Camera Coach

As a thirty five year veteran in television production, it is ingrained in to my brain that no one outside of the crew, should ever know that there are problems along the way of producing a TV show or production (when possible). I think that the past is riddled with stories of heroic efforts to save the production or event from unforeseen failure – especially a live event. I also think that the people involved in those event-saving-stories had probably prepared themselves, at least mentally, for anything to happen and what to do if it did happen. Do you prepare? Do you check, double check and triple check your gear every chance you can? Let’s say your tripod legs give out while operating a camera for example, would you have a plan on a making sure you are safe at all times? Would you know what your plan would be? Perhaps you are a bit complacent because nothing has ever happened on your watch. I like to remember that everything in my production world is man-made and electronic – both ingredients for failure. Have you seen the recent footage of the motorcycle that crashed headed right toward the camera operator? I wonder what their plan was?

You have all heard of the saying “The show must go on”, right? That generally means, in the that as a crew, team, staff or production member that no matter what – we have to do whatever is humanly possible to finish the event so that the end viewer, attendee, client, customer, parishioner, congregation member, audience member or crowd never has a clue that something has gone sideways. In reality, there are enough possibilities of system or human error in presentations involving production gear of any type, that it’s always best to back up everything where possible. The pros do it, you should too – always. Maybe you can’t double up on everything you do, but maybe you can do things that would make the least impact if there was a failure. How about running an extra camera cable or intercom cable into the room, so if there is a failure the new cable can easily be connected?, How about having a standby microphone nearby, just in case? OK, these are probably obvious choices, but have you thought through as many failure scenarios as possible and what you would do if it happened to you? I’m not a pilot, but I was told once that an airplane pilot doesn’t practice crashing, they practice recovering. How about you? Are you ready?

So, I’ve mentioned before that I manage a free LinkedIn group called TV Camera Operators. This is a great global networking and informational site available to all industry participants and is intended for camera operators to share information with me as I research writing these articles. Recently, I posted the challenge of – Tell me an example of “The show must go on” that you were involved in. Although these examples are not from church productions, they will give you some great examples of going above and beyond in the world of TV. These are just for your enjoyment. I do not recommend that anyone risk their lives for TV. You may not run into any of these scenarios at church or your venue, but I hope you enjoy a few behind-the-scenes, global TV stories;

Doug M • During a live broadcast of our morning show ” The Good Life “, I tilted the camera upward for a mirror shot and ended up catching the camera, weight box and monitor – basically the entire upper assembly. It was noisy, but the talent and guest didn’t blink and I stood there holding this assembly until the next commercial. Engineering forgot to bolt everything down after some work had been done. You’re welcome gentlemen.

Loy N • I was on zone crew on the Amazing Race in Geneva, Switzerland. Just before contestants arrived, some local kids threw the clue box into the lake. I jumped in, plucked it out, and luckily got the arrivals. Most people rarely know what challenges we all go through.

Jim C • As for anecdotes more specifically about superhuman effort, a few yrs ago, I inexplicably collapsed during the 1st few minutes of Fox Championship Rodeo – a production I worked for 7-10 yrs. I came-to a few minutes later to find that my producer/director had summoned the onsite paramedics (who are there to attend to gored bull riders & trampled cowboys) while he ran my camera. I sat out the remainder of the 1st half (VIOLENTLY ill & barely outside radio signal), but clambered up to the position in time for the 1st bucking shoot to open at the outset of the 2nd half.

Carmelo O • This happened during a live show about a singing competition. The jib operator and the engineer where trying to level the jib when suddenly one of the weights of about 50 pounds fell from the jib, landing right where the participants were sitting since the jib was on the second floor for the full shots. Thankfully no one was hurt, but I was very scared just knowing what could happen. After that the weights were tided and secured.

There you have it – a few behind the scenes stories from the TV Camera Operator group on LinkedIn. Please feel to join the group, check out my blog at craigjkelly.com, make comments, ask questions, invite your friends, poke fun at or just say hello at zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com and please – think safety!

 

 

 

OK, this isn’t really a new article for new cameraman – it’s more of a shameless self-promotion for a video I recently produced at Expert Video Services. This video can be seen HERE. So, if you wouldn’t mind helping out, please watch it and share it with your friends, family and co-workers. Just to make this a legitimate blog entry. This video was shot by veteran DP Brad nelson – whose work you can see at Playback Productions. My next interview is going to be with Brad, so watch for it soon.

I write an article for new cameraman in Worship Musician magazine. For their tenth anniversary edition of the magazine I wrote a top ten list of how to help your director out at your church. I think these are good in any multi camera TV situation, so have included them here. If you have read any of my other articles, you’ll see these points brought up elsewhere.

Here is that article;

I thought I’d make a list of ten tips for camera operators, in a multi-camera situation that would be helpful to their director – whether they are working as a volunteer at a church or as a paid camera operator on the biggest concert of the season. I don’t know if I would say these are in order of importance, but here they are;

1)      Be early – be early to arrive, be early to get on headsets for systems check and be early for the service, event or performance. If you are ready to go before your actual required time, it will offer the director the chance to interact with you or maybe help them to get something accomplished.

2)      Practice – warm-up, rehearse and put yourself and your camera into show-mode. The last thing you want to do is to not understand why your camera won’t pan smoothly during the event you are working on.

