Camera Operator* (Specialty Camera Operation/Electronic News Gathering and Electronic Field Production Operation)
The Camera Operator executes the development of the visual look and style of the production. He/She is responsible for marking out the positions for camera equipment and production crew who are directly involved in the shoot. During the shoot, he is responsible for testing and operating the camera equipment to achieve the required shot composition while suggesting creative improvisations. He may be required to operate special-purpose cameras and camera equipment such as drones, Steadicam, Russian arm to capture visuals that may not be captured by standard camera-shooting processes. He may also operate 360 Cameras and other equipment required to capture live and recorded immersive content. He may also use electronic video and audio technologies in order to gather and present news. He is required to gather materials for either live transmission or recording, providing a representative account of events. He is responsible for the set-up and installation of broadcast equipment and manages the overall maintenance of sound, video and livestream recording equipment. He is also expected to format, edit and deliver recordings to the studio for events that were not streamed live. The work involves long hours of physically demanding tasks especially the capture of motion sequences, amidst high pressure. He is expected to operate in an outdoors environment and may be required to travel depending on the location of the shoot. He should have strong knowledge of camera equipment and camera operations. He should also possess the ability to visualize scenes and has the artistic vision to suggest improvisations to advised techniques of video capture. He ought to possess technical knowledge of immersive video capture and the artistic vision to realize the same in order to contribute to the development of immersive content. He is required to exhibit effective teamwork, be diplomatic and tactful when working with cast and crew.
Skills and Competencies
Technical Skills & Competencies
Generic Skills & Competencies
Critical Work Functions and Key Tasks
• Analyse storyboards to understand the sequencing of shots and visual style of production
• Provide guidance in the mounting of the cameras to achieve the desired range of motion and maneuverability
• Oversee the preparation, installation and testing of cameras and camera equipment prior to shooting
• Allocate specific responsibilities to camera crew who are working on the same camera to prevent any overlapping of job responsibilities
• Plan the positioning of cameras for specific shots as per guidance provided
• Decide technical parameters such as focal distances for key shots, to achieve desired visual output
• Decide the movement paths and focus length paths of the camera for motion sequences
• Plan the framing of shots for all scenes
• Conduct functionality, camera settings and safety checks on equipment before starting the shoot
• Decide on the frame for shots based on agreed visual parameters
• Operate camera equipment during the shoot to capture required shots
• Adjust technical parameters and monitor settings of the camera to achieve desired visual output
• Execute camera choreography in coordination with the lighting crew allocated to the scene
• Review the technical quality of captured shots to check if desired output has been achieved
• Analyse weather conditions to determine the best way to capture outdoor shots
• Determine positioning, lighting and technical parameters of the camera for shots
• Operate special-purpose camera and related equipment to capture special shots
• Review captured shots to check if desired visuals have been captured
• Determine production and broadcast requirements based on sets and locations
• Assemble equipment and test for production and broadcast
• Operate cameras to record scenes for television broadcasts
• Monitor audio and visual feeds to ensure quality
• Edit raw footage on location and communicate with broadcast studio to deliver news footage
• Compress and digitise audio and video data
• Duplicate audio or video content and distribute as needed
• Oversee maintenance and ensure proper storage of all audio and video equipment as well as livestreaming field kits