A cinematographer is a trained camera operator who composes film shots to reflect the mood the director wants to create. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups cinematographers with other camera operators, including those for television and video, and reports that in May 2009 their median annual salaries were $42,940, with half of them earning between $28,890 and $61,300. The annual mean salary was $49,590.
Comparative Salaries by Region
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the areas with the highest mean salaries for cinematographers and other camera operators as of May 2009 were Oregon ($73,890), New Mexico ($65,510), the District of Columbia ($63,100), California ($62,960) and Washington ($57,980).
Comparative Salaries by Industry
Of the 17,540 cinematographers and other camera operators employed in 2009, says the BLS, 6,890 worked in radio and television broadcasting, with an annual mean salary of $44,130; and 5,400 worked in the motion picture and video industries, with an annual mean salary of $52,440.
Hourly Wages
As of January 2011, the website payscale.com reports the national hourly rate range for cinematographer job listings as $8.17 to $49.13 (an annual salary of $31,866 to $61,580). The range for a cinematographer with one to four years of experience is $7.64 to $20 an hour.
Considerations
A cinematographer sometimes fulfills the same duties as the director of photography, although exact use of titles varies by production. According to payscale.com, as of January 2011, the annual salary range for jobs with the title "director of photography" is $53,739 to $115,350.
Tags: annual mean, annual mean salary, camera operators, mean salary, other camera