3)      Initiate – Even if you are not asked, go to your camera position, uncap the lens, uncover it if needed, turn it on (if that’s appropriate with you facility) the first thing when you get to the venue. This will help if the engineer/VO wants to fire up cameras to let them warm up.

4)      Adjust – Make sure that everything about your setup is ready. Have a mental checklist that you use every time you step up to your camera. Perhaps you can start with the front of the lens, work your way to the view finder, handles, controls, intercom, program audio, pan head, tripod, and platform. Need to write it down? – It’s OK.

5)      Practice – warm-up, rehearse and put yourself and your camera into show-mode. Does this sound like number 2?

6)      Be there – once you check in on camera, stay on headset until you are given the OK to leave – even if you feel like nothing is going on. If you need to leave your position, just a quick “Camera three is leaving for a few minutes” is greatly appreciated and might be perfect timing if the director is just about to start production using your camera shot.

7)      Explore – as part of your warm-up activities, offer up a variety of shots to show the director what you see. Although most directors have a safe, normal routine and pattern of calling a show, maybe you will spur them on to a moment of crazy creativity.

8)      Engage – engage into the process. Don’t make a direct beg for every shot. If you know that the next shot for you, after the medium wide-shot of the piano, will be the tight close-up of the flowers, get it as soon as your shot is cleared. Don’t make the director ask for it – just get there. Of course, this takes confidence and hopefully a director that doesn’t need to control every aspect of every element in the production.

9)      Be Brave – Boldness as a camera operator does not have to be reckless. It means having the confidence in what you do and what your skills are. It also means knowing what is acceptable in any given production scenario. This is probably geared more for handheld operators or jib operators, but don’t be afraid to offer a shot that is creative, unusual, bold or even fun. (just make sure it’s not dangerous or out of place for your production)

10)   It’s the director’s show – Even if you are the head of the department, leader of the band, the big cheese or even the president of the mens group. In this instance, the director is in charge. Often times, a director is someone who has come up through the crew and may be just filling in or has earned a new position. It is very important to remember that they need to be lifted up with support, respect and involvement by everyone on the crew.

OK, that’s it for my Tenth Anniversary Television Tips. I have more, but I’ll have to add them as prt of the 15^th Anniversary edition.

Keep reading Worship Musician magazine and supporting a great resource. As always, if you want more insider’s tips for camera operators, please check out my blog for new cameraman at www.craigjkelly.com or email me at zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com

Outzoomin! Outzoomin! I remember hearing our Dutch director shouting those commands during the velodrome cycling races for the Olympics. Even though  the English version would have been zoom out!, all of his US Based crew knew what he was talking about. It made me realize though, that we US based cameramen are not the only ones out there outzoomin and inzoomin everyday and that, just as different countries have different culture in terms of food, fashion, cars, etc., there might be differences in the way we set up our cameras for operation.

Yes, each one of us sets up our own camera differently to adjust for own style, but are there national differences?

I recently posed the question in the LinkedIN TV Camera Operators group; 41 countries represented here – In a studio setup, do you zoom on the right or the left?                       

 

Toby Hogan • Hi all in Australia we have our zoom on the left

Lisa Casey • In Ireland most of us use zoom on the left and focus on the right. There are a couple who do it the other way but they came from single Camera backgrounds not ped.

David Bialik • Actually, I try hard not to zoom. But if I have to it’s on the right hand side, focus on the left.. USA

Claire Murphy • At Sky TV, in GB we zoom on the left, however I have heard of some operators which have used the zoom on the right (have never seen it myself though).

Jeff Stevenson • I started out single cam handheld, so it was natural to have the zoom on the right. Got into OB and studio and always have to change the controls over from previous operators. Great Britain

Joe Piotrowski • Actually we never zoom,we track in or out!!!
Only joking….but of course,they did once upon a time.
We have our zoom demand on the left, focus on the right in the UK.
I know a lot of my American colleagues have it the other way around….. whatever works best for you I guess.

Mario Genovese • In Italy, zoom on the right, focus on the left…

Gary Zietlow • On some of the Soap Opera sets the zoom is on the left, to allow for steering of the pedestal with the right hand. For the most part, in the U.S. the zoom is on the right, like our cars.

Ivan Murdzhev • In Bulgaria the zoom is almost always on the right, as is natural in single handheld camera setups. There is one station though whose studios keep doing it the other way around and I always have to change the controls when I work there.

Kevin Beyer • In my country we push the camera in or out till it looks in focus. this also gives us the “zoom” simultaneously. LOL….on the right for zoom, left for focus. these group questions are really fun.

Robert Manning • Phil mostly only the old guys like the manual zoom now a days. Servo zoom

Prasil Kumar • Hi Craig,
Hardly matters for the cameraman…its like driving a car…..whether your car has left hand drive or right hand drive…it’s a practise. ….but in India zoom on right and focus on the left is used while using large format cameras.

Mark Schneider • On a ped I zoom left…on jib I zoom right.

Corey Smith • Zoom on the right and focus on the left

Jeremy Borton • Zoom right, Focus Left.

Well, there you have a few examples of differences across the world.

