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If you have a keen eye for detail, the ability to keep cool under pressure and good hand-eye coordination, working as a television camera operator might be an ideal career path to consider. You'll be entering a competitive field. Although the U.S. Department of Labor projects average growth in job opportunities, it's a popular industry that usually has more people interested in breaking in than there are open positions. Securing your position in the industry requires a combination of education, building experience and networking.
Life as a cameraman can be an exciting venture, as you could be alongside a team of reporters making its way through a war-torn country or taking to the open seas to document a fishing expedition. You could also be a part of a movie or television production and get to work with some of the most talented artists in Hollywood. Your job, however, could be as simple as recording a 6 o'clock newscast.
Life as a cameraman allows you to use your creative vision and work in the exciting entertainment industry with new people and new locations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cameramen, known as camera operators, face a lot of competition since a large number of people want to enter the motion picture industry, and there are more prospective cameramen than there are job openings. As such, it is important to have the right combination of education and experience to make your way behind the camera.
While actors, directors, newscasters, writers and producers are all responsible for what you see on movie and television screens, none of it would be there without one more person: the cameraman. Becoming a professional cameraman gives you the opportunity to do something different every day; just as the job is unpredictable, so is the path to that job. But following a few guidelines points you in the right direction and can connect you with the contacts and recommendations you need to advance your career.
As a cameraman you will take the knowledge and skill that you have acquired and use it to document and preserve the events that are occurring in front of you. You may shoot footage for a news story, a movie or simply a special occasion that needs to be remembered. Regardless of the circumstances, it will be up to you to make certain that your job is done thoroughly and accurately from beginning to end.
A cameraman has more responsibilities beyond just shooting video of different events. Cameramen also scout film locations and angles, edit footage and maintain equipment. They work in a variety of fields, from broadcast news to websites to the motion picture industry. Occasionally, cameramen are self-employed, shooting weddings or sporting events, as well as maintaining their own production equipment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for camera operators are expected increase by 12 percent through 2018.
A news cameraman shoots video for reports that are broadcast on television stations and websites. News camera operators are often referred to as photojournalists or videographers. Their jobs are vital: Without someone to operate a camera, there are no moving images to accompany a report. News cameramen often work odd hours, including nights and weekends. The news, after all, never sleeps.
A camera person is an experienced camera operator who is employed by the print and film industries to creatively incorporate a variety of film techniques using digital, electronic and film cameras. Camera operators use film equipment in a studio or outdoor location and primarily take their direction from a director who expects them to interpret his or her instructions for the purposes of movie making or capturing still photography
