Archive for January, 2012
CAMERAMAN
Reflecting on becoming a professional cameraman or camerawoman in the film industry? Then you will need to know what exactly do you plan for this career in the near future. The word “cameraman” can apply both to the actual camera operator and to the cinematographer. Between the two, it is the cinematographer that carries more responsibility with his job duties, therefore, gets compensated more than a camera operator. The cinematographer is responsible in the long run for each shot of a film, and must be competent in areas such as lighting, the use of perspective, color palettes, and many other complex concepts. You may be contemplating you need to attend a traditional film school in order to become a cinematographer, given its highly technical demands, but some of the most celebrated cinematographers in the film business never did attend film school. They are inclined to come more from the ranks of the “indie” film scene, however many of them have crossed over to mainstream success. Though he has ultimately found his highest acclaim as a director, Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich”, “Adaptation”) taught himself the craft of cinematography by experimenting on his own filming his fellow skateboarders while still a teenager. He has helmed the camera on many projects, sometimes doing double duty as director as well. This simply tells us that formal training at a traditional film school is not obligatory if one wishes to be either a cinematographer or a cameraman. When you attend traditional film schools, you can be sure of getting access to camera equipment plus additional technical training; however, the kind of experience you get when working at an actual film set is crucial compared to this stuff, “Ivory Tower” approach to the art and craft. If you want a real head start, you should seek out an alternative or non-traditional film program that puts less emphasis on book learning but instead emphasize on street smarts. Such programs may have you working on a film set from day one, letting you be taught as you go. There are even some programs that provide one-on-one mentoring relationship with an experienced cinematographer or cameraman, which may be very helpful not just as a source of knowledge, but in addition as a source of connections because after the program, your coach is likely to have a great deal of contacts in the film industry that may turn out to be helpful when you set out there on your own.