What it means
فیلمبرداری (filmbardâri) means filming, cinematography, or the act of shooting a film or video. The word combines “film,” a European loanword present in Persian since the early twentieth century, with “bardâri,” derived from the native Persian verb bardâshtan, meaning to pick up or to take. Together the compound describes the process of capturing images on film or a camera. The person who does this work is a فیلمبردار (filmbardâr), a cinematographer or camera operator.
How to use it
- فیلمبرداری فردا شروع میشه. (filmbardâri fardâ shoru mishe.) “Filming starts tomorrow.”
- اینجا فیلمبرداری ممنوعه. (injâ filmbardâri mamnu’e.) “Filming is not allowed here.”
- اون تو دانشگاه فیلمبرداری خونده. (un tu dâneshgâh filmbardâri xunde.) “She studied cinematography at university.”
- فیلمبرداری این سریال سه ماه طول کشید. (filmbardâri-ye in seriyal se mâh tul keshid.) “Filming this series took three months.”
Cultural note
Iranian cinema has a long history of technically accomplished cinematography, with directors of photography such as Mahmoud Kalari earning international recognition. The term filmbardâri is used across contexts from professional film sets to phone camera signs in museums and government buildings. In everyday speech Iranians also use it casually when someone is recording a video on their phone.