van on Unsplash

Does being a cinematographer sound like an interesting career to you?

It does? Great! Then:

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Have you ever watched a movie and thought, "How do they do that?"

Woman watching movie with wonder in her eyes.

A cinematographer is the person that makes the magic happen!

Man gesturing magic and caption that says razzmatazz.

You could be the one creating the look, color, and lighting for a scene, if the job is right for you.

What Is A Cinematographer?

A cinematographer creates a film's look, color, and lighting, and frames every scene.

Two people crouched down staring through a camera at a scene. Photo by Natalie Parham on Unsplash Photo by Natalie Parham on Unsplash

What Do They Do?

A cinematographer is responsible for:

  • Working closely with the movie's director to execute the director's vision of the story

  • Camera movement and placement for a scene

  • Lighting a scene

  • Managing both camera and lighting crews

Two men with a large camera, lighting, and microphone filming a woman laying on the ground.

Did you know?

Did you know that cinematographers are also known as directors of photography (DP)? They're masters of visual storytelling in film and TV shows.

Where Do Cinematographers Work?

Cinematographers work on films or television shows. They may work on a film set or in a studio but sometimes they may travel to a specific location like a desert or rainforest to shoot a specific setting for pre-production or post-production.

A film set in a desert location. A camera sits on top of a wooden box. Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

How Much Do Cinematographers Earn?

The average salary for a cinematographer in the U.S. is $62,000

USD.

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The average salary for a cinematographer in Canada is $52,000

CAD.

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You'll Enjoy This Career If:

  • You're interested in HOW a shot visually appears on film.

  • You're a good storyteller. Cinematographers support the director's vision and help further the story in a movie.

  • You have good communication skills. Cinematographers must communicate with the director and give direction to both the camera and lighting crews.

  • You like to travel. Cinematographers often travel to different locations around the world.

Man making a box with fingers and saying I am a storyteller.

Quiz

A cinematographer is responsible for:

Consider Another Career If:

  • You don't like change. Cinematographers have to adapt and balance many changes daily to support the director's vision.

  • You'd prefer a 9-5 schedule. Cinematographers often work at all hours of the day. You might have to be up early to film a sunrise or work late into the evening.

A woman wearing a lanyard, shrugging her shoulders

Take Action

A man holding a camera and shooting an image of a person standing on a staircase. Photo by Steven Van on Unsplash

Does being a cinematographer sound like an interesting career to you?

It does? Great! Then:

License:

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Consider Another Career If:

  • You don't like change. Cinematographers have to adapt and balance many changes daily to support the director's vision.

  • You'd prefer a 9-5 schedule. Cinematographers often work at all hours of the day. You might have to be up early to film a sunrise or work late into the evening.

A woman wearing a lanyard, shrugging her shoulders

Take Action

A man holding a camera and shooting an image of a person standing on a staircase. Photo by Steven Van on Unsplash

Does being a cinematographer sound like an interesting career to you?

It does? Great! Then:

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
Learn more about how Rumie works with partners.

License:

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