Hello Everyone,

Its Josh here from Loveridge Designs, this week on “Getting into it with Loveridge Designs” We are going to cover the difference between a videographer and a cinematographer?

It leaves many consumers confused and irritated to differentiate between these two words. There is a discrepancy in the actual meanings of the word in the advertising of multimedia companies and freelancers and how they are being reinterpreted. The inconvenient reality for clients is that there may or may not be a distinction, depending on how each organization uses the terms. Today, as a prospective buyer, I have decided to deconstruct the difference between a videographer and a cinematographer and what it can mean to you.
Being a cinematographer means being part of a large crew.
The person in charge of the camera and lighting crews on a movie set is a cinematographer, often known as the director of photography (or DP). The cinematographer is responsible for realizing the director’s vision by making technical and creative decisions with regard to the choice of lenses, composition, setting, arrangement, filters, camera movement, color grading, and more. In Layman’s terms, the cinematographer is the individual responsible for the cinematography of a film, which is the art and science of motion picture photography. The director and the plot must also be served by any decision the cinematographer makes. In a large scale team, the cinematographer is highly unlikely to touch the camera at all. Typically, that’s the responsibility of the camera operator, who works with the cinematographer.

The term “videographer” As compared to movie production, videographer began to be used as a way to identify an person who works in video production. This implies that a filmmaker operates with actual film and a videographer works with video. However, with the advent of digital cinema, the line that separates the two has become distorted.
A videographer is a camera operator with a small crew or a lone wolf.
What generally separates videographers from cinematographers is that videographers work with far smaller crew sizes, sometimes even just working for themselves. Unlike a cinematographer, videographers take on other aspects of production, including editing, sound , lighting and camera operation, are also handled.
To recap, a cinematographer works with a large crew and, in compliance with the concept of the director, is liable for creative and technical decisions about the shooting of a motion picture. By comparison, a videographer works for a much lower level of production, is generally the controller of the camera, and probably works solo; supervising a project from start to finish.

If the distinction is reasonably obvious between cinematographers and videographers, why all the uncertainty? The chance has been taken by many videographers to either use these titles synonymously or construct a false hierarchy. The emergence of DSLR video cameras, which produce a more film-like, cinematic image, has been another significant contributor. This, coupled with the view of videographers by the public, has forced many companies and creatives to distinguish themselves by categorizing themselves as cinematographers rather than videographers.

Professionals who differentiate using DSLR videography seek to establish a deceptive superiority between a videographer and a cinematographer. More than likely, when a video professional identifies themselves as a cinematographer or their role as cinematography, it means they’re using a DSLR, that’s all. They will tell you that art is created by a cinematographer, while a videographer simply records an event. They will tell you that a cinematographer portrays a mood, not just a point in time; or that videography is not imaginative and does not have sense of storytelling which is all nonsense.
A videographer focuses equally on all the attributes that make video attractive. Yeah, DSLRs have opened doors for more immersive imagery, but the attributes that make a great videographer have nothing to do with hardware. Having a camcorder vs. a DLSR doesn’t define a corporation. When browsing for your next video, unless you’d like to fall for unresponsive advertising buzz phrases, don’t let cinematography reflect negatively on your choice.

Thank you very much for taking the time to watch the video I hope you found it both informative and engaging
Until next time.