The best cameraman is the one whose job = hobby
A cameraman is a person responsible for the serviceability and safety of the filming equipment entrusted to him, as well as he requires knowledge and skills of installation, adjustment and works with the technique as a whole. This definition refers to the operators of reportage photography, where all the above should be added to the minimum time allocated for installation and setting of the camcorder.
The best job is a high–paid hobby. (c) Henry Ford
PRODUCTION OPERATOR
All kinds of shootings under the direction of the director are included in the production. In fact, the operator, when shooting a commercial or a clip, does not need to know the settings of this type of camera. He may not work with it at all. There’s a technician who knows his camera and all its pitfalls. In this case, the operator must have a good understanding of the possibilities and features of the camera, know and give a clear task on the setting of the device to achieve the task, as well as a good understanding of setting the light. Lighting equipment also falls under his supervision. The work of the operator in this case – to achieve the picture, which was conceived by the director. Often, in our country, during the filming process, the operator is a multifunctional unit. He can be a focal point, and a technician, and lighting engineer, and sometimes the director, as close as possible to the scheme of reportage…
Impact of the budget
Of course, everything depends on the budget allocated for production. But it’s first and foremost a matter of the script. If the script involves a video in the studio, on a monochrome background, shot non-stop – it’s a sin not to combine all the possibilities and knowledge of the operator and save a couple of thousand budget. But such clips are very, very few. More often it is necessary to expand the film crew to the classic scheme, and then we get the case when the movement and the process of shooting the camera are working six people: one – on a cart, two – on a crane, focuser, technician and operator. Surely you can take a robotic crane, but then again, back to the budget issue… Often the pilot outputs of programs are allocated only a conditional budget, that’s when we start juggling with knowledge, opportunities, friendships, beliefs …
The cameraman is the person in video production who knows and understands the whole shooting process, and all his free time is devoted to the study of novelties and the latest developments in the video industry.