Here’s my take on it all – I would adapt to whatever the standard setup is in the studio if that’s where you work. That’s because so many people come and go and use the gear that there should be a standard. The exception to this, would be if you absolutely knew you would return the setup the way you found it after your shift. If it was a remote, or OB, I would set up however I wanted to.

As usual, if you are interested in more of these types of discussion intended for new comers in the TV industry, join us in LinkedIN at the TV Camera Operators group.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask at zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com.

Pass the word on too about this site and the LinkedIN group…………ck

As cameramen, and in life itself, we run across many personalities in the TV business.  Every TV market has its legendary stories of Producers and Directors that ranted and raved while they were on headsets during a show or even on single camera projects. More often than not, after the show, these same raving maniacs would turn back into the same nice as pie person they always were. What’s up with that you might ask? I’m no Doctor so can’t really answer that, but I have a lot of associates in the television industry that have also been through a lot of shows with those kinds of experiences.

Early in the industry, it was accepted practice for production team members to act this way. Sometimes, believe it or not, it was possible to be sworn at, degraded, insulted, berated and screamed at for hours at a time. I remember wondering who would be the hero and who would be the goat with some directors because, just as much as someone, or a few, people would get verbally abused, someone else would get sickenly praised for every decision they made, almost as if the screaming dolt was trying to show the others what reward there was for exceptional performance. I’ve thought of a few interesting things about all that behavior looking back;

• First of all, it was the accepted norm that if you wanted to work at network TV level, and you needed to perform under extreme duress.
• You never, ever took it personally if you had the confidence that you did your job well.
• You never spoke back. If you happen to be asked something, a simple yes or no was sufficient. In fact, talking on the intercom was not OK unless it was an absolute emergency. Even then, it was possible to flash your call button and talk directly to the Video Engineer who might be able to help

Was it cool? No, but it was the accepted norm. Of course, a lot of things have changed in the world – much for the better.

Here’s a question that cameraman David Bialik from Seattle, WA posted in the discussion area of the TV Camera Operators group on LinkedIn and a few of the responses that it garnered;

What to do as a contractor on a multi-camera shoot when the director is shouting angry abusive frustration into headsets because things aren’t going his way?

Robert McWilliams • Suck it up and move on and don’t work with him/her again.

Jim Conrad • The question is couched for some universal answer, yet the problem reflects variables as wide as the circumstances of production itself. Yes, one could opt to not work with the individual again – if one has the ability to divine in advance that this director will be onsite. Unfortunately, such information has become more rare over the decades, & some coordinators will move on at the very first question asked of them. “Ya want the gig or not?” is the standard default response for many companies/coordinators who represent a LOT of work. Since the spectrum of individuals in production roughly reflects human personalities in general, it’s best to whip out your best “freelancer’s intuition” – the most crucial skill a freelancer has, superior to critical camera skills.

Is the jobsite broadcast sports? If so, the culture of abuse, profanity, & defamation is so deeply congenital that even progressive effort by the best-intentioned individuals to discourage such nonsense makes for slow change…if any. Expect this kind of thing in sports, yet bear in mind that underneath the ugliness, all the profanity is usually purely on the surface level. This is a real shocker for a neophyte, but the same screamer steps out of the truck at the end of the event & is (frequently) everyone’s best friend.

Is the director FROM a predominantly sports background? If he/she is effective, perhaps some leeway can begrudgingly be granted a director visiting, say, a corporate jobsite. (The director should be informed, however, that corporate production has grown to increasingly reflect the “human resources”-dominated world of the companies which contract these shows.)

Is the director neophyte? If so, the frustration may be the stigmata of someone struggling to master both live production AND human interactions while in a jobsite environment. Rome wasn’t built in a day; you happen to be there while it’s under construction.

Is it possible his/her frustration is legitimately pertaining to some crew member/dept which isn’t up to snuff? As cam ops, we sometimes can only imagine the difficulties the director is enduring in a control room, truck, or “video village.”

Etc. Before taking ANY action, how sure are you that this director is no higher in the production hierarchy than he/she appears to be? That is, are they strictly a hired gun, or is there more at work? Someone’s nephew? From the “creative” side of the biz? Etc. If confidence is carefully high that this director isn’t “unduly connected,” perhaps some direct discussion of the issue can be considered.

Failing all these many variables, I’ve seen/heard every conceivable recourse considered amongst crews, including some which are criminal.

Rafael Ortiz-Guzman • Of all the comments Jim is the most asserted one, however there is no reason to be ugly to a cameraman, after all if you are an “A” operator you just don’t have to take this guys shit at all, but if you are just starting and need the work, you’ll have to suck it up and move on, be like the Duck, Let it roll of your back.
Jim is totally correct you never know who this moron is working for or high in the food chain and can really put your name in “Shit” list and trust me it does exist.
With my 34 years in the industry (Film, Video and multicamera) I can attest to the list.
It took years for me to learn that you get more bees with honey than with anything else and that includes been NASTY

David Bialik • Thank you all for your comments and thoughts. This was not sports related, I’ve done some NFL work and can handle an AD with attitude during the game…comes with the territory. Jim is absolutely right on about Sports shoots, they’re intense and a lot is on the line.
This particular director I’ve known for many years and he sometimes has really bad days and takes it out on the crew during the shoot. The sad part is nothing is on the line for the multi camera shoot. One day in particular we were covering a High School Graduation and it wasn’t even a live telecast but going to tape. I was told a few weeks later by his boss that I had an attitude. That I need to make a decision whether or not to take the contract work offered and in the future do exactly what the director micro-manages me to do.
At least they were honest about exactly what’s expected.
I’m still thinking about it.

