Whether you are making a feature length film or a television commercial, a cinematographer is crucial to raising the production values of your endeavor. Finding an adequate and knowledgeable cinematographer can be a struggle because it seems all the good one's are always booked. With the right resources and information about cinematographers in your area, you too can book a professional cinematographer for your production.

You can either choose to locate a cinematographer or provide resources to help people within your current business structure receive cinematography training. This will help you reduce costs and avoid outsourcing your director of photography needs by doing the work in-house. Whether it's taking cinematography courses yourself to expand your business or investing in avant garde freelance cinematographers, working with the right information about cinematography will be crucial to your future success. You should:

1. Find the best cinematographers for your particular production needs.

2. Look into cinematography training to enhance your own skills and reduce costs on future productions.

3. Determine whether to access cinematographers through a union or freelance depending on your needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find cinematographer information with the click of a mouse

Anyone in the production business understands the importance of accessing the right cinematography information and locating a cinematographer to help raise the cinematic value of your production. Finding a good cinematographer can make or break a production so pooling your resources to find a good cinematographer should be a top priority.

I recommend: Moviemaker.com has a variety of listings for those searching for cinematographers as well cinematographers looking for jobs or equipment, a great starting place for many productions. For quality film cinematography, one must search for top industry standards. SuperDailies is the only dailies website run by cinematographers, who will give you an estimate on a particular production endeavor.

Give interested employees great cinematography training and boost company morale

For promotional endeavors within a production company, sometimes it is more cost effective and better incentive to support employer funded education. Having a cinematographer in your production team can be a great way to cut costs during production and give an opportunity to a budding employee.

I recommend: For a top notch educational experience in cinematography, the UCLA Film School has a strong program with opportunities for company endorsement and tuition assistance from employers. For a less costly but highly beneficial alternative, consider cinematography training videos. ASC Magazine Store has a variety of such videos for your review.

Secure the best in the cinematography profession whether through union or freelance artists

Union artists are usually a bit more reliable and have an easier accessibility rate as well as typically being a bit more cost efficient for most production endeavors. Depending on where in the world you are filming, there are avenues to pursue when looking for a union-based cinematographer. In addition to union workers, freelance artists sometimes work for great rates and produce top notch work.

I recommend: The most obvious place to turn is the American Society of Cinematographers, where you'll find a complete roster of active members. This is an easily accessible resource for any production company. For European shooting schedules, the European Federation of Cinematographers is a great resource as well. Crewmarket.com is a wonderful resource for business owners searching for freelance artists to fit their particular production needs, or try ProductionHUB.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you are at all interested in photography, cinematography may be a good fit for your particular aptitude and save on costs for future production. Simply taking a few cinematography courses can do wonders for your budget and resume.