Through my research I found that "The director of photography, also known as the DP or the cinematographer, assists the film director by establishing the visual look of the movie." [Searls, n.d.] This shows that the DOP collaborates with the production's director in order to establish the style of the production - the DOP is then in control of all aspects that make up this visual look and must check this with the director to ensure their vision is also being fulfilled.
The main purpose of a Director Of Photography is to "shape a film’s visual aesthetic" [Aldredge, 2016] - in order to do this, they must make all the decisions that contribute to this i.e. which equipment to use in order to create the desired result - they must also decide what this desired result is and why - to do this they must have a good insight into the genre of the production and also its intended effect on the audience.
The DOP must interpret the script written by the writers and identify the themes that run throughout the script. This will allow them to make the cinematic style and tone decisions as this will enable them to get a grasp on what the storyline is and, therefore, what the writer is trying to achieve through this.
Once the DOP has established the style and tone that they want to achieve through the production (through interpreting the script), they must work on the storyboard and shot list in order to create a complete visual representation of the script which will lay out how the filming of the production will take place. "The storyboard, combined with a thorough shot list, will lay out the film in its entirety so that the director and producers can schedule and plan the production."[Aldredge, 2016] This shows that whilst the storyboard and shot list must communicate the style and tone of the production, it is also used in a practical way for the scheduling of the production.
The DOP is in charge of deciding the camera and lighting equipment which is usually done through different tests to find the most appropriate kit for a production. It is important to note that "camera choice will then affect every other camera decision" [Maher, 2015], therefore it is important that the correct camera equipment is chosen for the shooting style as everything then depends on the camera being used (i.e. if the intended shooting style is handheld, the camera chosen must be able to perform this function so the DOP must test this before this camera is chosen). The DOP must know the camera's settings inside and out to ensure they know how to operate it for optimum performance. This means that on top of just being concerned with the visuals the camera gives, the DOP must also be concerned with the camera's technical capabilities. The DOP must know the dynamic range of the camera, the frame rate and the sensitivity (ISO) of the camera as this all contributes to the visual look of the production. On top of this, the DOP is in charge of deciding the framing and movement of the camera shots - this is usually detailed in the storyboard and shot list in order to communicate how the production will be visually achieved.
The DOP must have a good understanding of light and lighting temperatures in order to decide which equipment will deliver the desired result. They will then need to decide which lighting temperature would complement the tone of the production the best. As shown below, different temperature lights reflect different styles of light - therefore, the DOP must consider what style they are aiming for with the production in order to inform their decision into the lighting equipment and which settings to set this equipment to.
Further to this, the DOP is not only involved in the pre-production (planning the tone and aesthetic of the film and how this will be achieved) and production (filming the production) processes, they are also involved in the post-production process in order to ensure their visual aesthetic is continued through this process. This involves being in control of the colouring and colour grading of the production and this helps to set the tone and style.
References:
Aldredge, J (2016) 'What does a director of photography do?' At: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/what-does-a-director-of-photography-do/
Maher, M (2015) 'Cinematography Manual: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Director of Photography' At: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/cinematography-manual-the-ultimate-guide-to-becoming-a-director-of-photography/
Searls, D (n.d.) 'A Director of Photography's Duties & Responsibilities During Film Production' At: https://work.chron.com/director-photographys-duties-responsibilities-during-film-production-15918.html
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