Senior Cinematographer, Brand Studio

The role

The Senior Cinematographer will define and execute Perplexity's cinematographic language. You will shoot and light various content ranging from candid office moments to brand films and help run the in-house studio.

What you will do

• Partner with the Creative Director and Video Lead to define and evolve Perplexity's cinematographic language.
• Shoot and light day-to-day content including office moments, interviews, product demos, social, events, and documentary stories.
• Lead cinematography on brand films, campaigns, partnerships, and launches.
• Operate solo with a minimal kit or lead a camera, lighting, and grip team.
• Bring storytelling ideas through moodboards, shot lists, storyboards, and experimentation.
• Own camera, lighting, and movement decisions from creative development through capture.
• Recommend crew and equipment and lead camera and lighting departments on set.
• Help design, build, and run the in-house studio.
• Recommend, purchase, organize, and maintain the team's gear.
• Handle color grading in DaVinci Resolve and support light edits.

Required qualifications

• 6+ years as a cinematographer or DP across branded, commercial, documentary, and interview work.
• A standout reel showing visual authorship, lighting craft, camera movement, and an eye for honest, unscripted moments.
• A strong point of view, paired with the sensitivity to work within and strengthen an existing brand.
• Deep command of camera systems, lenses, exposure, color pipelines, lighting, grip, and on-set monitoring.
• Genuinely hands-on: building a camera, shaping light, operating, troubleshooting, and leading a crew.
• The judgment to make premium images under real constraints.
• Strong pre-production instincts.
• Experience briefing and leading freelance crews and vendors on set, and managing professional production equipment.
• Working proficiency in DaVinci Resolve for color grading, selects, and light edits.
• Collaborative and low-ego.
• Comfortable moving fast in an ambiguous, high-output environment.
• Based in or able to work on-site in San Francisco, with flexibility for travel and long shoot days.

Nice to have

• A strong Bay Area and Los Angeles network of camera, lighting, grip, sound, production, and rental partners.
• Experience within an in-house brand studio at a technology or consumer company.
• Strong documentary instincts and experience working with founders, executives, talent, or people who are not professional performers.
• Experience with multi-camera interviews, live events, tabletop or product cinematography, motion-control systems, or virtual production.
• Color-grading experience and a strong understanding of how capture decisions carry through finishing and delivery.

About the company

Perplexity is looking for a Senior Cinematographer to define how the brand looks on film.