Director of photography apprenticeships

Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators > Director Of Photography

Creative and media

Director of photography apprenticeships - where to start

You can get into this job through

a university course

a college course

working towards this role

specialist courses run by private training providers

University

You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a relevant subject. Examples include:

photography
art
drama
film studies

You'll usually need:

a foundation diploma in art and design
1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You can take a college course, to develop your camera skills before looking for work. Relevant courses include:

Level 2 Diploma In Creative Media Production and Technology
Level 3 Certificate in Media Techniques
Level 3 Diploma in Photography

It may give you an advantage if you can find a course that offers practical experience and possibly a work placement.

You'll usually need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a Level 2 course. Yo'll need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and a creative subject for a Level 3.

Work

You could work your way up from being a:

runner
camera operator trainee
lighting trainee

It's also helpful to have experience of working as an assistant director. You'll need a lot of experience before you can move on to become a director of photography. You can improve your prospects by developing specialist filming skills like aerial, night-time or underwater photography.

Volunteering

It'll help if you can get paid or unpaid experience with:

community film productions
amateur or student film projects
independent film production companies or camera equipment suppliers

You can search for film and TV companies to approach for experience through media business listing services like PACT and The Knowledge.

Other Routes
You may be able to get training through one of the new entrant training schemes that broadcasters and film bodies offer, for example:

BBC trainee schemes
Channel 4 training scheme
ITV Careers
BFI

You could also take short courses in camera operation run by film schools, regional screen agencies and private training providers.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join an organisation like the British Society of Cinematographers for industry news and latest developments in camera techniques and technology.

Director of photography apprenticeships - what it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
knowledge of media production and communication
to be flexible and open to change
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
excellent verbal communication skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Director of photography apprenticeships - what you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As part of your role, you will:

visit a location before filming, known as a 'recce', to check its suitability
hire filming and lighting equipment
test equipment before filming
manage all aspects of filming, sometimes operating a camera
supervise the camera crew to decide on any special camera moves
work closely with the lighting team to decide on lighting techniques
review film footage with the director

Working environment

You could work on a film set, at a film studio or at a TV studio. Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.

Career path and progression - Director of photography apprenticeships

With experience, you could work on TV and film productions with bigger budgets, or become a director or producer.

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Considering an Apprenticeship?

There are lots of benefits to apprenticeships, here are our top 5:

Paid Training
Not only will your organisation (or the Government) pay for all of your training, but you’ll be paid to do it. That means you could actually get paid to get your degree and have no debt!
Range of career opportunities
There are over 625 different apprenticeships to choose from, in a range of industries. Whether you’re interested in law, marketing, construction or engineering, you’ll find something up your street!
Earn & learn
As an apprentice, the minimum you’ll earn is £6.20 an hour, but we’ve seen apprentices earn a starting salary of up to £30,000 a year! You could also get other employee benefits like gym memberships, paid holiday and sick pay.
Great career prospects
Employers think apprentices are 15% more employable than those with other qualifications. In fact, many large employers train their graduates and apprentices together!
Learn on the job
There’s only so much you can learn when you just do a qualification. As an apprentice, you’ll also get to learn on the job - whether that’s designing amazing graphics, chopping vegetables or building engines!

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