A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a

film crew A film crew is a group of people, hired by a production company, for the purpose of Filmmaking, producing a film or motion picture. The crew is distinguished from the Ensemble cast, cast, as the cast are understood to be the actors who appear ...

. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task.

Duties and functions

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, the

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

or director of photography (DP or DoP) is responsible for bringing Director's vision to life on screen. The Cinematographer or Director of Photography handles all the technical aspects of visual storytelling and is the head of the camera crew and light crew on the set. The DP may operate the camera themselves, or enlist the aid of a camera operator or second cameraman to operate it or set the controls. The first assistant cameraman (1st AC), also known as a focus puller, is responsible for maintenance of the camera, such as clearing dirt from the film gate and adjusting the follow focus. A second assistant cameraman (2nd AC), also known as a

clapper loader A clapper loader or second assistant camera (2nd AC) is part of a film crew whose main functions are that of loading the raw film stock into camera magazines, operating the clapperboard (slate) at the beginning of each take, marking the actors as ...

, might be employed to load film, slate scenes, or maintain the camera report (a log of scenes, takes, rolls, photographic filters used, and other production data). A camera operator in a

video production Video production is the process of producing video content. It is the equivalent of filmmaking, but with video recorded either as analog signals on videotape, digitally in video tape or as computer files stored on optical discs, hard drives, SSDs, ...

may be known by titles like , , or , depending on the context and technology involved, usually operating a professional video camera. As of 2016, there were approximately 59,300 television, video, and motion picture camera operators employed in the United States. Important camera operator skills include choreographing and framing shots, knowledge of and the ability to select appropriate

camera lens A camera lens, photographic lens or photographic objective is an optical lens (optics), lens or assembly of lenses (compound lens) used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to Imaging, make images of objects either on photographic film ...

es, and other equipment ( dollies, camera cranes, etc.) to portray dramatic scenes. The principles of dramatic storytelling and

film editing Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

fundamentals are also important skills. The camera operator is required to communicate clearly and concisely on sets where time and film budget constraints are ever present.

Gallery

TV camera operator, Canon UHD DIGISUPER 90.jpg, Camera operator in a sports stadium 2023 World Men's Handball Championship Cameraman football.jpg, A football camera operator shoots the Italy national team before a match (2021) Camera operator.jpg, Camera operator during 2023 European Games Camera operators for Newton stabilized remote heads on spidercam cable cam metallica.jpg, Cameramen operating Newton stabilized remote heads on spidercam cablecam systems flying over the audience at Metallica tour (2019) Cameraman watching the football game in between broadcasts.jpg, A live TV studio cameraman watches a football game on the monitors in the studio in between broadcasts (2018) Riot PetionVille.jpg, War camera operator (2006) Margery Ordway, camerawoman. 1916.jpg, Margery Ordway, one of the first women camera operators of the silent film era (1916) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R96517, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, Kameramann.jpg, A camera operator atop

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...

(1926)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camera Operator Broadcasting occupations Cinematography Filmmaking occupations Television terminology Television occupations