Do I need to join the union to succeed as an operator? The SOC? The ACO?
When I started out, I initially wasn't offered any union work, and made my living as a non-union operator doing music videos, commercials, and low-budget films. Over time, I started working on larger scale projects, and eventually joined Local 600 when 1) I had enough days to join, and 2) I was offered a lucrative union job that I needed to be affiliated with Local 600 to accept. Both of these things happened around the same time, so for me, the timing was a no-brainer.
In my opinion, if you are eligible to join the union, it's probably in your best interest to do so. Joining won't guarantee you union work, but it will mean that you're eligible to take union jobs when the phone rings. Union work typically pays more, the conditions are better, and the hours you work go towards health insurance benefits and building your retirement account.
I'm a proud member of the SOC, and while I appreciate all that goes with having the initials SOC behind my name in film/TV credits, I don’t believe it directly gets me work, or makes me any more appealing to a prospective employer. That being said, there are benefits to being a member such as educational workshops, and networking at the annual SOC Awards banquet. It isn’t essential to belong to the SOC to be a successful working camera operator, but for the low cost of membership dues, there isn’t a downside to it.
Union is a must if you want to work on bigger shows. You get some stuff for it but in the end I’m not sure if it is worth it beyond the access. SOC…meh.
Local 600, The International Cinematographers Union, is an important thing to belong to if you work in the US. I say that because outside of the US, Local 600 has no jurisdiction. For starters, the bigger and better shows in the US are all union so if you want on, you need to join. But you do get a lot for that even though you will hear people grumble. There is a defined minimum pay, you get health hours and when you accrue enough, health insurance which in comparison to others is pretty damn good. If there is a safety issue you can call and have someone come down to investigate and if necessary, shut a job down. For every union hour worked the employer must pay into. retirement fund for you. And there’s a lot more.
Now you will hear people grumble angrily about the local doing nothing etc etc and I think this is the case with all unions. I find that often when I ask if they have called a business rep to see if they can find an answer or help, the response is “no, they never do anything anyway.” Well guess what, if they you haven’t asked you won’t get help. I’ve personally experienced a great deal of help and support form the union and yes, sometimes the response has not been what I wanted, but that’s life.
So yes, joining the union in the US is important.
SOC and ACO are basically social organizations that have events and classes geared at improving you as an operator. They also have awards to celebrate the craft and do a good job of getting people to interact. So while it’s not a must it isn’t a bad idea and simply meeting other operators can be beneficial. I belong to the SOC and have benefited greatly from the members I have met who I otherwise would not have.
