Camera operator
- 2. Camera Operator Depending on the type of technology and production the camera operator is at, the operator will have a different name, for example, a camera operator in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator or videographer. The camera operator is responsible for physically operating the camera and maintaining composition and camera angles throughout a given scene or shot. When on set the camera operator will have to communicate with the director, crew and actors to make creative decisions. A camera operator is part of a film crew consisting of the director of photography and a couple of camera assistant.
- 3. Equipment The type of equipment that you would be expect a camera operator to have and use is an easy guess; a high definition camera with a good lens. However there's more than meets the eye to being a camera operator, there is a ton of small equipment which a camera operator uses to utilize their job. For example, tools for maintaining their camera/cameras, Film tape which is loaded into the camera once one is full, tri-pods, multiple lenses and so on. Overall, the camera department works with physical pieces of equipment, rarely using digital equipment. SONY PXW-FS7 II K CAMERA
- 4. Skills Needed The first basic and most obvious sill needed for a camera operators is to have knowledge about how to operate a camera in a professional manner and how to set up equipment appropriately. Also the knowledge of and the ability to select appropriate camera lenses. Other skills required for the job include having patience due to the long hours taken to film, having a good sense of composition and provide some creative input to the crew about how to make a shots look better. Good communication skill so you can communicate with other departments and other members of the crew. Overall, operators must know exactly what they are doing as well as be able to communicate with those they are working with.
- 5. How Important are the Roles on the Final Media Product ? As mentioned before, camera operators have a important roles in the production. Since they are assigned the responsibility of filming the product and ensuring that the film is taken care of means that the whole product relies on them. This also means that the visuals are in the hands of the camera operator, again because they have the task of filming it Therefore, they have one of the biggest roles on set throughout the production of the film. Overall, both jobs are vital to the media product, although it can be argued that one is better than the other for a number of reasons. In my opinion the camera operators are more important than the editors since they have the responsibility of filming the entire movie and without them it would be impossible to have a finished product