I'm slowly getting used to the fact that filmmaking is an organic process. Part of the director's job is to make all the ideas from the creative minds behind the camera correlate into one solid vision. Where is the line drawn between the directors vision and the cinematographers vision? How much advice should you take from your DP, and the others working around you, without getting carried away from your original concept?
Cinematography : Clash of the Visionaries by Nicolas Scroggins
Clash of the Visionaries
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The relationship is a collaboration between two professionals. A director should take as much advice from the DP as is given. There should be no line drawn. If the two do not share the same vision they should not work together. A good director will choose the right DP. Not one who will roll over but one who will challenge and inspire.
The Director is the creative lead. If there is a disagreement about a creative choice between the DP and Director, the Director wins. However being a collaborative sport, every good Director chooses a good DP who can bring his creative and technical expertise to make strong recommendations. It would be foolish for a Director to override his DP without a very good reason, but he must have that flexibility. The only one who could trump the director is the producer; being the business lead. Then again, it would be foolish for a producer to second guess the director he hired to make a change without a very good reason. In some movies, the producer trumping the director has been a good decision, such as any movie where they were fired (The Wizard of Oz) or a film where the producers had it recut after the director was done (none off the top of my head). And there have been cases where producers second guessing their directors was a poor choice (Blade Runner).