Maurie Akenson • Good to have an opportunity to air thoughts re. this matter, after all the years of television we’ve finally got somewhere to let it out, wouldn’t it be good to name names………I’ve got 36yrs of em, can’t say I’ve been permanently scarred by all the abuse (particularly sport directors) but there are a few bruises, I’ve gradually drifted away from OB’s over the last 16yrs for that reason however, these dudes seem to be in most areas of the industry, sadly we can’t always afford to avoid them.

Saied Hayder • I thank one film or documentary what it is, its visual come up director and Cameraman from both thinking. If director think I am the head person and everything is my credit its wrong. I think which director prefer to cameraman we can work with them.

Barbara J. Langdon • As a soap and sports operator, I’ve encountered this over the years and like Lester and Robert said at the beginning, for the most part you have to let it roll and ignore it. I did once, however, pull aside a soap director with a history in sports and told him that this was not a three hour sporting event and I would not listen to this for 12 hours. He was so shocked that it shut him up. I find that most people like this are bullies and bullies always back down when calmly confronted.

Kevin Beyer • I’ve been very fortunate to only encounter abusive headset language 2 or 3 times in 25 years. After a few minutes of the show, I waited for a time when there would be little camera switching going on and asked the director by name if something was wrong, if he was OK today. He asked why and I said something like “I’ve never heard anyone so angry on headsets before and was there anything I could do.” There was about 5 seconds of silence which is a very long time on a live show, and then a quick, “sorry guys” and the show went on much smoother and calmer.
The other time I knew the guy who was “pissing in our ears” was the same level as me and just told him to quit cursing, that it wasn’t productive with me and that we could talk about it after the show if he wanted and he stopped.
Like I said, I have been very lucky.

Craig Kelly • Great thread here David. I worked live sports for over 25 years and it seems like this was a common complaint back in the 70′s and 80′s – especially with network sports directors. The answer was always easy though – do your best, try to concentrate, don’t take it personally, forget about it and then laugh at them with your camera pals after the show. It eventually becomes great stories. Seems like the really good directors never needed to yell. I always thought the screamers were miserable people. I guess the beauty of it all was that, being free-lance, I didn’t have to work the next show they were on – but who wouldn’t have wanted to be on those shows? They were always the best TV shows. What did I care if some egomaniac was ranting and raving? It was a rite of passage.
The real problem though was when a director that did not command any respect tried to act like they did. Then it seems like they were just demanding respect. Funny thing about working live network sports is that after them, everything else seems so pleasant – usually.
As I transitioned into the concert and corporate world it all got different – and better. Although there still are pools of misery out there, it’s harder when the client is so close at hand to throw a

Alexander Aurichio • I’ve worked with a few directors and TD’s like that. I generally just hold my tongue and let it roll off my back. I’m rarely the one getting yelled at anyway. Some people take it personally but I don’t. Directing is stressful and everyone deals with that stress differently. Most of those directors have come up and thanked me for a great job at the end of the

Gary Scovil • I have been in the position of being TD or director on such shoots and it can be extremely frustrating when someone does something really stupid.

Marty Miller • I have worked with directors like this. When directors berate anyone on the crew, it sets a bad tone for the production. Consequently, the overall production suffers because you are not getting maximum results because everyone is waiting for the next outburst.
I am Directing a very intense telecast every week. When mistakes happen, and they will, I explain what the camera person did wrong and move forward. I then discuss the situation following e telecast individually with the person. If he person continues to make mistakes, I will

OK, there you have some different responses to the question. As always, learn from those of us that have gone before you. Take the input, add your own feelings, think about the possible consequences ad decide how you want to handle it.

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to join us on the LinkedIn TV Camera Operator discussion group, make comments here or even pass this on to your new camera pals or send me a note at zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com

The future of Television has arrived and it’s not finished – are you ready for it? As newcomers to the industry you should be ready, because you need to be able to adapt to changes in gear, production methods, budgets, job expectations and more. Those who sit back on their hands and declare “I am one” have lost their competitiveness, their value as a cameraman, their edge and their ability to grow.

When I started my own career in Television (last century) I heard about the camera ops that were masters at changing turret lenses during a live show. These were various focal lengths, prime lenses (no zoom) that were mounted on a spinning wheel of sorts that the operator had to physically rotate into place in order to use. Imagine operating a camera during a baseball game and at the crack of the bat following the ball as it shoots high in the air and into the outfield. Now, also imagine, that in the middle of the arc of the ball away from you, you needed to reach up in front of your gigantic studio camera and rotate a wheel and lock in a specific focal length lens – while you are still following the ball! If you watch old, live, televised sporting events you will see one of these changes every once in awhile and it is amazing! These were pioneers in live TV broadcasting – and my hat goes off to them. I’m still in awe of their abilities and how good they were – They had to be – that was all they had – no zoom lenses. I wasn’t around to see them, but I am guessing that the early zoom lenses were pretty crude. You can only imagine what their viewfinders must have looked like.

