DP

The Director of Photography, or DP, or DoP, or Cinematographer, is the head of the Camera department

There are three key creative that control how the film looks: The Director, The DP, and The Production Designer.

Where the Director is the key creative vision, who directs the actors, and the Production Designer (or Art Director) manages the look of the set, the props, the costumes, hair and makeup, the DP is in charge of the camera and everything it captures. They make choices on lenses, lighting, camera movement and framing.

The DP needs to have a good creative eye for visuals. They need to understand mise-en-scène, shot composition, and visual storytelling. They should have an idea of how the shots will edit together. They need to understand lenses, parallax, focal points. They need to understand lighting and colour theory. They need to know how to operate the camera and get the best out of it.

In the Camera Department, the team includes:

1. Director of Photography (DP)

2. Camera Operator (Cam Op)

3. First Assistant Camera (1st AC)

4. Second Assistant Camera (2nd AC)

The Camera Department can also oversee the Data Wrangler (DIT) and the Script Supervisor.

The DP, as the head of the image, also has the Lighting Department report to them. The Gaffer is the head of the lighting department, and they are supported by Lighting Assistants or Technicians (LX Techs).

In an AOTS project, we often have Camera and Lighting Assistant as a role. This is someone who supports the DP in lighting and shooting the film.