Cinematographer - Relocation to San Francisco

Nen Creative; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k)

Paid time off

Company holidays

Job summary

Nen Creative in the Bay Area seeks a technically sharp cinematographer who owns camera, lighting, and grip setups across diverse productions, from founder interviews to brand films. You will shape the visual approach, operate on set, and help manage footage through post-production.

You will collaborate with directors and producers, manage on-set operations, and contribute to post with DaVinci Resolve color grading and final exports.

Qualifications

• Relocation to the Bay Area and willingness to be on set 3–4 days per week.
• Strong technical foundation in camera systems, lighting, and grip.
• Passion for cinematography and understanding of exposure, lens behavior, and image quality.
• Relentless attention to detail and ability to work within real-world budgets and constraints.
• Experience in color grading and editing in DaVinci Resolve.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with directors and producers to develop and execute the visual approach on set.
• Own camera, lighting, and grip setups across a range of productions.
• Work within real-world budget constraints and make smart allocation of resources.
• Offload footage, build DaVinci Resolve projects, and keep post-production organized.
• Color grade projects and handle final exports from raw footage when needed.
• Adapt to the team’s workflow and help improve it over time.
• Wear different hats per project based on production needs.

Skills

On-set cinematography

Camera systems

Lighting

Grip setups

Color grading

DaVinci Resolve

Adaptability

Tools

DaVinci Resolve

Job description

This is a full-time role based in San Francisco. We’re open to candidates currently based in other cities who are excited about relocating and becoming part of the team long-term. Relocation stipend available.

Please submit your application through this posting only. We’re unable to review applications or follow-ups sent via email, direct message, or website inquiry.

About Nen Creative

Nen Creative partners with tech startups to launch bold ideas into the world, creating the brands, products, and stories that fuel their growth.

Since 2022, we’ve partnered with some of the world’s top founders and institutions, including Amazon, SpaceX, Andreessen Horowitz, Mercor, Listen Labs, Tech Week, and more.

We’re growing fast and looking for great people to join us.

About the Opportunity

We’re looking for a strong, technically sharp cinematographer to join our team in the Bay Area.

This role is for someone who deeply cares about the craft of cinematography, not just making an image look good, but understanding why it works. You should be comfortable owning camera, lighting, and grip setups across a wide range of productions, from scrappy founder interviews to polished commercials and brand films.

You’ll work closely with our directors, producers, and creative team to shape the visual approach for each project, execute on set, and help manage footage through post-production, including DaVinci Resolve project setup, color grading, and final exports when needed.

This is a hands-on role in a fast-moving agency environment. We need someone who is highly capable on set, adaptable, detail-obsessed, and willing to push the image as far as possible within real-world constraints.

What you'll do

• Collaborate with directors and producers to develop the visual approach for each project and execute it on set

• Own/capable of owning camera, lighting, and grip setup across a range of productions: commercials, brand films, talking heads, interviews, and more

• Work within real-world budget constraints, get creative with what’s available, know where to spend and where to save, and deliver results that punch above their weight

• Offload footage, build DaVinci Resolve projects with correct settings, and keep projects organized from shoot through post

• Color grade projects and handle final exports from raw footage as needed

• Adapt to our workflow and pipeline, while helping improve it over time

• Wear different hats from project to project, depending on the needs of the production

What We’re Looking For

• Willing to relocate to the Bay Area and work on set in the SF area 3–4 days per week

• Strong technical foundation in camera systems, lighting, and grip

• Genuine passion for the craft of cinematography. You care about the things most people don’t notice: how exposure index shifts dynamic range latitude, why one lens renders bokeh differently than another, how different coatings change the character of an image, and what gives a particular set of glass its falloff

• Relentless attention to detail and high standards on every setup

• A make-it-work mentality within real-world budgets and constraints

• Equal care for talking heads, interviews, commercials, and brand films

• Willingness to adapt to our creative taste, quality standard, and production workflow

• Color grading and editing experience in DaVinci Resolve

• Prior cinematography experience required

• Comfortable with agency timelines, shifting production needs, occasional travel, and occasional weekend or after-hours production work

• Must have a car

Why Join Nen

• Be part of a small, fast-growing creative studio trusted by world-class startups and investors

• Work directly with partners and creative leadership on high-impact, visible projects

• Help define and scale the post-production quality bar at Nen

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), PTO, and company holidays