Senior Brand Cinematographer & In-House Studio Lead

Perplexity; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Perplexity is seeking a Senior Cinematographer to define how the brand looks on film. You’ll translate our visual identity into practical language, then bring it to life across the team’s output. This hands-on role leads camera, lighting, and crew decisions from development through capture.

You’ll build and run an in-house studio and contribute moodboards, shot lists, and storyboards, while collaborating with cross-functional partners to maintain a high standard of visuals across formats.

Qualifications

• 6+ years as cinematographer or DP across branded, commercial, documentary, and interview work.
• A standout reel showing lighting craft, camera movement, and honest, unscripted moments.
• Strong point of view while aligning with the existing brand.
• Hands-on with camera, lighting, and crew leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the cinematographic language with lighting, lensing, composition, movement, and color.
• Shoot and light a steady mix of day-to-day content and brand films.
• Lead cinematography on brand films, campaigns, partnerships, and launches.
• Scale work from solo shoots to small crews or full camera teams.
• Bring ideas with moodboards, shot lists, and storyboards.
• Own camera, lighting, and movement decisions from development to capture.
• Recommend crew and gear; coordinate with producers.
• Design and run the in-house studio, including lighting and audio.
• Maintain and organize gear with ready-to-shoot packages.
• Color grade in DaVinci Resolve and support light edits.
• Keep high visual standards across formats and crew sizes.

Skills

Cinematography

Lighting

Camera operation

Storytelling

Team leadership

Brand storytelling

Tools

DaVinci Resolve

Camera gear knowledge

Job description

Perplexity is seeking a Senior Cinematographer to define how the brand looks on film. You’ll translate our visual identity into practical language, then bring it to life across the team’s output. This hands-on role leads camera, lighting, and crew decisions from development through capture.

You’ll build and run an in-house studio and contribute moodboards, shot lists, and storyboards, while collaborating with cross-functional partners to maintain a high standard of visuals across formats.