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Cinematographer/DP


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Hey guys. 
Here’s something that I’ve seen on more than one occasion and it kinda drives me crazy. The notion that the Director of Photography—colloquially known as the DP—is somehow different from the Cinematographer. 
In my area, in different filmmaking groups and whatnot, I have seen some folks post stuff like “looking for a cinematographer and DP for…”

I even saw one person say “…and I know there’s a difference” (this person is apparently an ‘Emmy Award winner’, by the way).

And the Director of a recent short film I worked on as Gaffer used the same kind of language in conversation… asking if I would want to be Director of photography on an upcoming project, and keep _____ on as “cinematographer” wtf?!

I’m on this journey just like all the other folks. I’m nobody special. But I take my time and try to learn everything I can about this craft and I try my best to do my due diligence. So I have had to tactfully correct individuals like this.

so anyway, I know using the two terms interchangeably is a matter of taste and semantics. But I would love to know where in the WORLD this idea that they are separate entities came from. I have never been to film school. Is this something they teach you in film school?

are they “technically” correct in some way? Since I have seen it more than once or twice, it has had me second-guessing myself. And I don’t want to make a liar or jerk out of myself when I point out that the Director of photography and the cinematographer are essentially the same thing. This really bugs me. Probably more than it should haha. 
 

i’m not sure if some of you folks have seen the same language used. Or maybe it’s just a regional thing or something…

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Just now, Bryan Fowler said:

You saying there are productions in your area hiring a director, a cinematographer, and a director of photography? 

Actually “hiring”? Maybe. I don’t know. But I’ve seen stuff like this. I should probably note that there is a fairly decent filmmaking community…in my state as a whole. And experience ranges from super novice to industry professionals. There are a lot of filmmaking social media groups. And many of us are just regular folks trying to make short films and what not. That’s where I’ve seen comments like this. 
 

So i’m guessing they haven’t actually “hired” directors, directors of photography, and cinematographers. At least I hope to god that’s not the case. I don’t even know how that would work haha.

 
The only reason I can imagine this happens is maybe they are confusing the Director of photography with camera operator or something? I don’t know…

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Feels like they'd figure that out quickly enough. ?

For me the classifications are mainly the same. However I think of DP / DoP as a roll that covers short projects, concentrating on visuals and how to accomplish the needs of the project. Possibly that's Commercials, industrials, short form docs. For me, Cinematographer leans more to a more formal narrative story telling through the directing of the photography. Tons of overlap. That's just an internal classification I have. I don't correct clients or think much about it.

Others might have different thoughts.

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7 minutes ago, Bryan Fowler said:

Feels like they'd figure that out quickly enough. ?

For me the classifications are mainly the same. However I think of DP / DoP as a roll that covers short projects, concentrating on visuals and how to accomplish the needs of the project. Possibly that's Commercials, industrials, short form docs. For me, Cinematographer leans more to a more formal narrative story telling through the directing of the photography. Tons of overlap. That's just an internal classification I have. I don't correct clients or think much about it.

Others might have different thoughts.

Right on. I’ve always understood the DP/DoP/cinematographer to be the person in charge of the look…reporting to the director. The person that oversees, and is in charge of, camera, lighting, and grip depts. regardless of the project’s scope. Again, it’s semantics I suppose. 
 

One thing is certain. There’s no real difference between the two. As far as the scope of practice and position goes. I just want to make sure I’m not making a list of myself when I say, in simple terms, “yo. It’s the same position!”

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1 hour ago, Michael LaVoie said:

No difference. The worst is when they're looking for a "lighting designer".   Because the DP they hired knows nothing about lighting.  Which essentially makes them more of a camera operator.  Not a DP.

Lighting designer, eh? That’s a new one. 

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33 minutes ago, Bryan Fowler said:

An LD is a common position. Often in live events or tv. the LD's I've worked with were very talented people. I do believe Lighting Technician is a common title in Europe.

I see. When I think of lighting tech, I think of the guy who runs lighting for large rock shows, or theatre or something. 

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3 minutes ago, Justin Oakley said:

I see. When I think of lighting tech, I think of the guy who runs lighting for large rock shows, or theatre or something. 

I don't have much live event experience, but here in the case of film & tv it is common to call sparks "lighting technicians" in end credits if the end credits are in English. Gaffers are called gaffers or in the case the end credits are in Finnish the gaffer can be called "Valaisija" which roughly translates to "Chief Lighting Designer" ... though "Gaffer" is almost exclusively used even in Finnish credits nowadays.

The gaffers here contribute a little more to the lighting design than in the States depending on the set and dp+gaffer relationship so the gaffer position is not exactly the same here than it would be in the US, here it is pretty common for the DP concentrating on the storytelling more and giving the gaffer broader guidelines how the scene should look like and the gaffer can then decide by him/herself what exact units to use to create the requested mood for the scene (so they contribute a lot on the lighting design part as well and not just running the technical side of things)

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16 minutes ago, aapo lettinen said:

I don't have much live event experience, but here in the case of film & tv it is common to call sparks "lighting technicians" in end credits if the end credits are in English. Gaffers are called gaffers or in the case the end credits are in Finnish the gaffer can be called "Valaisija" which roughly translates to "Chief Lighting Designer" ... though "Gaffer" is almost exclusively used even in Finnish credits nowadays.

The gaffers here contribute a little more to the lighting design than in the States depending on the set and dp+gaffer relationship so the gaffer position is not exactly the same here than it would be in the US, here it is pretty common for the DP concentrating on the storytelling more and giving the gaffer broader guidelines how the scene should look like and the gaffer can then decide by him/herself what exact units to use to create the requested mood for the scene (so they contribute a lot on the lighting design part as well and not just running the technical side of things)

Shit. Yeah I meant lighting designer. Yes lighting tech is a common title for film and TV. Chief lighting tech—“gaffer”, etc. 

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Lighting Designer is a live theater job title. Chief Lighting Technician is the gaffer on a film set. A cinematographer is neither.

The cinematographer / DP / DoP are all the same thing. A production can have more than one if there is a second unit DP and/or an alternating DP on episodic television, visual effects cinematographer, etc.

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