The Director of Photography (DOP) is in charge of the visual look of the film. The DOP commands the lighting and grip department, and usually has influence on the production design. Below is a step-by-step guide to becoming a working directory of photography. This guide is one of many paths to take on the journey from someone with no video industry experience, to a full time working director of photography. It will be a long, grueling, and often rewarding journey. Are you ready?

Step 1. Volunteer on a student film as a production assistant, and transition to an (unpaid) grip or lamp op

As a production assistant (PA) You’ll experience a video shoot including the roles people play, and the workflow. A student film set is usually chaotic which is a great introduction to the video production industry, a place for trial and error. Problems happen: someone doesn’t show up to set, that means by default you’ll move up from a production assistant to a higher position, because there is no one else. While you’re a PA make sure the Director of Photography knows you want to be a grip or lamp operator. Learn everything you can and volunteer on as many student film shoots as possible; build up people connections to help attain future paid work. Your network is how you get work.

NOTE: Lamp ops work with industrial grade lights, and electricity. Working safely as a lamp op is paramount.

Step 2. Enroll in a local photography or cinematography course

You have a bit of lighting and camera knowledge know, purely from being around lights and cameras on set. How the camera works with lighting will be explained most efficiently with hands-on trial and error experience, in an educational environment where a teacher can quickly put you on the right track. Practice shooting beautiful horizontal landscape shots using visual language like shape, lines, light, camera angle and frame composition. If you have money to buy a DSLR camera, do so. If you cannot afford to purchase a DSLR camera, we’ll fix that in part 4. Do not pay more than $8,000 for one year photography/cinematography program, even that’s seriously excessive– try a $500.00 photography workshop or night class. The $8,000.00 course will give you access to industrial grade equipment, good connections, and knowledge from experts of the field.

Step 3. Work as a Lamp Operator or Grip or Camera Assistant

With the education you’ve acquired thus far, you will have knowledge of cameras, lights, gels, c-stands and more. Put your lighting, grip, and camera skills u to work– look at jobs ads in the film/video section on Craigslist, talk to your lamp ops friends, keep volunteering on set. Find people who need your skills by any means necessary. Your network is the most powerful tool to land you a job.

The jobs you’ll be looking for are grip, lamp op, or camera assistant. As a grip you’ll be continuously learning new things about shaping the light with flags and more. If you work as a Lamp op, you’ll learn about electricity, and how to position lights. A camera assistant will learn his way around the camera, but never actually use it– this is a job purely to meet people and be around the camera environment, do not stick around this job for too long. It is recommended that you work at least 50 days as both a lamp op and a grip to learn as much as possible, there are many different lighting scenarios to learn.

If you have a positive attitude and the ambition to learn, eventually your connections will want you to work on their paid video productions. The first paid shoots you work on will be non-union, there is no requirement to join a union. Only join a union as a grip or lamp op if that’s what you want to do as a career.

When you have enough video credits as a Director of Photography, you’ll be eligible to join an internationally recognized cinematography union, which will provide you with permission to work on hollywood video productions. IATSE is the biggest Camera Department union in the world. Here is the IATSE 669 Director of Photography application form: http://www.ia669.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/application_information_01262016.pdf

Step 4. Buy Equipment

Using the money you’ve earned as a grip or lamp op, buy equipment and make a DSLR camera kit your first purchase. A DSLR camera kit will allow you to shoot beautiful video with a very low price. Make sure you buy either a Canon or Nikon DSLR camera, as those brands have the most lenses available, at a variety of prices from low to high. The initial investment could be as high as $6,000.00 USD with the camera, lens and tripod. We would recommend investing in high quality lights as your second purchase after the camera kit. You’re building an equipment package, that can be charged to the production alongside your labour. If you do not want to buy equipment or you would like to test out new equipment, you can rent or borrow equipment from a video equipment rental house or from a friend.

Step 5. Volunteer on a student/amateur film as a cinematographer

You have the equipment, now go volunteer on any student/amateur film with the knowledge you’ve gained as a camera assistant and cinematographer. Remember student/amateur films are always desperate for people, so volunteer your camera and your cinematography services together as an incentive for your lack of experience (yes even student/amateur films have standards).

It does not matter if you haven’t shot a student/amateur film before, you know how to light and frame an image, you’ll do an at least… okay job at first, and then get better. Work on a minimum of 20 student/amateur film productions as a DOP. Student/amateur productions may be able to pay for some of your equipment, but they wont be able to pay you. Make sure you prioritize paid lamp op and grip work, above cinematography work on student/amateur films. You need to take care of your bills first and foremost.

Step 6. Build a reel

Take the best visuals parts of the 20 student and amateur films you worked on as a cinematographer, and cut them into a one and a half minute demo reel. Combine your best footage with great music and make sure to cut clips together on the musical beats, or wherever your artistic desires may take you.

Step 7. Advertise reel to friends, family, co-workers and strangers on the internet

This is the part where you attempt to get paid work as a cinematographer. Make sure as many people as possible can find your reel by uploading it to Youtube and Vimeo (tag and title appropriately). Share the reel on all social media channels with a thumbnail picture of your reel in the post. Reach out to all your contacts, especially producers you’ve met along the way. If a producer likes your personality, and you have a great reel to boot, you will find a job. Jobs you’ll apply for will be music videos, commercials, corporate videos, documentaries, and more.

Step 8. Be hired on a paid job as a cinematographer

Congratulations! You’ve just been hired onto your first job as a paid cinematographer! In one case you could be working on a music video for two tough but fun days, while the producers pay to rent your cinematography equipment.

At first your paid cinematography jobs will be sparse, so make sure to continue working as a grip and lamp op until cinematography work becomes consistent. If you have a GREAT eye for framing and lighting, you will find paid consistent work– you might even find too much work if you combine great skills with a happy personality. You get to work as a cinematographer, and get paid for it: LIVING THE DREAM.

A realistic timeline to get to this point is from 2 to 5 years.

Q & A

Do you have any questions? We love to talk about cinematography and working as a DOP. Either send us an e-mail, or post a quick comment below! Enjoy the weekend everyone.

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Create Video is an award-winning Vancouver video production company.