What if the cameraman of those days was present when the usage of the zoom lens began? Would he have complained about how the new gear wasn’t what they had always used? How about the changes in cameras from black and white to color – didn’t that change the game too? Here are a few more changes I could think of;

• ¾” U-Matic video recording allowed portable field-recording and was a game-changer in the world of news coverage. Yes, film was still used for some stories but the bulk of the assignments were covered by video crews – now called ENG crews or, Electronic News Gathering” crews.
• Not long after that came the use for commercial or production projects and those crews were often called “Electronic Field Production” or EFP crews. The good news during this change was that it added a person to the crew – the tape op who carried the gear, ran sound (or, I should say, plugged in the mic) changed tapes and generally carried anything heavy – I know because I did that on many occasions.
• Betacam eliminated the field Tape-Op position.
• HDV put pseudo HD into the hands of nearly anyone.
• P2 cards and other file based systems have turned camera operators into data wranglers.
• Remote heads took away grip work.
• Robotic controls allow for one operator to operate multiple cameras.
• Better clamps and hardware allow for great angles never doable before.
• POV cameras allow for TV shows to be shot in taxi cabs.
• Now we have still cameras that shoot high resolution video.

 

As I have done many times, I posed this question to hundreds of video/Television professional in the free TV Camera Operators group on Linked In;

Has the global economy required us to re-look at what works? Has price over-ridden everything? Let me know what you think, how you adapt and where you see this going.

J. Roberts • The one thing technological advancements will never replace is talent. If you have a skill no one else can match then the way you create images should never be an issue. Don’t concentrate on how it is laid down on media; improve your skills in lighting, composition, color, concept and design. If you have the skill and make pretty pictures how you capture it shouldn’t matter, it can always be converted. Be aware of the new processes, learn the technology, pick which format works best for you and get to work perfecting your abilities. I started out cutting film and audio tape with a razor blade and today the editing software still uses a blade but it just works a little different. I went kicking and screaming through the advancements until I realized, no matter what, I still had a skill that could easily be adapted to the new technologies. Learn the basics and you can operate any camera or media capture system. After 33 years I still learn something new every day but that doesn’t mean I have to like it or roll over and accept it. Feel confident that you know more than the marketing people are trying to shove down your throat!

Jim Conrad • Despite the inevitable deluge of comments re: “what a travesty,” etc, the simple fact is that change has historically displaced professions. None of us would gladly accept the proposal that we should return to horse-drawn carriages because it would restore employment to whip manufacturing. The rate of change, however, has probably never seemed so nakedly provocative to us. Yes, the perception of quality has shifted (& continues to shift) to the bottom line. For staffers, this means a greater DAILY effort to justify their presence. As for freelancers?

Freelance has always meant a series of (hopefully) overlapping engagements, preferably long-term. Increasingly, it also means heightened resourcefulness, perception, and resilience – adaptive traits for living in a desert environment.

Terry Simpson • I second all of Jay’s and Jim’s comments! One addition: ALWAYS be ready to embrace the changes in gear (and personnel) and you will be more employable. The first time you work as a shooter for someone and don’t know how to offload data to a laptop is when Producers and assistant producers and even PA’s start to solidify their claim on part of the workflow.

I thrived during the change from the time we used to bring an engineer to every high-end video shoot by reading WFM, and operating CCU’s & paint-boxes. And, as a lighting DP it gave me the control I wanted over the image–and ultimately made my life easier (better than fighting for contrast and modeling with old-time TV engineers). Embrace the change. Although, admittedly, grousing can be fun sport, I find that I can’t make a living with it….

John DuMontelle • I got an early jump on adjusting to changing technology. My first year was spent shooting a CP16 film camera for a small Texas CBS affiliate. Then they moved to that Handy Looky camera…which reminded me more of a Saltine Cracker box with a lens on one end and a cable to a shoulder slung recorder. Not to mention the screw on ND filter you needed to remember to use outside…an early lesson in remembering about white balance! LOL those early lessons in “adapting’ have helped me continue to make a living doing what I love!

What does all of this mean for the new camera operators? It means you need to pick up the pace in your learning. Find a way to get your hands on one of the new pieces of equipment. In fact, find everything you can and learn about it inside and out. If you end up having a long career, you just might be called upon to use your knowledge about that at some time. The other thing is, the more you know about the total process, the better project citizen you’ll be. I used to have an instructor that told us that we should try to have as many tools in our bag to do any job. If we did then we would be more valuable. It certainly worked for me. I traveled many places and as a free-lancer because I knew how to switch, mix audio, be a VO and run tape. Change is good.

Ok, that’s it again. As always, feel free to comment, complain, disagree or pass this info on to someone new. I can be reached at Zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com. Please feel free to join our Linked IN group called TV Camera Operators – it’s free so why not?

I recently posted a list of tongue-in-cheek questions regarding what to first do when you step up to operate a studio, or long lens for the first time. I was trying to solicit advice for someone that is brand new and was getting their very 1^st lesson in the studio. Having said that, I can’t think of anyone assigning you to operate a camera until you were well trained. I definitely would not touch it if I was not well versed in the operation of it.

