Understanding the Differences Between Director and Cinematographer

When you’ve just watched a brilliant movie and the credits roll, you will always see “Directed By” on the titles. How many of us actually understand what this means? What is the difference between director vs cinematographer?

In this guide, we’re drilling down into the roles to help you to understand what makes a director and what is a cinematographer.

It’s important to understand that every movie is made slightly differently and this means that the roles might vary. In some instances, the difference between cinematographer and director of photography might be a moot point due to the fact that the director takes on both roles. This is more common in smaller video productions.

What is the Director?

Before we delve into the director vs cinematographer debate it is important to understand a bit about both of the roles.

When people think about the role of a director they often think of the person who has made the movie, and has the overall say on what happens in a movie. This is not too far from the truth, certainly in big budget movies. The director is often the person creative vision behind the movie.

At a certain level in filmmaking, the most famous and best directors get to the point where they can pitch ideas to the production companies and it will almost always get made. Think of the biggest director names you can and you will see that they tend to regularly release movies that are their own creative process and vision.

The “creative vision” is what really drives the role of the director. They can be seen as an overarching force behind the movie. At a high level, there are very few things that the director is not involved in when it comes to making a film.

For example, a director’s role could include:

• Reading and interpreting scripts, and even working closely with a scriptwriter to adapt the script. Often, they may take an existing work of fiction like a book and work with writers to turn it into a movie.
• Set the whole feel of the film. How is it going to be shot? How in depth is the development of the characters likely to be? This is where the director is more than likely to have a vision.
• Delegating and overseeing the different departments. This is where the “managerial” side of directing comes into things. On a big production there are a number of different departments that need to be involved to bring the movie to life. The director will of course “direct” what he wants from them.
• Finding the actors. Have you ever noticed that certain actors and directors work together time and time again? This is because they often get a say in the people who are involved and they tend to make a choice to work with actors they know and love to rely on.
• Telling actors and cameramen what to do. This is another part of direction, they will be on the set at every opportunity, feeding instructions to the acting of the film. This is how certain directors end up with a style, that you see time and time again on the screen.
• Sound. The film will have its own department that is dedicated to creating the ideal sound, and this means sound effects (down to a Foley Artist) and the score of the film, often made by a composer. Some directors also choose to opt for compilation scores, where they license music that already exists and that they think will work.
• Post production. A director will also oversee many aspects of post production and editing. A film is not complete until it has been through this process, and even after it has been shot and given to the editors to turn into a final cut.

Because the director is so closely involved in all of these areas of making a film, the big differences between director vs cinematographer are clear. A director’s style is ingrained in every single aspect of the movie.

Filmmakers and directors are two different personalities who come from a variety of different backgrounds, some were once actors and others have gone to film schools around the world.

What is a Cinematographer?

A cinematographer has more of a specific role within the movie than the director. Sometimes referred to as a director of photography (more on that later), they are involved in the visual aspects of the film production.

Cinematography refers to the visuals of the film, and the way it appears in front of our eyes when we’re in the cinema or watching at home.

It is a huge part of storytelling, and the director of photography or cinematographer has the role of considering all of the different aspects of on-screen visuals. They will often work with the director very closely but the role itself is very different.

The sort of things that the cinematographer will be concerned with include everything that relates to the video and the way it appears. Cinematographers may be involved in things like:

• The camera motion. How it might move and pan as the video evolves and the scene moves on.
• The choice of lens and camera angle, can give a different look and feel to the film and the way it appears.
• The color and brightness. Though this will usually be treated in post-production there are still plenty of decisions to make while the movie is being made.
• Lighting. This is another huge decision and how a movie is lit can change the way everything looks. An understanding of how films should be lit is essential for a cinematographer.
• Framing and composition. This is the makeup of the shot, and where people are positioned within the shot, as well as things like the angle of the camera.

The director of cinematography will be heavily involved in all of the visuals. They could be involved with the location scouting as well as storyboarding for the type of film.

They act as a bridge between the director and other roles such as camera operator, taking direction on how the film will look and passing this on to their department.

Cinematographers come from a variety of different backgrounds. Those who are known in the film industry can join certain guilds, for example, in the US, there is  the American Society of Cinematographers, which is a sign of those who are the best cinematographers and members can put the abbreviation “ASC” in the credits.

What Are DOPs? Cinematographer vs Director of Photography Explained

A lot of people are searching to find the differences between director of photography vs cinematographer, and what these roles are. The truth is that both of these roles are the same. The DOP meaning in film is exactly the same, so don’t waste your time searching for DOP vs cinematographer and trying to work out the differences.

You will see these terms used interchangeably in the credits. Whether they use cinematographer vs. DOP in the credits doesn’t really matter, the job the individual has carried out in the film will be the same. Some cinematographers like to make their own decision on what they would like to be called.

The Difference Between Cinematographer vs Director

As we’ve already alluded to, a director may work very closely with the cinematographer, and not every single film has a cinematographer involved. If the budget isn’t huge, the director may take on the role of DOP as well, and pass on their instructions directly to those operating the cameras.

In general though, on big films, both a cinematographer and a director will be involved, and the difference is relatively simple.

The director is involved in every aspect of the film whereas a director of cinematography will just be involved in the creation of the visuals and the way that a movie looks. Often, a cinematographer and director will develop strong relationships and continue to work together.

At Insight Studios, we know the importance of getting a team that works well together and this includes the cinematographer as well as the director.

There are other differences, of course. For example, once a film has been shot and passed along to the editors and other parts of post production, the role of a cinematographer is usually done. They will not be involved heavily with the editing.

The director is also often in charge of the cinematographer, as well, so in the chain of command, it is the director who will have the final overall say. This is unsurprising, as it is the director who is putting their name to the film overall and their reputation may be under more scrutiny.

Summary – Differences Between Cinematographer and director of photography

The cinematographer and director of a film have two very different roles, but the important thing is that they work well together. No two film productions are exactly the same so the roles can vary somewhat, but these two roles are often clearly defined before the video production starts.

At Insight Studios, we have an amazing passion for filmmaking and this extends to every member of the team including cinematographers and directors. For a professional take on your production and a team that can bring your dreams into reality, reach out to us today to get started.