How Paul Thomas Anderson made a film without a director of photography.

In Depth Cine details the cinematographer-shaped hole in the story of the making of Phantom Thread (2017):

Here is some of director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s camera test footage, as mentioned in the breakdown above (via Cinematographers on Cinematography):

And the results are… well:

Phantom Thread (2017 director & cinematographer: Paul Thomas Anderson) pic.twitter.com/LLuRvjvXmn

— Ebru Yıldırım (@Ebruyldrm_88) January 4, 2022

Further Viewing

Bonus:

Incredible ending to the camera test special feature on Phantom Thread’s 4K pic.twitter.com/hxsqwehJth

— Jonathan (@jonathanmb32) September 23, 2025

Of course, Phantom Thread is an exception to the rule – but it does speak to the question: how do directors and cinematographers (normally) collaborate?

Film School: How Directors Collaborate With Cinematographers

More on screen tests, with a range of examples:

Film School: Screen Tests