Here was the question I posed;

If you have never operated a studio / hard camera before, what would be the very 1st thing to do when you step up to it? (Remember, this is for new operators)

Should you;
a) Set your cup of coffee on the lens
b) Grab the handles and start panning and tilting
c) Push any buttons you can find
d) Take off the lens cap
e) Unlock the pan head
f) Blow into the headset mic

Everyone has their routine that they follow as they are setting up their own equipment for operation. You will eventually get into your own routine to check and double check yourself. And as you start your warm-up exercises, you will adjust and fine-tune everything. Why? Because as you start using the equipment, movement, vibration and use will cause settings to change, knobs to loosen and locks to back off, etc.

In regards to the question of what to do first though, here are the 1^st four things I do when I step up to a camera;

• Check the headset mic and turn it off if it was on – seriously. Nothing is more annoying to the rest of the crew than an open headset mic.
• Check all of the locks, knobs, feet, etc – in general, the mounting gear. I don’t care who set up the gear, make sure it’s all safe.
• Hold on to the camera pan handle tightly and unlock the pan head and loosen the pan drag, or friction, controls.
• Roughly adjust the tilt balance – then lock the tilt controls (you will fine tune pan and tilt adjustments as you practice)

OK, so back to the answers from global camera ops that are members of the Linked IN group called TV Camera Operators;

Kim Buck – Pennsylvania/USA

• I think most new cam ops would pick C but that’s a bad idea. The best thing to do is to read the manual and find someone who knows something about the camera to help you out.

Gary Zietlow – Los Angeles/USA

• Ask someone how to unlock the pan head, set the focus and zoom handles so they are comfortable and practice. Get used to which way is near and far on the focus handle and likewise for the zoom, then practice some more. See the whole frame and not just the center. Think “composition”.

Phil Beard – Portland, OR/USA

• I think Kim is on the right track, find someone who has run a hard camera before. They can show you the do’s and don’ts and more important the whys and hows. Way to make us think Craig! Now let me get back to my coffee, where did I leave it? Maybe on top of a 86x lens???

 

Jeremy Rothman – Boston/USA

• Listen! You are the eyes and hands of a TD telling you what to do. Don’t get distracted by what’s going on and pay attention to what you’re being told to shoot…..and don’t forget to lock down the camera when they call for meal break.

 

Yvonne Wallace – Detroit/USA

• White balance, keep out of the lights, zoom in focus, prepare your shot get ready for the yelling!

 

J. Roberts – Seattle/USA

• The first thing you should do is wonder why they picked you to run this camera if you have never done it before. If you don’t know how to work a camera from set up to composition don’t claim to be a cameraperson. Make sure you learn the whole system before you accept a job that requires a skill you don’t posses. There are many opportunities to learn. When the “veterans” are out having coffee, sitting around telling everyone how good they were or out to lunch grab a camera and figure it out. If someone complains about that they are probably worried you will have their job soon. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and never assume everything is set up for you. People will notice if you are willing to learn and honest about your abilities. You are only as good as your last performance.

 

Allan Coy – Sydney/Australia

• From the multiple choice answers provided you would have to be (e) followed by (b).. Getting the feel for the camera your about to use would have to be at the top of that list.

I would start by making sure they understand the lingo, in terms of camera moves etc.. Then sound out there technical knowledge of operating a camera and how it works (everyone will be different). Give them with some basic walk through of the duties they could be asked to perform and then provide some written material for them to take home for more in depth learning.

 

Wolfgang Isenhart – Seattle/USA

• Don’t touch it! It might bite you! Make sure the red light is off before you touch it. Or it will bite you.

 

David Bialik – Bellingham/USA

• a. The first thing the Broadcast Engineer does just before he/she begins work.
b. Is what airline pilots do their first time in the air.
c. The Technical Directors job.
d. Is always a good idea if ever you want to see through the lens.
e. Can be followed with unlocking the tilt and checking to see if the camera is balanced on the tripod head.
f. “Blow in my ear and I’ll follow you anywhere” was funny on Laugh-In, just not on headsets.

 

Steven Baker – Seattle/USA

• I think J had the best answer so far. Wonder who will heed his advice?

 

Paul Thompson – Seattle/USA

• If you don’t know how to operate the camera then don’t touch it. if you are going to go for it anyway.
-ask how to put the camera together
-pack the camera cases to the right location
-set the tri pod to your height
-put the panhead on
-level the head
-put the camera head on the pan head
-put the lens on the camera
-connect pan handles and cables
-balance the camera on the pan head
-make sure the camera is not to high or to low depending how tall you are
-if it’s to high or to low to operate then take it apart and start over
-connect camera cable
-plug in your head set making sure that it is turned off before you do so
-then be ready for the director to start yelling at you (cam-1 you are never going to work in this town again)

 

Darrell Prowse – Seattle/USA

• Number one… and this just happened to me yesterday on a new camera…. how do you turn it on? (In my case, is was a big rotary dial that had a number of features.) Then for a new operator, the difference between the locks and the drags and how to properly use them. Nothing irks me as much as having a flat spot where someone improperly used the drags to lock down a camera.

 

Keeth Lawrence – Los Angeles/USA

• My 2 cents…Locate Craft Services…get breakfast and coffee.
Locate your 1st Asst, Asst, Utility, whatever you call them, and insure that the camera has been set up and ready to go.
If you have any questions, ask them…they are experts at setting up and how controls, menus, and other mysterious items work.
If you have ever operated ANY camera before, you will have no problems. Do the rental car agencies ask you “have you ever driven this make/model car before? No. If you can drive a Ford, you can drive a Chevy. It’s just a matter of control placements….

