School Camera Operators

Cameramen work by shooting TV shows, films, commercials, and videos. Those who are into documentaries and other educational shows also work on the capturing and lighting effects as well. For a few projects they may also be responsible for directing. Camera operators usually specialize in movies or television and only a small number work in both settings.

Some camera operators are self-employed and work for marketing agencies, documentary filmmakers, independent filmmakers and television networks. A few camera operators work for trade show and conference sponsors and work on specific jobs. Camera operators that operate with feature films stick to the directions of the cinematographer. Camera operators who are doing work in television use video cameras and have similar tasks with those who are doing work on feature films. They receive instructions from the director through headphones. Alternatively, assistant camera operators are accountable for threading the camera, focusing the camera, and sustaining the camera by cleaning it. Sometimes they may have to load film magazines. News camera operators are also labelled as news-gathering operators and work together with reporters and other members of the reporting team, they also concentrate on events that are considered as news. They often capture live occasions with their cameras. They sometimes edit footage at the filming area and relay it to a tv affiliate for transmission.

Videographers are those who capture special attractions and private events on film. Some companies employ videographers to take and publish clips for them. The work environments vary by the area of expertise. There are camera operators who journey a lot and are usually overseas for a while. Electronic news-gathering operators sometimes work in unpleasant environments and they may occasionally work in hazardous situations. Some camera operators are required to wait several hours in all types of weather conditions for an event to happen. Even with a weighty equipment they may end up spending hours standing. The job hours for camera operators vary substantially by the speciality. In addition, camera operators need good eyesight, hand-eye coordination and artistic ability. They also need to be precise and patient. In 2008 there have been about 26,300 camera operator careers. A 9% employment growth from 200 to 2018 for camera operators of various specialties is forecasted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Keen competition is predicted for the occupation since a large number of people want to work in the motion picture and broadcasting business. In 2008 the median yearly earnings for television, video and movie camera operators was $41,670. The highest compensated 10 percent earned more than $79,440.

A good professional status is vital for finding work in movie and television. Experienced camera operators may advance in their careers by obtaining a position with network television stations or getting more challenging assignments. For electronic news-gathering operators they may have to find a job in bigger media markets i order to take their profession a step higher. There are also those who turn out to be photography directors for a certain movie studio, TV program, or an advertising firm.