How Do I Hire a Professional Camera Operator?

Professional camera operators provide essential functions in video production including various technical equipment operations required to ensure footage is captured. Everything from capturing various scenes to the operation of all sorts of technical camera equipment including single and portable cameras, electronic camera systems, and remote-control camera units, is handled by the camera operator. This is an absolutely vital role in the production that acts as the next in line to the Director when it comes to achieving the creative vision of the production.

Hiring a professional camera operator ensures the appropriate look and coordinated shooting of your production. Camera operators are experts in working with the Director to carry out the creative vision of the project through camera focus, motion, and associated camera angles that can be used to bring the creative vision to life.

Key Qualities of a Camera Operator

Before hiring any camera operator, you need to take steps to ensure they have proper credentials and experience to deliver on their promises. Talent is vital at this stage in the game, and any camera operator will say they are talented, it’s up to you to make sure that you’re checking their work!

Ask for samples or a showreel from the camera operator to get a good feel for their expertise and skill.

Pay close attention to:

• Camera movement tracking and the quality of the footage when capturing motion. A camera operator should be able to properly frame the movement throughout the shot without appearing sloppy or otherwise disheveled. If the cameraman cannot capture motion clearly and effectively, you probably want to move on and consider hiring someone else.
• The clarity of the shots that are produced. Capturing clear, focused shots is the primary role of a camera operator’s position on the film crew.
• How the shots tell the story. Well filmed shots will naturally move within the scene. A great camera operator will achieve well-focused shots that clearly deliver the visual story.

Questions to Ask Potential Camera Operator Candidates

As you review the showreels and come across some potential camera operators that provide you with quality footage, the next step is to consider further questions that will help you to decide whether a particular camera operator is a right choice for your project.

Consider asking the following:

• What days and hours are you available to shoot? Are you available on holidays? What about night hours between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.? (Be sure to ask about hours that are most important to your own project needs.)
• What skills are most important to your job? (You’re looking for them to answer something relative to clarity, focus, and motion capture as all are vital to a camera operator role)
• What are the top two ways that you focus your camera lens? ( the goal of this question is to get an understanding of whether they are fully aware of their techniques and skills or if they are still trying to learn))
• What angles can a shot be achieved from? (again, you’re looking for details about their job and to prove that they know what they’re doing. A great camera operator should be able to discuss their techniques and tasks in layman’s terms)
• Have you ever been in a position where you disagreed with your director, and if so, what did you do? (here you’re looking for details that help you to learn whether the camera operator is a team player or not and how likely they are to work well with the director, not work against the director)

Ready to hire a professional camera operator for your production? Beverly Boy Productions works around the world to provide professional camera crews for projects of all kinds. Give us a call!