A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). Photography (fә'tɒgrәfi or fә'tɑːgrәfi (from Greek φωτο and γραφία is the process and Art of recording pictures by means of capturing This article is about motion picture film cameras See Video camera for cameras which record images electronically See also Filmmaking Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement and grapho γραφω (to record is the discipline The title is generally equivalent to director of photography (DP or DoP), used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. For the comedic team see The Film Crew. A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a The term cinematographer has been a point of contention for some time now; some professionals insist that it only applies when the director of photography and camera operator are the same person, although this is far from being uniformly the case. To most, cinematographer and director of photography are interchangeable terms.

Responsibilities

The English system of camera department hierarchy sometimes firmly separates the duties of the director of photography from that of the camera operator to the point that the DP often has no say whatsoever over more purely operating-based visual elements such as framing. In this case, the DP is often credited as a lighting cameraman. This system means that the director consults the lighting cameraman for lighting and filtration and the operator for framing and lens choices.

In the American system, which is more widely adopted, the rest of the camera department is subordinate to the DP, who, along with the director, has the final word on all decisions related to both lighting and framing.

The cinematographer typically selects the film stock, lens, filters, etc. This focuses on Motion picture film For Still photography film see Photographic film. A photographic lens (also known as objective lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with In Photography, a filter is a Camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted in the optical path to realize the scene in accordance with the intentions of the director. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Relations between the cinematographer and director vary; in some instances the director will allow the cinematographer complete independence; in others, the director allows little to none, even going so far as to specify aperture and shutter angle. Motion picture cameras film is exposed as a pie-shaped mirror called a rotary disc shutter, rotates in front of the Film gate. Such a level of involvement is not common once the director and cinematographer have become comfortable with each other. The director will typically convey to the cinematographer what he wants from a scene visually, and allow the cinematographer latitude in achieving that effect.

On some shoots, a director may assume the duties of the cinematographer, especially when shooting nude scenes or in other physically intimate settings where the director wishes to have as few people as possible present.

Some of the crew who work under or closely with the cinematographer include:

• camera operator
• focus puller (1st assistant cameraman)
• clapper loader (2nd assistant cameraman)
• second unit
• assistant camera trainee (camera production assistant)
• gaffer, best boy, and electricians (also called Set Lighting Technicians, Lamp Operators or nicknamed "sparks" or "juicers")
• key grip, best boy grip, dolly grip, grips
• production designer and art director
• costume designer
• color timer or colorist

Societies and trade organizations

An elite group of American cinematographers are members of the American Society of Cinematographers (A. A camera operator is a person that operates a film or Video camera for the purpose of recording motion to Film, Video, or a Computer storage In Cinematography, a focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC is the member of a Film crew responsible for keeping the Camera 's focus A clapper loader, second assistant camera (2nd AC or simply loader, is part of a Film crew, whose main functions are that of loading the raw Film In Film, the second unit is a team that shoots Footage which is of lesser importance for the final Motion picture, as opposed to the first unit which shoots In a Film crew there are two kinds of best boy: best boy electric and best boy grip. In American and Canadian Film -making the key grip is the chief grip on the set In a Film crew there are two kinds of best boy: best boy electric and best boy grip. In Cinematography, the dolly grip is the individual who operates the Camera dolly. In the US and Canada, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the Film and Video industries Production designer is a term used in the movie and Television industries to refer to the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films The term art director is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in Advertising, Publishing, film and Television, the Internet Costume design is the Design of the appearance of the characters in a Theater or cinema performance Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or television image either electronically photo-chemically or digitally In Comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black and white line art The American Society of Cinematographers ( ASC) is an educational cultural and professional organization S. C. ); this organization represents the upper echelon of talent and is dedicated to the advancement of cinematography. Membership is by invitation only. Equivalents in other countries include the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (C. S. C), the British Society of Cinematographers (B. The British Society of Cinematographers or BSC was formed in 1949 by Bert Easey the then head of the Denham and Pinewood studio camera departments S. C. ) and the Australian Cinematographers Society (A. The Australian Cinematographers Society is an Australian organisation established in 1958 for Cinematographers to meet and discuss the issues that affected them C. S). Members of these organizations are entitled to put designatory letters after their names (i. e. , M. David Mullen, ASC). David Mullen, (born 26 June 1962 as Merritt David Mullen III is an eminent Japanese born Cinematographer famed for his photography on Twin

There are other similar organizations in many countries, including Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain and India.

In some countries, cinematography is a unionized field. See also Filmmaking Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement and grapho γραφω (to record is the discipline A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming In America, cinematographers (and directors of photography, camera operators, camera assistants and still photographers) are represented by Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Society, a division of the labor union IATSE. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, In Canada, they are represented by IATSE Locals 667 and 669. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes,

Noted cinematographers

See Category:Cinematographers and Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Miscellaneous

The documentary film Visions of Light is an excellent look at the progression of the art of cinematography across film history, and includes interviews with many famous cinematographers. The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a Cinematographer for work in one particular Motion picture. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Visions of Light ( is an American and Japanese documentary, directed by Arnold Glassman Todd McCarthy and Stuart Samuels It is a good introduction for those interested in the field, and includes much in the way of archival footage, anecdotes, and famous cinematographers commenting on whom they looked up to.

See also

• Cinematography
• Filmmaking
• List of film formats
• List of motion picture-related topics

External links

• Responsibilities of the cinematographer
• Cinematography.com
• Cinematography Mailing List (CML)
• American Society of Cinematographers
• The Guild of British Camera Technicians
• British Society of Cinematographers
• International Cinematographers Guild
• European Federation of Cinematographers
• Indian Society of Cinematographers
• Indian Cinematographers Society
• Cinematography for 3D Animators