Sitting in my studio, I am witness to a steady stream of filmmakers announcing their projects and checking out the abilities of my studio for their works. They discuss their needs starting from artists, production personnel, locations, key crew, technicians, etc. However, when it comes to the the need of a cinematographer, their budgets are so low that even a student would think twice before involving himself/herself in the project. I try to impress them that it is the visuals that matter in a movie (assuming they have a decent script of course) and they should not compromise. With the availability of DSLRs for filmmaking, they also tend to have an impression that low-cost tools need only low-end camera personnel and the camera will take care of all their needs.
Wake up filmmakers! The DSLR is just another imaging device, which does need some experience to handle. And cinematography is about lighting, angles, moods, framing and communication, and in fact has very little to do with the actual camera that is used for recording your images. Sad to see some excellent scripts with a shoddy execution by the cinematographers. Yet, our 'low-budget' film director seems to be satisfied.
If you are a filmmaker, the cinematographer is one of the most important people that will be hired for a film. The visual look of your film is heavily dependent on who you hire.
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