Camera

Director of Photography playbook.

Owns the image — camera, lighting, and the visual plan that makes the director's vision readable on screen.

What this role owns

Director · Gaffer

Not your call

Story choices are the director's — you build the visual language that serves them.

First move

Walk every location before the shoot and plan the light before you plan the shot.

Titles are usually given to whoever's already doing the work — if that's you, say so.

Also in Camera

Runs a camera on a real shoot — framing, following the action, and holding a shot the editor can actually use.

Keeps the shot in focus and the camera package running — the difference between a usable take and a soft one.

Slates, logs, and hands the camera team everything it needs without slowing anyone down.

Flies the aerial shots — legally, safely, and only where it's actually cleared to fly.

Shoots the photos that aren't video — behind the scenes, promotional stills, and the images that sell a project before anyone sees the film.