Cameraman (Cameraman)
Information on this skill...
A cameraman or camerawoman is someone who operates a camera or video camera and makes recordings. The profession of cameraman is a versatile profession and is rarely boring. Nowadays, quite a few cameramen work as independent entrepreneurs, who then have their own production company and rent themselves out to various clients. For example, it can happen that a cameraman carries out assignments independently and the next time he is working for a well-known television broadcaster. The fact that there are quite a lot of independent entrepreneurs active among the cameramen is mainly because the possibilities as a cameraman have increased considerably in recent years. For example, there are more and more companies that hire a professional cameraman to have a company film made. Most cameramen can carry out these types of assignments completely independently. Think, for example, of making recordings, editing recordings and editing films. To be able to take good pictures, a cameraman uses a professional camera. A camera is an optical device that can capture moving image and sound. Modern cameras work electronically and can be quite complex in terms of settings and control options. The profession of cameraman can be regarded as a beautiful profession, in which you are responsible for different types of recordings and productions. Think, for example, of recording documentaries, films, soap operas and recording your own productions. Depending on the recordings, a cameraman will also have to deal with a sound man, actors or reporters. As a cameraman, you generally work a lot at different locations. The profession of cameraman is a fairly popular profession among audiovisual enthusiasts.
A cameraman therefore works within the audiovisual sector and can work for various clients. In most cases, as a cameraman, you have to deal with various professionals during your work, such as a recording director or a director, who will largely determine how certain shots should be recorded. The editing of camera images will in many cases be carried out by a special editor. This usually depends on the type of assignment, because a cameraman can sometimes be responsible for this himself. For larger recordings, such as a film recording or within television broadcasters, special editors are usually appointed who edit the images for the cameraman. Working as a cameraman has been changing in recent years, because in television studios, for example, there are camera robots, which are operated without a cameraman behind the camera. These types of cameras are operated from the control room by a cameraman or by another specialist. Incidentally, it is not the case that the profession is dying out, because cameramen are still very important. Especially for outdoor shots, such as for a reportage or a film recording, the cameramen are indispensable, because these activities cannot be carried out by a robot.
WORKING AS A CAMERAMAN
The profession of cameraman can therefore be regarded as a versatile profession, in which you can work in different ways. It is not the case that cameramen only work within a production studio, because cameramen work a lot in the field. Think, for example, of making film recordings of a concert or making recordings of a theater performance. A cameraman usually works with a team of other specialists, such as one or more sound people, lighting technicians and presenters. As a cameraman, you are therefore part of a larger team of specialists, who together make the recordings possible. The sound engineer takes care of the sound recording, the lighting technician for the right lighting, the presenter presents the story and the cameraman provides the right images for the story. The working hours as a cameraman are often irregular and sometimes it happens that you take pictures abroad. In that case, you can, for example, make recordings together with a correspondent.
WHAT DOES A CAMERAMAN DO
A cameraman is essentially responsible for making audiovisual productions. In addition, a cameraman can be responsible for drawing up a shooting plan and working out various concepts together with the shooting director or director. It is not the case that all cameramen have to deal with a rotation plan, because this can differ per assignment. Especially for news reporting, there is usually no question of a rotation plan. In that case, a cameraman will make recordings at his own discretion. Selecting the right images and editing and editing the recordings can also be the responsibility of the cameraman. Other important activities of a cameraman are maintaining the audiovisual equipment, archiving visual material and registering the rights of use. Selecting special shooting locations can also be part of the work of a cameraman. As described earlier, a cameraman can also work with a documentary maker.
WHAT DOES A CAMERAMAN DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A CAMERAMAN
To be able to work as a cameraman or camerawoman, there are various levels of education that you can follow. Also at MBO level there is a special direction for the profession of cameraman, namely the training cameraman AV production at level four. After that, it is best to choose a higher professional education, such as at the Netherlands Film Academy. With only the MBO education, the chances of finding a job as a cameraman are slim. The Netherlands Film Academy offers various directions, such as camera/light, production, directing, production design, sound design, editing and interactive media. Depending on the chosen direction, you can become a cameraman or, for example, director, recording director, editor or screenwriter. The training to become a cameraman will generally take four years. The hbo training to become a cameraman is certainly not an easy course and requires a lot of perseverance and independence. In order to be admitted to the Netherlands Film Academy, an intake interview will usually be held, in which you must clearly motivate why the programme suits you. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A CAMERAMAN CAN WORK
A cameraman can work for different companies. Think, for example, of a cameraman who works for a television broadcaster or program maker. In addition, a cameraman can work for an advertising agency. As described earlier, there are now quite a lot of cameramen who have to be classified as entrepreneurs. In that case, the name film production specialist may also apply. Self-employed cameramen can rent themselves out as freelancers and/or make their own productions for various clients. In addition, a cameraman can also work with regard to daily soap operas that are broadcast on television.
COMPETENCES CAMERAMAN
The most important competence of a cameraman is the all-round knowledge of technology. This is because cameras and other audiovisual equipment is quite complex. In addition, a cameraman must have a lot of creativity, flexibility, perseverance, inspiration and motivation. Good communication skills should not be lacking as a cameraman, because you will usually work together with different craftsmen. If you work as an entrepreneur, networking can also be regarded as an important competence. Networking is important to be able to get in touch with the right people and possible clients. Generally important words are independence, cooperation, stress resistance, insight, passion, performance, planning and organizing.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A CAMERAMAN
The labour market perspective of a cameraman is generally fairly good. It is true that quite a lot of cameramen work as freelancers and work for various clients. Getting a job at a regional or national television broadcaster is no longer easy these days. These are often cameramen who have a lot of experience and have worked their way up. This does not alter the fact that the labour market perspective of a cameraman can be called fairly good. A cameraman can work in different ways nowadays. The career opportunities of a cameraman should be seen in being allowed to record important productions or starting his own film production company. Starting your own YouTube channel with special productions can also be seen as growing within your career.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY CAMERAMAN
There are no specific employment conditions for a cameraman to indicate, because the employment conditions will be too different per employer. When you work as an independent cameraman, you naturally determine your own terms of employment. The salary of a cameraman can vary greatly per cameraman, because the salary is usually highly dependent on your experience, fame and quality as a cameraman. In addition, other factors also have a major influence on your salary, such as where do you have to film and whether or not expense allowances are added. A cameraman who films in a war zone for his work will of course receive extra premiums for his dangerous work. A cameraman in paid employment usually earns between 1800 and 3800 euros gross per month, depending on his age, experience, work and fame. An independently working cameraman with his own production company usually works for a fixed fee per project, and can earn more than in paid employment with sufficient assignments. It is true that there are relatively many production companies to be found and the competition can therefore be large as a cameraman.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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