To be a cameraman is a very rewarding experience. Setting up the lights, painting a picture in the frame and moving the camera to different angles is challenging yet creative. The outcome of your work once edited and put together-if done right, can have an amazing impact on the audience.
To see your audience has been affected the way you wanted them is a treat as a cameraman. When the audience feels how you want them to after watching your movie, a sense of accomplishment arises within. The blood, sweat and tears that are poured into creating a movie are well worth it when the movie is said and done.
A cameraman has the duty of painting the picture in the frame-and a lot of people can’t paint with light-which is indeed what the cameraman does. It takes skill, talent and a lot of focus and good vision to be able to paint with light and make the final picture look both unique and beautiful at the same time. Camera movement is also very important and also takes skill and a steady hand to create believable movement. Being able to move the camera flawlessly is very important and can help to tell the story better.
The cameraman takes longer than everyone else in the crew because they have to prep the camera. Even though there are camera assistants, cameras consist of many small, delicate pieces and must be handled with extreme care. Working on set as a cameraman means you go to work early and stay late because of the camera and how long it takes to prep.
Depending on what type of camera you’re shooting with, some camera preps take up to a week to test out all the parts and make sure they work properly. A cameraman must be in good shape and be able to lift heavy equipment, as industry-standard tripods and high-end cameras tend to be on the heavier side and you have to be able to move it all around quickly and proficiently.
Getting into the industry as a cameraman is very difficult and takes a lot of time, patience and work. Knowing everything about most cameras and staying on top of the new ones that come out is important so that you can have a wider base of “camera intelligence” and pick up more jobs. The more creative you are, the more people will want to work with you.
I think that freelance camerawork is the most difficult type of camerawork because it is never a promise. Sometimes projects will call you a week before you’re scheduled to work and tell you it’s been canceled. All cameramen start off as freelance as that’s the only way to get noticed and get more jobs-unless you’re somehow related to someone who can (and will) plug you in right away.
The majority of getting your foot in the door has to do with networking, meeting and keeping in contact with other camera people from previous shoots or random contacts you just happen to meet. Even if you’re still a student, there are a lot of people who have contacts and networking is a big deal and a big part of getting work in the film industry.
Up and down life of the music video camera operator at Mark Anthony Cella’s site.
