Could you become a Cinematographer?
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Demand falling
What this job is
A cinematographer operates cameras and directs visual composition for film, television, and digital media productions in Australian studios and on location. Working closely with directors and producers, they manage lighting, camera movement, lenses, and colour grading to achieve the intended visual style and narrative mood. They make technical and creative decisions about exposure, depth of field, focus, and shot sequencing to realise the creative vision within budget and schedule constraints.
Pay
A$1,975 a week
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
What this role asks for
- Adapt designers’ work to the performance venuecore
- Adapt to artists' creative demandscore
- Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
- Coordinate technical teams in artistic productionscore
- Coordinate with creative departmentscore
- Digital Literacycore
- Goal Setting and Planningcore
- Organise rehearsalscore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Promote health and safetycore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Stakeholder Communicationcore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Theatre techniquescore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Write risk assessment on performing arts productioncore
- Coordinate charity services
- Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
- Engage artistic staff
- Entertainment industry
- Fine arts
- Manage creative department
- Multitasking
- Music and video industry
- Negotiate health and safety issues with third parties
- Negotiation
- Organise creative performance
- Philanthropy
- Process Improvement Identification
- Quality Assurance and Checking
- Record Management
- Represent artistic production
- Research and Analysis
- Supervise art gallery staff
- Write technical riders
- Written Communication