A cinematographer or director of photography presides over the camera and light crews in a film or video production. They are the person responsible for bringing a director's vision to life on screen by handling all the technical aspects of visual storytelling.
Personal Competencies
You have a creative bent of mind
You have a unique perception of the world
You like to have clear instructions to follow
You pay attention to minute details
Entry Pathway
1. Complete 10 + 2 in any stream
2. Complete Bachelor's degree (B.Sc./B.A.) in Mass Media/Film Studies or Film Making followed by a Master's in Mass Communication or Film Studies
OR
Complete a Bachelor's degree in any subject of your choice while simultaneously receiving training in photography and videography
Please check the duration of the course during enrolment
Where will you study?
This course is offered by the Department of Media and Film Studies. This list of institutes is indicative only
Government Institutes 1. Film and Television Institute of India, Pune 2. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata 3. Kolkata Film and Television Institute, Kolkata 4. Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack 5. Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute, Assam 6. Jadavpur University, Kolkata 7. University of Mumbai, Mumbai 8. Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune
Private Institutes (Please check if the institute is affiliated and accredited with UGC before applying) 1. Whistling Woods International, Mumbai 2. Asian Academy of Film and Television, Delhi 3. Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Pune 4. Techno India University, Kolkata 5. CMR University, Bangalore 6. Jain University, Bangalore 7. Singhania University, Rajasthan 8. Adamas University, Kolkata
*NPTEL - National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. It is by the Government of India and offers a variety of courses in an audio-video form
Fees
The approx. course fee ranges between INR 44,000 - 24,00,000*.
*(The above-mentioned figures are approximate numbers. This will vary from institute to institute)
Scholarships & Loans
Scholarships
• National Scholarship Portal - Please visit http://www.scholarships.gov.in. Under this portal there are Central Government schemes offered by different Departments, UGC/AICTE Schemes and State Schemes.* • Please visit http://www.buddy4study.com for details on available scholarships. This is a gateway to scholarships starting from Class XI • Scholarships are also available in the Institutes based on merit
*(Availability of these scholarships can vary from time to time)
Loans
•VidyaLakshmi, http://www.vidyalakshmi.co.in, is a portal for students seeking education loan. This portal has been developed under the guidance of the Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks Association (IBA). •Some states have student credit cards with low interest rates, for instance, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, etc. • All banks give education loans.
Where will you work?
Places of Work: Media and Entertainment Conglomerates, Production Houses, Filmmaking Agencies/Organisations/Studios
Work Environment: You have to work outdoors or indoors depending on the location of the shoot. Work hours will vary depending on the project you are working on
Opportunities for differently abled exist in this field
Expected Growth Path
Assistant Cinematographer → Cinematographer → Assistant Director → Director
Expected Income
The approx. salary for a Cinematographer ranges between INR 12,000 - 83,334* per month.
*These figures are indicative and subject to change
Experts from the field
Savita Singh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) with a degree in cinematography and has hence been director of photography in several renowned Bollywood films such as Hawaizaada, Ventilator and so on. She ascribes her sense for cinematography to the voracious reading habits of her childhood and the imaginative faculties the same inculcated within her. Savita is one of the founding members of IWCC and has just completed her first film as a Director-DoP titled ‘SONSI’.*
Cinematographer
NCS Code: 3521.0100 | MC0051. Complete 10 + 2 in any stream
2. Complete Bachelor's degree (B.Sc./B.A.) in Mass Media/Film Studies or Film Making followed by a Master's in Mass Communication or Film Studies
OR
Complete a Bachelor's degree in any subject of your choice while simultaneously receiving training in photography and videography
Please check the duration of the course during enrolment
This course is offered by the Department of Media and Film Studies.
This list of institutes is indicative only
Government Institutes
1. Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
2. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata
3. Kolkata Film and Television Institute, Kolkata
4. Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack
5. Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute, Assam
6. Jadavpur University, Kolkata
7. University of Mumbai, Mumbai
8. Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune
Private Institutes
(Please check if the institute is affiliated and accredited with UGC before applying)
1. Whistling Woods International, Mumbai
2. Asian Academy of Film and Television, Delhi
3. Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Pune
4. Techno India University, Kolkata
5. CMR University, Bangalore
6. Jain University, Bangalore
7. Singhania University, Rajasthan
8. Adamas University, Kolkata
Information on the institute rankings can be found at - https://www.nirfindia.org/2022/Ranking.html
Distance Learning Institute
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Online Courses
• NPTEL* Swayam - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc21_hs17/preview
• Udemy - https://www.udemy.com/topic/cinematography/
*NPTEL - National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning. It is by the Government of India and offers a variety of courses in an audio-video form
The approx. course fee ranges between INR 44,000 - 24,00,000*.
*(The above-mentioned figures are approximate numbers. This will vary from institute to institute)
Scholarships
• National Scholarship Portal - Please visit http://www.scholarships.gov.in. Under this portal there are Central Government schemes offered by different Departments, UGC/AICTE Schemes and State Schemes.*
• Please visit http://www.buddy4study.com for details on available scholarships. This is a gateway to scholarships starting from Class XI
• Scholarships are also available in the Institutes based on merit
*(Availability of these scholarships can vary from time to time)
Loans
•VidyaLakshmi, http://www.vidyalakshmi.co.in, is a portal for students seeking education loan. This portal has been developed under the guidance of the Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance), Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks Association (IBA).
•Some states have student credit cards with low interest rates, for instance, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, etc.
• All banks give education loans.
Places of Work: Media and Entertainment Conglomerates, Production Houses, Filmmaking Agencies/Organisations/Studios
Work Environment: You have to work outdoors or indoors depending on the location of the shoot. Work hours will vary depending on the project you are working on
Opportunities for differently abled exist in this field
Assistant Cinematographer → Cinematographer → Assistant Director → Director
The approx. salary for a Cinematographer ranges between INR 12,000 - 83,334* per month.
Source: https://www.payscale.com/research/IN/Job=Cinematographer/Salary
*These figures are indicative and subject to change
Experts from the field
Savita Singh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) with a degree in cinematography and has hence been director of photography in several renowned Bollywood films such as Hawaizaada, Ventilator and so on. She ascribes her sense for cinematography to the voracious reading habits of her childhood and the imaginative faculties the same inculcated within her. Savita is one of the founding members of IWCC and has just completed her first film as a Director-DoP titled ‘SONSI’.*
Source: https://iwcc.in/member/savita-singh/
*The above information is for training purposes only and will not be used for any commercial gains.
cinematography, screenplay, film-maker