What is the starting salary for a cinematographer?

Answer 1

There is no starting salary, per se. The only fixed rates are for union cinematographers, and usually people enter the union as assistants and will not see a cinematographer, or DP , opportunity for at least a decade or more. A few select cinematographers make well over scale, as much as $10,000 or more per week, but may only work 8 weeks a year. Agents will get them that work, and take a percentage. Cinematography is an amazingly competitive field, made more so by digital technology with it's shortened learning curve over film lighting and exposure, and the accessibility of the masses to the rudiments of motion picture Photography and it's inherent perceived glamor as a job.

Most cinematographers, by the numbers, will begin as non-union freelancers and work for a market-prevalent rate that is specific to the job type; national commercials, major-artist Music Videos, industrial work and infomercials will be highest paid, and indie films and music videos pay the least ( if anything ). Documentaries are almost always spec projects of passion.

A non- union day rate can vary between $100 stipend to thousands per day. The rate is set by supply and demand. In Los Angeles in 2009, new cinematographers may average $200-400 per day but only find work a few days a month, if at all. This rate may likely include a camera and some lighting equipment; the higher the project's budget, the higher the rate and the less likely the cinematographer has to own any equipment to get the work. An established, non-union DP may expect $400-700 per day with or without equipment depending on their popularity and the budget of the job offered.

The 2 most desired specialties for a DP are network episodic television and national commercials; in the former, long term employment and benefits at a decent rate are possible, and in the latter, extremely lucrative occasional day-work is the goal.

DPs are largely divided in 2 categories; freelancers with gear who get the kind of work popular with their owned camera(s) at an extremely competitive ( underpaid ) day rate, and those DP's with an agent and no equipment, who get better paid, larger projects but may only work occasionally.

In either case, many cinematographers have other sources of income through their careers as cinematography is almost never a "full time, reliable" job.