Cinematography: A Career Suited For Artistic People

Cinematography, an integral element in the art of making motion pictures, literally refers to the combined art and science of using a moving image camera. It is the process of recording visual images for the cinema and subsequent development of recorded images in sophisticated photo laboratories. Cinematography comprises of all the processes beginning from the choice of lighting and camera until video and audio of a particular scene is recorded perfectly. A person qualified in the art of cinematography is called Cinematographer or Director of Photography (DP). The Cinematographer is regarded as one of the most senior and important technician in the film creation process. The cinematographer is the person who actually plans and coordinates the actual filming of the movie. A cinematographer is the person responsible for turning the director’s creative vision into a production-feasible reality on screen. Being a creative designer, cinematographer translate the written text to meaningful images. In other words, what you see on screen looks the way it does because of the cinematographer.

Eligibility Criteria

The minimum requirement for admission into a cinematography programme is plus two. After plus two one may go for various certificate and diploma courses in cinematography to acquire knowledge in the field. Course curriculum includes live shooting with digital cameras, exposure to advanced digital shooting technology and computer software’s for creating visual effects for individual shots, exposure to motion graphics, experience with live studios and so on. More than the educational qualification, Cinematographers need an artistic vision good eyesight. A cinematographer must have the ability to work independently, as well as have the interpersonal skills required to work well under a director and over camera technicians. They have to be detail oriented, hardworking and passionate towards work.

Job Prospects

A career in Cinematography is suited for artistic people with good hand-eye coordination, passion for photography and lots of creativity. With the increase in the number of feature, advertisement & documentary film production companies, and new TV channels being launched every other day, Cinematographers have immense career opportunities.Cinematographers play an important role in film production. They work in coordination with the director, right from the pre-production stage of planning a shoot. Often, a Cinematographer will be asked to work with the camera operators, lighting team and other production staff in a variety of roles to capture the script’s scene on film. In short, Cinematographer heads a crew which is required to provide the photographic images and visual effects conceptualised by the director for advertisement, feature, television and documentary films.

Remuneration

Cinematography has become a well-paid career option, since the role of a cinematographer cannot be undermined, as he plays several roles in planning and coordinating a film. The salary for cinematographers varies based on the employer type, professional experience and location of the job. Freelance cinematographers can earn anywhere between Rs.5,000-10,000 per day. Cinematographer working as an assistant can get between Rs.35,000 to Rs.50,000 per month. For those experienced hands sky is the limit. All this depends upon his creative skill and amount of success he gets commercially with his work.

Institutes

*          Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, 020-25580000

*          Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata, 033-24328355

*          Zee Institute of Media and Arts(ZIMA), Mumbai, 022-26303937

*          Aadarsha Film and TV Institute, Bangalore, 080-23420886

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