studio camera help
- Thread starter nextwave
- Start date
- Status
texshooter
Well-known member
S
<STUDIO CAMERAMAN>
Guest
I switched from "News" to "Studio Cameraman"
several years ago without regrets.
Don't let anybody snowball you into believing
that operating a studio camera does not take
skill. To be "good" it takes a LOT of skill.
You are listening to commands from the director
over the headsets while there is a lot happening
in front of you. A "studio" cameraman is the closest that you will come to "shooting movies".
He is the one who shoots the entertainment
specials, the parades, sporting events, CONCERTS,
commercials, PSA's, and public affairs shows.
They are the ones who work with the big 55-foot
production trucks on location. The GREAT camera
operators can join he union and do sitcoms and
specials. Personally, I am a freelance camera
operator and have shot everything from music
videos, to awards shows, to dramatic series.
You will start out "small" until you get up to
speed on the equipment. You will do newscasts
and promos. The pay will not be good at first.
But in time the pay can be great.
($200-$550 per DAY). More if you move into
"JimmyJib" work.
No, it's not for everyone. Some have tried it
and quit. Some have gone into news.
several years ago without regrets.
Don't let anybody snowball you into believing
that operating a studio camera does not take
skill. To be "good" it takes a LOT of skill.
You are listening to commands from the director
over the headsets while there is a lot happening
in front of you. A "studio" cameraman is the closest that you will come to "shooting movies".
He is the one who shoots the entertainment
specials, the parades, sporting events, CONCERTS,
commercials, PSA's, and public affairs shows.
They are the ones who work with the big 55-foot
production trucks on location. The GREAT camera
operators can join he union and do sitcoms and
specials. Personally, I am a freelance camera
operator and have shot everything from music
videos, to awards shows, to dramatic series.
You will start out "small" until you get up to
speed on the equipment. You will do newscasts
and promos. The pay will not be good at first.
But in time the pay can be great.
($200-$550 per DAY). More if you move into
"JimmyJib" work.
No, it's not for everyone. Some have tried it
and quit. Some have gone into news.
I
imported_blank
Guest
I agree with the above poster. I'd just like to add one thing. Running studio cameras on proper studio pos/peds is like no other experience. Performing smooth hydraulic moves (not just tilts and pans) is one thing that separates good studio cameramen from just EFP guys 
. I'm not talking about "JimmyJib" I'm talking just high end studio hydraulic pods.
. I'm not talking about "JimmyJib" I'm talking just high end studio hydraulic pods.
S
<Studio cam op>
Guest
I am also a studio camera operator and I will definitely agree that you have to be capable of listening to many different people at the same time. You have the director calling out your shots and also the anchors talking to you and sometimes complaining to you about things that you cannot control. Always listen to your director first. The anchors may try to tell you how to do your job but if they have a problem they should talk to your director. You have to be good at getting your shot set (camera location, focus, etc.) in a matter of seconds, especially when a story is dropped at the last second. It is the perfect job for me right now since I am in college. I work at the school station during the week and the local ABC station on the weekends.
B
<Been there>
Guest
Here's the best advice I can give you:
1. Camera makes and models aren't as important as your talent, eye for good shots, and most importantly - the ability to save the director's ass when in a bind.
2. Make it a point to educate yourself Re: how to run automated cameras. Learn the Parkervision system, which is swiftly replacing studio ops across the country. Better yet, have another skill on the side, such as editing, etc. just to cover your ass.
1. Camera makes and models aren't as important as your talent, eye for good shots, and most importantly - the ability to save the director's ass when in a bind.
2. Make it a point to educate yourself Re: how to run automated cameras. Learn the Parkervision system, which is swiftly replacing studio ops across the country. Better yet, have another skill on the side, such as editing, etc. just to cover your ass.
I
imported_blank
Guest
Sorry "been there", although "your talent" is very important your talent will mean almost nothing if the supplied tools are cheap pieces of crap.
In studio operations you need a good intercom system and you need a good line/preview system. But the most important tool is a good studio tripod/pedestal - I don't care how talented you are, if you use a regular ENG pod you will not be able to perform some of the moves needed for multi-cam studio work.Moves that every EFP ENG cameraman has to learn if he/she want to become a real studio-cam operater.
I have never done studio cam work for news but I have done many multi-cam remotes and non news studio shoots. Your communications, your line/preview and most import your pod/ped hydraulics all become a part of you. You just "CAN NOT" perform the moves without having good hydraulics.
"Your pedestal affects the quality of your work!"
