Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

production designertodirector of photography

A production designer already meets 31% of what the director of photography role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From production designer
31%
Overlap1
To director of photography
9 Skills carried over
13 Required, not held
71.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

31%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

71.6/ 100

1 Share of the director of photography role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the production designer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A director of photography role treats 8 of its required skills as things a production designer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • adapt designers’ work to the performance venue
  • analyse a script
  • consult with production director
  • design lighting
  • ensure visual quality of the set
  • film production process

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A director of photography role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a production designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held design lighting communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held ensure visual quality of the set communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held lighting techniques arts and humanities
  • already held film production process arts and humanities

All 9 carried skills, including the 8 the director of photography role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 5 supplementary
  • required, not held adapt to type of media required
  • required, not held watch scenes required
  • required, not held work with motion picture editing team required
  • required, not held work with pre-production team required
  • required, not held develop creative ideas required
  • required, not held translate artistic concepts to technical designs required
  • optional, not held adapt a script optional
  • optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
  • optional, not held liaise with event sponsors optional
  • optional, not held supervise script preparation optional
  • optional, not held work with playwrights optional
02 management skills 4 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held supervise camera crew required
  • required, not held finish project within budget required
  • required, not held follow work schedule required
  • required, not held supervise sound production required
  • optional, not held hire human resources optional
03 arts and humanities 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held audiovisual equipment required
  • required, not held cinematography required
  • optional, not held file-based workflow optional
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
04 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held study media sources required
  • optional, not held read scripts optional
05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held operate a camera optional
  • optional, not held select camera apertures optional
  • optional, not held set up cameras optional
06 working with computers 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
  • optional, not held perform video editing optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a director of photography role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue skill
  • already held analyse a script skill
  • already held consult with production director skill
  • already held design lighting skill
  • already held ensure visual quality of the set skill
  • already held film production process knowledge
  • already held lighting techniques knowledge
  • already held photography knowledge
  • already held attend rehearsals skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • optional, not held adapt a script optional
  • optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
  • optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
  • optional, not held file-based workflow optional
  • optional, not held hire human resources optional
  • optional, not held liaise with event sponsors optional
  • optional, not held operate a camera optional
  • optional, not held perform video editing optional
  • optional, not held read scripts optional
  • optional, not held select camera apertures optional
  • optional, not held set up cameras optional
  • optional, not held supervise script preparation optional
  • optional, not held work with playwrights optional
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
29 held skills the director of photography role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
  • not needed by the target role arrange permits skill
  • not needed by the target role assess production needs to plan a production schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role collaborate on costume and make-up for performances skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
  • not needed by the target role create production schedules skill
  • not needed by the target role create set models skill
  • not needed by the target role design props skill
  • not needed by the target role develop a specific interior design skill
  • not needed by the target role develop design concept skill
  • not needed by the target role develop the look of a production skill
  • not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
  • not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
  • not needed by the target role make film shooting schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role make photographic storyboards skill
  • not needed by the target role make set construction drawings skill
  • not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
  • not needed by the target role manage staff skill
  • not needed by the target role provide input to collaborators to guide their work skill
  • not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
  • not needed by the target role search for a suitable filming location skill
  • not needed by the target role select costumes skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise costume workers skill
  • not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
  • not needed by the target role use storyboards skill
  • not needed by the target role work with the camera crew skill
  • not needed by the target role work with the director of photography skill
  • not needed by the target role work with the lighting crew skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held audiovisual equipment required
  • required, not held cinematography required
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • optional, not held file-based workflow optional
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held photographic processing techniques optional
Index

Other moves recorded from production designer

Full index of moves from production designer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.