Director of Photography * (Specialty Camera Operation)
The Director of Photography (DoP) establishes the overall visual style and look of the production by understanding the creative vision of the production. He/She is responsible for guiding the camera, lighting and grip teams in the achievement of the visual objectives of the content during the shoot. He determines the framing of shots, guides the position, movement and focusing of the cameras to achieve the shot required. He may be required to identify specialty cameras such as 360 cameras, underwater cameras and so forth that are needed to shoot desired shots by understanding the creative vision of the product. He will subsequently direct the operation and movement of these cameras during the shoot. The work involves a high amount of creative thinking and collaboration with the creative leadership as well as providing leadership and creative direction to the camera, lighting and grip departments. He is expected to operate outdoors and may be required to travel depending on the location of the shoot. He should have excellent technical knowledge of cameras, lenses, shooting equipment and digital processes. He is required to have knowledge of camera operations, lighting techniques and should know how to combine these with his artistic vision to produce compelling results. He ought to possess the artistic vision to visualize ideas and bring them to fruition. He should also possess strong technical and creative knowledge, camera techniques, an in depth understanding of post-production processes, color and data management best practices and the ability to guide the camera crew.
Skills and Competencies
Technical Skills & Competencies
Generic Skills & Competencies
Critical Work Functions and Key Tasks
• Develop an understanding of the creative vision for the production by communicating with the creative leadership team
• Analyse the production script to understand the theme and kind of visual setting that would suit the show or film
• Contribute creative and camera inputs to creating and refining the storyboards for the production
• Determine camera and lighting equipment required for the production along with the gaffer in consideration of the allocated budget
• Provide key creative and camera inputs to the visual styling, mood and feel of the production by conducting a discussion with the creative leadership team
• Plan the framing for each shot to understand the camera equipment, camera movements and angles and specific lighting required for each shot
• Finalise key locations for shoot in collaboration with the creative and production team
• Secure the necessary equipment for shoot by coordinating with the production team
• Guide the relevant teams in positioning of cameras for each shot
• Experiment with special lenses, filters or film stocks to select those that fit with the director's vision for the film
• Oversee the lighting and camera positioning before the first take
• Guide the positioning of cameras as per the framing of the shots and the movement required of the cameras
• Frame each shot to establish technical parameters such as focal distances to achieve the desired visual impact from the shot
• Conduct blocking to guide cast and crew and to identify and resolve any technical issues
• Refine camera placement and focus length paths requirements based on shots taken during blocking
• Guide the framing and focus of shots during the shoot
• Monitor the shoot of all major scenes on the viewing monitor to advise on camera and lighting adjustment
• Review raw footage with the creative leadership team to check shooting progress and determine if any shots need to be re-taken or if any improvised shots need to be taken
• Understand the creative vision for the multiple camera production
• Develop the shot plan for the multiple and/or specialty camera set-up
• Direct the positioning of the cameras to meet all shot requirements
• Plan the lighting of the set that would suit all positioned cameras by leading collaborations with production teams
• Direct the shots using multiple camera set-ups by instructing the production teams to switch cameras for shots as required