What does the Director of Photography do?
by 
Ben Roberts
ANSWERS: 1
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The Director of Photography (DOP, also known as a Cinematographer) works with the Director and the Production Designer to achieve the cinematic "look" of the film. This involves choosing the type of film stock to use, the type of camera and the lighting style, to complement and enhance the way the Director and Production Designer wish the movie to look. Initially the DOP works with the Director to plan and storyboard the way scenes are shot, and once filming has commenced works with the camera team(s) and the lighting team to decide on camera and light placement. Some Directors (ie. James Cameron, Terry Gilliam) have a highly visual style and prefer the DOP to follow their vision as much as possible. Others (ie. Sam Mendes, Martin Scorsese) are content to just work on the acting and staging and let the DOP handle most of the visual elements of a shoot.
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