What is the difference between a Cinematographer and a Director?

Question

Can you tell me the detailed infos between them two? thx.

Answer 1

Cinematographer

The chief camera operator of a film crew, who is responsible for camera placement, lighting, etc.

Camera operators film motion pictures, videos, television shows, and commercials. They are needed for documentary, industrial, educational, and feature productions.

Camera operators who work on major feature films usually work with a crew. The director of photography, or cinematographer, heads the crew and is in charge of photography. Camera operators do the actual shooting according to the cinematographer's instructions. Assistant camera operators thread the camera and set the focus. They also clean the camera, handle the "clapboard," load film magazines, and fill out camera report sheets. There may also be a still photographer on hand to take promotional pictures. Other assistants called "grips" move cameras and other camera equipment such as dollies, which are mobile camera platforms.

Not all camera operators work with big crews on expensive productions. Many work on small-budget industrial, educational, and documentary films. In making these films the camera operator may be in charge of all shooting, lighting, and, in some cases, directing.

Camera operators who work for television stations do work that is similar to that of motion picture camera operators, but television camera operators run video cameras. Television shows are often taped live in a single take, and they are not as heavily edited as films are. Instead, a process similar to editing goes on during the taping session itself. Communicating through headsets, the director "cues," or gives instructions to the camera operators, during a taping session so that the tape comes out right without editing

Director

As a director, you would have overall responsibility for the way films or television programmes are made. You would use your creative vision, organisational skills and technical knowledge to manage the whole production process.

You might lead a small team or a large cast and crew, to direct full-length feature films, short films, live or recorded television programmes, commercials, music videos or corporate videos. Your main purpose would be to make the creative decisions that guide the rest of the crew.

Your work could include:

meeting producers

commissioning a script or an idea for a documentary

interpreting scripts and developing storyboards

deciding on the look, design and locations

planning the shooting schedule and logistics

hiring the cast and crew

directing the technical crew

directing the actors, or the contributors to a documentary

selecting shots and supervising editing in the final 'cut'.

In some cases you might write your own scripts and raise finance for projects. On some productions you might also operate camera or sound equipment – this is particularly common with documentaries or productions with a small budget.