Camera Operator
A camera operator is a professional responsible for recording video footage for various forms of visual media, including television, film, and online content. This role involves working on a diverse range of projects, from live news coverage and sports events to documentaries and feature films. Camera operators collaborate closely with production teams to capture the intended visual narrative, requiring strong technical skills in operating cameras and understanding related equipment like audio and lighting systems.
Typically, camera operators can specialize as studio operators, who work primarily in controlled environments, or field operators, who operate in a variety of outdoor settings and weather conditions. The job often requires travel, particularly for those covering live events or working on location for documentaries. An educational background in the arts, particularly in photography, cinematography, or drama, can be beneficial for aspiring camera operators. This profession generally offers a median annual salary of around $65,070, with a positive job outlook projected to grow faster than average. Adaptability and a willingness to engage in diverse projects are key attributes for success in this dynamic field.
Camera Operator
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
Interests: Photography, three-dimensional design, drama, broadcasting, cinematography
Earnings (Yearly Median): $65,070 per year $31.28 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 7% (Faster than average)
Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job-Training None
Overview
Sphere of Work. Camera operators record video footage for use in television and film and on the Internet. Camera operators work across all realms of visual media recording, in such specializations as videography and cinematography. Professional camera operators are traditionally employed by companies specializing in visual media, including news media corporations, television networks, film production companies, and cable television stations. Camera operators are responsible for capturing events across a broad spectrum of subject matter, from live events such as news and sports competitions to interviews, concerts, wildlife, documentaries, and feature films.
Camera-operation professionals work closely with production teams in order to successfully capture the overall visual scope and narrative focus of an event or project. Camera operators must be able to accomplish a variety of filming techniques as specified by project directors, writers, producers, and other creative and technical staff. The numerous interactions and extensive cooperation involved in camera operations require savvy interpersonal communication in concert with extensive technical skills.
Professional camera operators are traditionally broken down into two distinct disciplines: studio operators and field operators.
Work Environment. While the traditional work environment for camera operators is an enclosed studio or set, many work in a variety of external locations and weather conditions. Many camera operators change locations from project to project, such that much of their time is spent on the road. Camera-operator crews who specialize in recording live sporting events travel from stadium to stadium to cover events. News camera operators travel to places throughout the world to cover breaking news stories. Similarly, documentary and wildlife camera operators may travel great distances depending on whether their focus is on a particular climate, animal, or natural habitat.
A sense of adaptability and willingness to try new projects is paramount for camera operators, particularly those who are just starting out in the field. Acquiring experience through participation in a variety of different projects can help build the creative and technical skill sets necessary for camera operation.
Occupation Interest. Camera operators enter the field from a variety of creative and dramatic-arts arenas. Many have a foundation of study in traditional arts, including photography, perspective, color-field exploration, and three-dimensional design. Many enter videography through an interest in drama or narrative arts, including English, theater, and music performance, while others may be drawn to camera work through exposure to reportage, broadcasting, or journalism. A wide variety of universities offer associate, undergraduate, and postgraduate study in video production, camera operation, and cinematography.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. The day-to-day duties of a camera operator begin with preproduction planning with other technical and creative members of a project’s production staff. The scope of production meetings can vary from project to project.
Studio telecasts often comprise footage from fixed camera locations and set camera responsibilities. Other projects, such as live-event coverage, feature-film shoots, and documentary filmmaking, can require extensive preparation and a variety of input from several different team members. In concert with production officials and other set technicians, camera operators must also make sure their equipment is in proper working order and secured prior to filming.
The shooting process itself also varies from project to project. While studio operators normally work set shooting schedules with more traditional working hours, field camera operators can work during all times of the day, depending on what parameters a particular project entails. If a particular shot or visual component is not captured during the initial shooting, camera operators are called upon to reshoot footage.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Immediate work environments of camera operators vary greatly by discipline. Studio operators work primarily in closed studio locations, while field operators work in a diverse array of locations, from neighborhood street corners to crowded arenas and natural wildlife habitats.
Human Environment. Strong collaborative skills are important for camera operators, as they act as the eyes for a particular creative or informative vision. Camera operators work in concert with production staff to deliver the most pertinent video that will advance a narrative outline and inform the viewing audience.
Technological Environment. Camera operators must possess a complex set of media-technology skills, ranging from extensive knowledge of video cameras and image-recording technology to basic knowledge of audio and lighting systems. Many camera operators are also versed in video-editing and special-effects software.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. Students can prepare for a career in camera operation at the high-school level with courses in geometry, visual arts, introductory computer programming, dramatic arts, and broadcast media. In addition to a survey of major dramatic works and theatrical history, participation in the technical aspects of scholastic theatrical productions is also highly encouraged. Many camera operators attain a basic grasp of lighting, audio rigging, and visual display through participation in school plays or on student television networks. Summer study, volunteer work, and internship programs at local cable-access outlets or television news studios can also be a tremendous asset for high-school students eager to gain experience in videography.
Postsecondary. Individuals aspiring to a career as a camera operator have a wide variety of postsecondary education opportunity options available at the associate, bachelor, and graduate levels. Introductory and certificate-level coursework in camera operation often entails a survey of the basics of the discipline, including routine equipment maintenance, tripod setup, and command of basic camera focus settings.
Undergraduate programs in cinematography cover not only the basics of camera operation but also the historical development of visual arts and the theoretical foundations of contemporary media. Undergraduates also study location recording and computer animation.
Graduate-level study of cinematography includes an in-depth survey of the history of television and film as well as advanced coursework on film theory. Individual conception and production of one or more films are required for students at the graduate level.
Related Occupations
Bibliography
"Film and Video Editors and Camera Operators." Occupational Outlook Handbook. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/film-and-video-editors-and-camera-operators.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.