10 Movie Directors Who Are Their Own Cinematographers

The role of the movie director includes several major responsibilities. In addition to being a natural-born leader who can micromanage various departments while keeping the big picture in mind, the director is responsible for the overall aesthetic of a motion picture. However, some directors take a more hands-on approach by performing multiple tasks such as editing, scoring, set-decorating, and in some cases, serving as their own cinematographer.

The cinematographer, also known as the director of photography (DP), is responsible for blocking, lighting, and filming a scene with the assistance of a camera operator (sometimes the same person), usually placing the camera where the director tells them to. So what famous directors play double duty as cinematographers as well?

10 Zack Snyder

After serving as the DP on his 4-minute short film Snow Steam Iron in 2017, Zack Snyder followed suit by shooting the zombie epic Army of the Dead himself in 2021. Despite the mixed reviews, the film became such a popular Netflix hit that two spinoff films have since been announced.

In addition to composing shots and lighting scenes, Snyder also served as the camera operator on both Army of the Dead and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. As a newfound trend, it’s possible that Snyder will also shoot his next directorial effort, which may or may not be an adaptation of The Fountainhead.

9 Gaspar Noe

French-Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noe has made some of the trippiest arthouse films of the past 20 years. His most well-known film includes the stylish and unforgettable 2002 thriller Irreversible, which is told entirely backward. Ever the auteur, Noe wrote, directed, shot, edited, and produced the film.

Not only did Noe serve as DP on Irreversible, but he also did the same for his segments on the anthology films 8 and 7 Days in Havana. Moreover, Noe worked as the camera operator on his hallucinatory 2009 feature, Enter the Void.

8 Doug Liman

Before becoming a major Hollywood director of such films as The Bourne Identity,Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Edge of Tomorrow, and more, Doug Liman cut his teeth on independent films. His breakout film was Swingers, which he directed and also photographed.

Immediately after Swingers, Liman also shot and directed the beloved crime-comedy Go. In 2010, Liman took on more responsibility when he not only directed and worked as the cinematographer on the movie Fair Game, but he also operated the camera as well.

7 Robert Rodriguez

After honing his craft in all areas of filmmaking on his $6,000 DIY feature film debut, El Mariachi, Robert Rogriguez has continued to put his personal stamp on his movies. As such, he has served as DP on 17 of his 50 directorial credits to date.

Beyond El Mariachi, Rogriguez has served as cinematographer on such movies as Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City, Planet Terror, Machete Kills, Red 11, and most recently, We Can Be Heroes. Rodriguez has also operated the camera on his own films like Desperado, The Faculty, From Dusk Till Dawn, and more.

6 Nicolas Roeg

Esteemed European director Nicolas Roeg is responsible for some of the most celebrated films ever made, including Performance, Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell To Earth, and more. He began his career as a cinematographer, a skill he retained when moving into the director’s chair.

After shooting The Masque of Red Death for Roger Corman and Fahrenheit 451 for Francois Truffaut, Roeg served as DP on his first two directorial efforts, Performance and Walkabout.

5 Alfonso Cuaron

While he usually collaborates with one of the world’s preeminent DPs, two-time Oscar-winning Emmanuel Lubezki, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron began his career by shooting his own short films. To tell his most personal and intimate story, he came full circle for the Best Picture-winning Roma.

Cuaron worked as the cinematographer on eight Spanish-language short films from 1981 to 1983, as well as a made-for-TV Mexican horror movie in 1990. Eighteen years later he returned to the role to frame, compose, block, light, and shoot the most acclaimed movie of his career.

4 Quentin Tarantino

Much like his close friend and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino has also worked as his own director of photography during his career. While less frequent, Tarantino also shot his half of their Grindhouse double-feature, Death Proof.

In addition to Death Proof, Tarantino went uncredited for working as editor and cinematographer on his 1991 video short for Reservoir Dogs, which served as a template for the eventual feature-length version released one year later.

3 Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson and DP Robert Elswit worked together on the filmmaker’s first five features, including Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and There Will be Blood, the latter for which Elswit won an Oscar.

Nearly 30 years after logging his first cinematography credit on the short film The Dirk Diggler Story, Anderson decided to serve the same role on his elegant period-drama Phantom Thread. In 2015, Anderson also operated the camera on the documentary he directed entitled Junun.

2 David Lynch

Surrealist filmmaker David Lynch is a cinematic jack of all trades. The multi-hyphenate talent writes, directs, acts, produces, composes, edits, mixes sound, and even works as his own cinematographer at times.

In addition to shooting 14 short films he also directed from 1969 to 2018, Lynch operated the camera on his bizarre 2006 film Inland Empire, which he also wrote, directed, edited, and produced. The independent auteur plays by his own rules and operates outside of the Hollywood studio system, allowing him to take full ownership of his art.

1 Steven Soderbergh

No current major Hollywood director works as their own cinematographer more frequently than Steven Soderbergh. Under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, Soderbergh has served as the DP on 24 of his 32 narrative features. He even worked as the camera operator on Magic Mike XXL.

Soderbergh won a Best Director Oscar for his work on Traffic, which he also shot as the cinematographer. Be they small independent films like Bubble and The Girlfriend Experience or big-budget blockbusters like the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, Soderbergh can ably light, block, frame, and compose any project as a cinematographer.