Cinematographer CV example

Cinematography is about what the audience sees – your CV is about what the industry sees. It should prove you can bring a director’s vision to life and make a production look as good on screen as it does on paper.

This guide will take you through the essentials of writing a CV: from structuring it to presenting your experience in a way that captures attention just as much as your reel. 

A CV structure should be as polished and deliberate as a final cut – if it’s messy, hard to follow, or all over the place, the rest of your talent might be overlooked. A clean layout helps potential employers and production managers quickly spot the skills, experience, and credits that matter most. 

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – Keep your name and personal details front and centre at the top. Whether or not to include a photo is your decision.
• Profile – Start with a snapshot of your skills, career highlights, and professional aspirations.
• Core skills – Focus on core skills like making it easy for employers to see your key strengths at a glance.
• Work experience – Walk through your professional experience, beginning with your latest position and moving backwards.
• Education – Highlight your academic achievements, such as degrees and certifications, that demonstrate your expertise.
• Additional info –This section is optional, but it’s a good place for hobbies or interests that complement your CV.
  

Keep your formatting consistent: use bold headers to separate sections and clean fonts to maintain readability. Limit your CV length to two pages, break down text using bullet points for clarity, and avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes. White space matters here – not just in your shots, but in your layout. The goal? A CV format that communicates precision and clarity before anyone even presses play on your showreel.

Think of this as your opening scene – the moment where you establish tone and direction. Your CV profile should capture the style and substance of your work while highlighting your reliability and technical skills.

Whether you’ve worked with natural light in docuseries or controlled every shadow in commercial shoots, use this space to set the scene for your CV. Make sure it reflects your creative vision, your collaboration with directors and DPs, and the kind of productions you thrive on.

To shape a compelling profile, include:

• Where you worked – Indie features, branded content, TV dramas, streaming platforms, or music videos
• Your top qualifications – Film production degrees, camera operator certifications, lighting courses
• Essential skills – Composition, lighting, camera operation, working with gaffers and grips
• Types of shoots – Studio, location, handheld, multi-cam, or aerial
• Notable collaborators or gear – Directors, DPs, Red, Arri, Sony, Blackmagic, gimbals or drones
  

This section offers a compact overview of your most valuable cinematography skills.

List off things like your experience with different camera systems and formats, your ability to shape a visual style in line with a director’s vision, and your knowledge of lighting setups for mood and story. If you’ve handled both creative and logistical challenges, make that versatility clear here: your list of skills should immediately assure recruiters that you know what you’re doing.

This is where your credits come to life. Recruiters and producers want to see not just what you worked on, but what you contributed and how you delivered under pressure.

Walk through your projects in reverse chronological order, including freelance roles, contracts, and longer-term gigs. Each role should start with a short overview of the project or employer, followed by bullet points that describe your responsibilities and standout achievements. 

Your work experience should demonstrate your impact, and convey how you’ll continue your track record at a new company.

• Outline – Describe the nature of the production, the genre or client, and your role in the crew. Mention who you reported to – DP, director, or production manager.
• Responsibilities – Use action words like “shot” and “orchestrated.” For example: “shot multi-location branded content using RED Komodo with natural light setups” or “orchestrated lighting plans and operated camera for docuseries under tight turnaround.” Include planning, collaboration, and technical decisions.
• Achievements – Highlight anything measurable or notable: a film’s festival success, delivery ahead of schedule, creative praise, or smooth handling of last-minute changes. Add specifics if your work improved visual continuity or elevated production quality.

While practical experience often speaks louder than qualifications in creative roles, your education section still helps to show your technical grounding and commitment to the craft.

List your degrees or training courses in reverse order, beginning with the most recent. Short courses, workshops, or certifications (e.g. Steadicam, drone operation, or health and safety for shoots) can also be listed here. Keep this section pretty brief, as experience is always the priority.