Hi, I wanted to clarify something. How much of the specification of the detailed camera work does a director do? (And I mean for films with a production budget that will get at least a national distribution, so not just backyard indie movies).

I wanted to know how much does the cinematographer specify and how much the director specifies? I assume it all boils down to the individuals involved - is this true?

For example: there is a dialogue scene in a library. So the director shows the cinematographer the script, (storyboard?) and the location and the cinem. would then propose: we start with a wide shot looking down, we cut to the corner of the library, we pan to one actor, we cut to the other actor, we switch angles, we cut to what's on the table, etc. And the director reviews that and changes the types of shots, sequencing, etc., if they aren't happy with what is proposed.

Or is it the director's job to first propose the detailed sequence of all the shots and then the cinem. proposes any additional shots? Is it a shared job? Or is it mostly just the job of the director or the cinematographer?

The reason I ask is because if I wanted to direct the acting for a movie, can I find a cinematographer who will basically be responsible for specifying the details of the camera work? Can we divide roles that way? Or do cinematographers usually expect to be told what to do and then they just go and make sure the shot gets filmed as it was specified by the director?