 

Mat Kelly – Tacoma/USA

• Don’t blow into the headset, please.

 

Andrea Altgayer – Johannesburg/South Africa

• Hahahahaha! If you are working in a studio, make sure that the cable is plugged into the wall unit:) Then, switching it on would be a good start!:) Look for the button that says “On/Off”! That’s the one! Always begin at the beginning!
Now, if you are working in a studio environment, you will have to set up for the white balance that will be done by the vision controller. See, if you are in a studio, you will mostly be using cold lights, so a white balance has to be done, otherwise everyone will look like a Smurf or The Cookie Monster. Not a good look! You do this by pointing the camera at something that is pure white, zoom in, and, ta-da, defocus! When the white balance is done, take away the white board/poly or whatever you use, and then, ta-da, shoot!

OK, great answers from around the globe and thank you to all of those camera ops that answered. Watch for more global insights as this site develops.

Is anyone reading this? Anyone have any comments or smarmy  responses? If so, make them here in the comment box or email me at ZoomIT.cam@craigjkelly.com. Also find me on twitter as Camera Coach and Face book at http://www.facebook.com/CamCoach.

Tell your friends, make comments – let me know you were here

Check out the newest edition of Worship Musician Magazine HERE for an article about the VO first included here on this site.

So, you no doubt have heard me rant a bit about cameramen who get attacked while doing their jobs covering public events lately. I find it unbelievable that anyone covering a sporting event should have to worry about intentional harm. Of course, the occasional accidents are to be expected. After all, we’re putting ourselves in the field of play and the players can’t be expected to hold back just because there are people in the way. It’s the risk we take, right? In most situations it’s up to all of us not to impede, restrict, bother or distract the players or participants in an event. But I wondered if it was usual for other ops to get hit while working and asked if anyone knew of or was part of an incident while working. I posed this question in the LinkedIn group TV Camera Operators recently and got a few responses;

Jim Conrad • Was probably when Kenny Rogers attacked Larry Rodriguez (not to be confused w/tech dir also based here in DFW) &Dave Mammeli in 05. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2097491

Settled out of court eventually; search DallasObserver.com for cached followup story a yr or two later. Injuries substantial for Rodriguez; not so for Dave M. I know Dave…the boy’s bulletproof.

David Bialik • ESPN’s top 10 cameramen hits can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XnnOSiSvg4

Includes Kenny Rogers & Belcher venting their frustration and letting their self inflated egos get in the way of clear thinking.

I’ve been plowed into by College, Pro & amateur athletes and referees but never on purpose. One of those accidents happened at a Husky Football game getting national coverage, I was proud to take one for the team. The camera took one too and was down for the rest of the game…I should have protected it better while flying through the air.

Craig Kelly • Hey David, as a hand-held shooter, I was plowed into all the time too – kind of a badge of honor and great for the replays, right? On sideline cart-camera it seems I was the dangerous one to everyone on the sidelines and long lens was prone to foul balls and broken bats in the low base positions, but I never had anyone come at me intentionally either. Not sure what I would have done.

I belong to the Guild of Television Cameramen (a UK based group) and the GTC’s Alison Chapman recently wrote something in their newsletter that I thought was great.

Here it is;

Red card offence? Cameramen under attack on the football pitch

Published by Alison Chapman on 19 April 2011

We’re all aware of the risks cameramen take when they undertake certain assignments and contracts – working in war zones and covering riots, climatic disasters and so on – but time was that turning up to cover a football match on a Saturday afternoon wouldn’t have been considered particularly high risk.

Well, think again. In two recent high profile cases, both as it happens involving Manchester United players, cameramen have through no fault of their own found themselves centre stage in well reported incidents where players have in different ways abused professionals going about the job of covering football action and immediate post-match incidents.

When Wayne Rooney infamously chose to celebrate a long-awaited hat trick by swearing down the lens of the touchline camera tasked with picking up the goal celebration at West Ham earlier this month, the club chose to base their case against the two-match ban imposed on the player on the fact that the cameraman had come too close, meaning that the microphone picked up swearing that would otherwise have been mute. Hmmm, if that were the case, let’s hope there weren’t any lip readers watching the game. Unfortunately for United, it seems the FA weren’t convinced and the two-match ban was upheld.

In that incident, some controversy that the cameraman could probably have done without surrounded him for a while, but no real damage resulted as far as we are aware. The next incident – not completely unrelated as we will see – was potentially much more serious and could well have resulted in physical injury.

In a post-match argument between Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United and David Platt of Manchester City, during which the United defender squared up to the City coach after this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, a camera operator working for the facilities company covering the game and quite legitimately framing up a shot of the incident, is shoved away by goalkeeper Van der Sar, resulting in the camera being manhandled off his shoulder. Luckily no injury resulted but surely this amounts to an assault on a professional merely doing his job? If you haven’t seen the incident – and it’s not easy to as the FA keep removing it from YouTube – you can watch it at:

http://www.balls.ie/2011/04/16/watch-van-der-sar-shove-a-cameraman-to-protect-rio/

If Van de Sar does choose to apologize to the cameraman in question, presumably it will go something along the lines of ‘emotions were running high’ which seems to have become the stock line, featuring in both Rooney’s public apology for his f-words and Ferdinand’s public apology on Twitter for his lack of control after the semi-final.

