Poll: Director of Photography, or a Cameraman/Woman – How Would You Describe Yourself?

Poll

by Johnnie BehiriMarch 21^st, 2024

In this week’s poll, we are very interested in finding out how you would describe yourself. Are you a Director of Photography/Cinematographer or a cameraman/woman? Although this looks like a simple question, please take a moment to describe yourself honestly.

Times are changing and what used to represent a “clear job description hierarchy” is no more. Director of Photography/Cinematographer used to be a title given to those who work on set, working closely with a director, and at the same time “managing” the surrounding creative workforce. We were “innocent enough” to believe that a “Cinematographer” would work on films for Cinema (as the name hints), but boy, it looks as if we were wrong. Currently, there are many “cinematographers” out there who have not shot a single frame for cinema. So why is this happening? Are people looking for a shortcut to gain recognition? Alternatively, let’s phrase it this way: Can a particular title enhance your self-promotion? One thing is for sure. The title “Cinematographer” sounds much more convincing than “Youtubegrapher”. And let us be clear here, we are producing a lot of content for YouTube as well, and know how much effort it takes to produce it.

One of the issues here is that everyone (and his mother) can call themselves whatever they like, as there is no “unified certification or standard”. Is this good or bad? Well, as always, it depends on who you are asking.

By the way, the same goes for being titled as a cameraman/woman, as this seems to be an extinct profession (because everyone is a DoP now)…

A cameraman/woman (or a lighting cameraman) used to be a respected profession – one that allowed the power of storytelling by understanding the equipment and, of course, the lights you were working with. In the old days of film, this was even more significant. However, the shift to digital and the capability to “instantly see what you get” in the viewfinder, coupled with the ability to playback and review results, marked the beginning of the democratization of the profession, and the rest is history.

So who are you? Are you calling yourself a Director of Photography/ Cinematographer BECAUSE you are working on cinema sets, or, are you using this title regardless of what you film and where your project will be shown? Or, are you a cameraman/woman who is happy to hold a camera and create beautiful images sans the desire to work in Hollywood or Bollywood? Moreover, are you true to yourself with the title you are using?

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We would love to hear your thoughts about this topic so please be so kind and share it with us by voting in our poll, or better yet, leave a comment below.