The DoP has a wide range of equipment in his/her arsenal.
Some notable Directors of Photography:
- Vittorio Storaro
- Gregg Toland
Camera Technology
- Deep Focus
- Depth of field
- Zoom Lens
The first industrial production of a workable zoom lens was the Bell and Howell Cooke “Varo” 40–120 mm lens for 35mm movie cameras introduced in 1932. The 2011 movie ‘The Artist’ uses no zoom shots as the movie is set in 1927.
Camera Movement
- Dolly
- Crane
- Steadicam
To achieve super-smooth moving shots, a Steadicam rig is essential. The video below shows how the concept works, and how the system was invented by cameraman Garrett Brown in the 1970s.
First recognised as an important tool in the camera operator’s arsenel after Rocky (1976) it was previously used in Bound for Glory (1976) and Marathon Man (1976).
Some famous Steadicam shots:
Rocky
The Shining – Maze / Hotel corridor sequences [Steadicam operator: Garrett Brown]
The Player