As the film industry is expanding with creative innovation the need for professional Cinematographers and cameramen also increasing.
Both are the major members of the film crew that is responsible to add creativity in using different types of techniques.
A director might be responding to several things but some tasks can be operated by only a cinematographer and cameraman.
Cinematographer vs Cameraman
Cameraman is primarily responsible for executing the cinematographer’s vision, the cinematographer has more creative control and input into the overall visual style of the production. Cinematographers have a higher level of training and experience, often with a degree in film or a related field.
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In the making of a film, Cinematographer is someone who directs camerawork and oversees photography. The main work of a Cinematographer is to operate and look after cameras.
All the photography sessions are completed with the assistance of the Cinematographer. A cinematographer is someone well known for the art of photography associated with motion pictures.
There are several cameras involved in the making of the film and to operate these cameras, television companies and production houses hire cameramen.
A cameraman is well aware of using each aspect of the camera. There are various types of cameramen depending on the task they perform. They need to know multiple angles to capture the required footage.
Comparison Table
| Parameters Of Comparison | Cinematographer | Cameraman |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A Cinematographer is the director of photography who is responsible for the best image to be recorded. | A Cameraman is the operator of the camera who is responsible for the best angle to be captured. |
| Types | There are no particular types of cinematographers because in each field they perform similar tasks. | Mainly there are two types of the cameraman, Studio Camera Operator, and News Gathering Cameraman. |
| General tasks | The general tasks a Cinematographer is responsible to perform are filtration and editing of images to give creative touch. | The general tasks a Cinematographer is responsible to perform are recording the best angle and assisting the director. |
| Level | The cinematographer is known as the first cameramen who is also required to supervise the camera crew. | The cameraman is on the lower level than a cinematographer based on the activity they are assigned to. |
| Example | The cameraman is liable to record or capture live events at a suitable angle, capture light settings, sound, etc. | The cameraman records live event moments in certain angles using the required function of the cameras. |
What is Cinematographer?
Every broadcasting activity is associated with some kind of video recording or shooting requires a cinematographer. They are responsible for the section of photography and recording of the film.
Cinematographers are also known as DP or DOP which have been shortened from the director of photography.
Cinematographer’s main task is to create artistic effects and make technical decisions such as camera selection, filtering, film stock, lenses, etc.
The cinematographer is as important as the director of the film. He also supervises the light and camera crew. To learn all the required skills of becoming a Cinematographer, a person has to enroll in cinematography courses.
Cinematography is pure art that teaches a person to turn an ordinary scene to another level where viewers feel amazed.
A Cinematographer can spread the illusion of another level where the audience feels like being in another world. Their thousands of examples of the work of Cinematographers can be a scene in modern films.
When motion pictures came into existence, the cinematographer was mere a person holding a camera and in some cases, the director of the film has to play the role of Cinematographer.
But by the time motion pictures technology evolved and the need for a separate position of Cinematographer emerged.\
Because it takes enough time to learn about specific techniques that can be mastered by a particular person.
What is Cameraman?
A cameraman is also known as a camera operator whose main task revolves around operating a camera while video recording. He should know about camera movement and how to function it.
A cameraman does not necessarily mean that a male is operating the camera. They are a significant part of the film crew.
A Cameraman should be skilled enough to find the best angle of recording and his hand-eye coordination is required to be perfect.
He should have verbal communication skills to understand and elaborate shooting tasks and assignments as well as active listening.
Various types of cameramen exist when it comes to shooting, for example, Electronic News Gathering Cameraman and Studio Camera Operator.
The first type of cameramen is found in the field of journalism working with reporters while the second type of cameramen is generally found in broadcast studios.
Other types of cameramen are a videographer, video camera operators, television camera operators, etc.
A Cameraman is responsible to think outside of the box to bring out the most unbelievable captured image. He should be creative and innovative to add extra sugar to the task performed.
A single angle can change the entire perception of the audience because the audience watches movies through the eyes of the cameraman.
Main Differences Between Cinematographer and Cameraman
- A Cinematographer is more like a video editor who uses his skills to make images look more magnificent while cameramen play with angles and operate the camera individually.
- There are several other names used for a cinematographer that are shutterbug, lensman, DOP, DP, photog, shooter, etc while cameramen are known as a camera operator, projectionist, paparazzo, etc.
- A Cameraman can be self-employed by freelancing, most commonly being a marriage videographer. On the other hand, cinematographers are generally hired by production houses.
- In many cases or to learn the required skills of becoming a Cameraman, a person buys equipment himself. On the other hand, an institution in which a person learns cinematography arranges equipment.
- Talking about scale, cinematographers are considered to be on a high scale since they are the supervisor while cameramen are on medium level.
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