The interesting connection is that presumably Van de Sar’s desire to get the camera out of the way goes back to that ‘if the camera hadn’t been so near, you wouldn’t have been able to hear the swear words’ … which led to the two-match ban … which meant that Wayne Rooney wasn’t able to play in the semi-final … which United then lost to arch rivals City. Emotions were probably very definitely running high! Presumably the last thing Manchester United want is for Ferdinand to collect a ban just as they strive to secure the two trophies they still have a chance of lifting after Saturday’s defeat. So, the best thing might have seemed ‘in the heat of the moment’ to take out the mic that might wreak further damage.

OK, so things happen in the heat of the moment – but is an apology enough? Surely, cameramen and camerawoman turning up to provide pictures of a high profile football match have the right to be safe while doing their job – just as all footballers are protected by the laws of the game from other players willfully causing injury to them by malicious or even clumsy tackles – and certainly from any kind of off-the-ball violence which will automatically result in a red card and varying degrees of ban.

Any input on this? If so, please make comments here or email me at zoomit.cam@craigjkelly.com. As mentioned here, the Guild of Television Cameramen is a great resource for information and observation. Contact them for membership details. Don’t forget too that you can join the LinkedIN group called TV Camera Operators – It’s free!

OK, I think I’m done now about this.

Remember the kid in gym class wearing black socks? I think my veteran associates in the industry will all agree that learning how to over / under cables is extremely important and you eventually you will be judged, criticized, mocked and made fun of if you don’t learn how to do it right – just like that kid. Maybe not enough to send them to the nurses office crying, but the thought could very well be that “if they can’t even coil a coax cable, how could they possible run a camera?

Last time we talked about gaff tape in my mini boot camp for beginners. I think the second most important and basic thing to know on the job site is how to over / under cables after a shoot or show. Every industry has its own standards as far as coiling cables go. I think of the construction industry and the sound industry as just a couple of examples. The TV industry has its own cable coiling standard and don’t expect it to work anywhere else. From what have seen, it’s unique to our business.

By choosing this subject, I actually chose something that I cannot think of how to write a description of – but I can talk about it in a few ways;

• It is one of those skill requirements that everyone on the crew knows how to do – probably in their sleep.
• Find someone who will show you how to do it properly and then practice, and then keep on practicing.
• Learn how to do it fast, accurately, at different loop sizes, with different diameter cables, standing and with large cable laid out on the floor.
• Get fast and accurate at doing it.

Here’s a very useful tip; when you are about to use a cable that has been wrapped in an over / under style, make sure you carefully look at which side of the bundle the connector you are playing out is NOT being passed through the center of the bundle. If you do, you will be guaranteed to cause a series of knots in the cable running the full length of the cable over and over again. And just in case you don’t know – loops are not cool, so you will have to get them all out.

Two things come to mind as I think about coiling cables; the real importance of coiling them correctly is that when it comes to using them the next time, they are easily usable and ready to be strung out. Secondly, it is a consistent and standard method so that they are always done the same – industry-wide.

Here are a couple of observations from the TV Camera Operator group on Linked in about the importance of the basics of TV;

J. Roberts – Everything about the basics is important. If you don’t know about how it works and what makes your job complete then you can’t continue to learn. The art of our art is understanding you will never learn it all. Because of the fast paced changing world of technology you can’t learn it all. There is no substitute for experience. Get off you dead butt and work on every project you can whether you are getting paid or not. If you want to make it in any business you have to know how to sweep the floors and clean the windows before you can run a successful business. If you think you are not running a business by working for yourself or as a freelancer then you are never going to advance. Our business is very competitive and there are many very experienced people out there willing to take any job, even yours. Don’t let that happen learn, learn and learn some more. Is over/under important, not until you take the cable out the next time. Just hope it isn’t your boss that unravels it, if you didn’t over/under. Always work hard and quit bitching about 12 hour days. I walked 2 miles in the snow to get to a job once, I really did. So, as my dad used to say, “You have two ears and one mouth, listen twice as much as you talk and do what is asked until you have mastered the task.” Old guys do have a lot to offer. You should sit down with experience and listen to the stories; they are not only educational but entertaining and true!

Robin Farrell - In my education and experience, it’s extremely important. Not so much for in-the-moment situations, when you may be trying to break down quickly, but for the longevity of the cables, to extend their lifetime and use as much as possible. At the Performing Arts Summer Program for which I work each year (www.socapa.org) it usually takes frequent reminders to get the students to remember to practice this technique; but it’s often their first time working with any of the equipment and they eventually remember on their own.

Here’s another insight into this over /under conversation; don’t expect that anyone in your family will understand or take the time to learn how to over / under the weed-eater cable, the hose or anything else around the house – it’s a lost cause.

Also, you will find that there are cable reels out there that some departments like to use. Although they are big and bulky, they are useful in keeping cables neat for storage – especially big, bulky power cables.

Thanks J and Robin – and everyone else who contribute their comments and opinions here and on the Linked in group site. This is a great resource for new ops and volunteers, and is even better when there are contributions from all of you vets out there. Thanks again……cjk