Picture transmission needs to be first rate, even during vertical camera movement --- smooth, precise and jerk-free height adjustment. working in video studios right up to OB vans.
Just another opinion, that's all.
As to Parkervision replacing us, my advise is run - run as far away as possible and try to get hooked up with a remote crew agency that still depends on REAL PEOPLE running REAL CAMERA GEAR - unless you are into automated systems, that is OK too but then you really aren't a "CAMERAMAN" any longer - you become just another button pushing monkey.
Again - just another opinion, that's all.
O
<OLD TIMER>
Guest
"NEVER blame bad work on your
equipment"...the director doesn't
want to hear why that shot was
bumpy. Learn to do the best
with what you have. Always.
equipment"...the director doesn't
want to hear why that shot was
bumpy. Learn to do the best
with what you have. Always.
A
<A boss that cares>
Guest
If management supplies cheap improper gear not designed to perform certain moves - never accept the blame for not being able to correctly perform your duties properly.
There will always be cheap managers and bean counters like the above person claiming that you can perform any move with any equipment as long as you have so called talent. Never accept misleading statements like that...NEVER!
It is easy for management to blame the working grunt for not performing their duties correctly. But how is the poor worker suppose to perform his duties correctly when bean counters and managers neglect supplying proper tools needed for those duties??? When managers refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes you should do the best you can but NEVER EVER accept fault for their own neglect toward the final product NEVER!!!
There will always be cheap managers and bean counters like the above person claiming that you can perform any move with any equipment as long as you have so called talent. Never accept misleading statements like that...NEVER!
It is easy for management to blame the working grunt for not performing their duties correctly. But how is the poor worker suppose to perform his duties correctly when bean counters and managers neglect supplying proper tools needed for those duties??? When managers refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes you should do the best you can but NEVER EVER accept fault for their own neglect toward the final product NEVER!!!
cameragod
Well-known member
I worked for a start up station that thought they could save money and tried to use the reporters without a story to operate the studio cameras instead of letting them sit around doing nothing. (Sound like a familiar concept Michael R?) They thought it would be so easy to do but they still managed to come unstuck almost every night. What was worse was that they would do things like forget to unlock the head and so ruined the friction action on the ped’s making them almost impossible to use.
A good studio camera operator is worth their weight in gold.
Here is an exercise I was shown when I started. Try framing an object in one of the corners of the viewfinder then zoom in or out and ped up or down all the wile keeping the object steady in that corner. Not as easy as it sounds.
A good studio camera operator is worth their weight in gold.
Here is an exercise I was shown when I started. Try framing an object in one of the corners of the viewfinder then zoom in or out and ped up or down all the wile keeping the object steady in that corner. Not as easy as it sounds.
S
<Sycophant>
Guest
I was going to post something about this a few months ago.
One of the networks here put robotic cameras in their news studio. It's quite interesting, they have one operator who moves through a 'script' and controls all three cameras from a workstation on the floor.
I don't know what brand they chose, but apparently the control software has one fairly major bug in that you can't change pages until all the scheduled moves are complete. If you change before they are complete it will execute all the unexecuted moves in a row. This apparently caused some odd camera moves in the first few broadcasts.
I think they have got used to it more now.
Something odd I saw the otherday however was a Camera 2 doing a fairly swift right track to an opening 2 shot and stopping dead and tilting right, then stabilising. It looked like the ped may have hit a cable or something and started to tip. Very strange thing to see on air.
I was going to ask; how many other stations around the place have gone robotic for the news?
One of the networks here put robotic cameras in their news studio. It's quite interesting, they have one operator who moves through a 'script' and controls all three cameras from a workstation on the floor.
I don't know what brand they chose, but apparently the control software has one fairly major bug in that you can't change pages until all the scheduled moves are complete. If you change before they are complete it will execute all the unexecuted moves in a row. This apparently caused some odd camera moves in the first few broadcasts.
I think they have got used to it more now.
Something odd I saw the otherday however was a Camera 2 doing a fairly swift right track to an opening 2 shot and stopping dead and tilting right, then stabilising. It looked like the ped may have hit a cable or something and started to tip. Very strange thing to see on air.
I was going to ask; how many other stations around the place have gone robotic for the news?
R
<Robo-Op>
Guest
Mid-size (125ish) market with 3 news affils. One has three robos run by the director while switching. After the new directors learn how to balance all the tasks, everything goes pretty smoothly. Management loves them. They never call in sick. Both other affils run with live cam ops. One has three, the other has two unless one dies.
R
<Robo-Op>
Guest
Sorry, that sounds weird. I mean, unless the camera dies.
- Status