Watch. Listen. Take notes. Ask questions when it’s appropriate. There;’s a huge difference between being a B cam op and and A cam op and almost none of it has to do with actual operating. yes, you need to be able to land shots, set up shots, etc etc, but it’s really more about interacting with the Ad, the DP, the Director and the actors. You are much more of a traffic cop making sure everything is running well and keeping an eye on things than you are as a B camera operator. It’s not rocket science, but it’s also not completely apparent.

If I’m replacing someone I know I’ll reach out to them before arriving on set to let them know I was asked to come in and usually ask the circumstances of what happened just so I’m aware of the environment left behind. After that, it’s on you to just do the job to the best if your abilities and know they called you in for a good reason….

I do a lot of B camera work, and my first instinct on a new set is to listen and observe what is happening around me. I want to have a discussion with the A camera operator about framing (headroom, overs, placement of actors in frame, the size of closeups, and anything unusual to be aware of), and how I can best compliment his/her work. I want to defer to the crew that is already there, and not try and impose my ideas on them – presumably they’ve been doing just fine without me to that point, and I don’t want to rock the boat.

Be Precise.

Be Concise.

Be Nice.

I am at the stage in my career where the first Ad will quite often sit on my shoulder. They will watch my monitor and and they will watch what I’m doing and work out their timings from that. I think as I was coming up through the ranks you do get a lot of first AD’s who push you to go faster for the sake of it, but as is quite often the easy way ends up being the hard way. So take a bit more time and do it right. I think you have to find a common ground and convince them you are knocking your socks off to make their shoot go faster.

You don't, really. The opportunity arises in one of several ways and you have to decide if you feel ready enough. You'll make mistakes and feel like a fraud from time to time, but you take on the challenge and do your best.

I love that while there are many people responsible for creating the individual shots that comprise a movie or TV show, we as operators are the people who are physically controlling the frame during the shot. What we do couldn’t happen without everyone else’s contribution, but we are the ones setting the frame and adjusting it while the camera rolls, and that is a special stamp we put on every project we do.

In choosing a platform, I find the simplest way to do the best shot. This thinking includes; Ease and time of set up, ability to operate the desired shot, ability of crew involved in performing the shot.

A pet peeve for me, is an operator who complicates a set up with gadgets just to look cool or make it appear like they’re doing something amazing.

Hell yeah it is. I’ve been doing this for decades and I still wonder when everyone is going to realize that I dont know what i’m doing. Around every corner there lies a shot that I might not be able to do but so far, it hasn’t caught me yet. But yeah, it’s real and you’re not alone.

Always always watch dailies. Only way to learn from your own “mistakes” but also see what is working well for the show. Watch everyone’s work and show appreciation for the other cameras contributions as well as what could be done better/differently going forward. It’s a collaborative effort and dailies keep everyone on track including the director/DoP.

I’ve been fortunate not to have found myself in this position often. If someone with pull is making suggestions that will limit the shot and lead to the execution not being exactly what the director/DP wanted, I will step up immediately and explain why doing the shot that way will be problematic.

Good question: IMDB has done away with resumes, in my opinion.

However if you do send a resume or more likely an email introduction for an operating job, don’t classify yourself as a DP/operator. Pick one job and submit. Steadicam ops should be able to submit a reel. It should include longer takes and starts and stops.

This is always a sticky situation but the first conversation to be had with either, or both, is let’s do this together and it’s gonna be great. I used to watch other ops get frustrated and beat down on one or both positions to which there will be no positive outcome. Like with kids, new coworkers will respond better to positive reinforcement and compromise. With some hard work and a little luck you’ll get thru the day, they elevate their work to yours and if you’re fortunate enough to get invited back now you have a working relationship to build from that is positive….

I think operators need to have the same mindset as an athlete, be it a field goal kicker that just missed a critical kick or a quarterback that just threw an interception. You need to be in the moment - there isn’t time to dwell on past performance – establish what went wrong, figure out how to fix it, then move on so the mistake doesn’t mentally tank your next take/shot. It is important to have short-term memory when it comes to mistakes – the faster you put them in the rear-view mirror, the sooner you can move on to the next challenge.

You want to be careful about when you approach an actor, and avoid doing so when they are concentrating on working out something.

I work primarily as a B camera operator. Most of the DPs I work with like to (at the very least) rough in shots for both A and B – I don’t work with people who want me to go rogue and do my own thing very often, if ever.

I did a pilot years ago where the director had this vision that we should play all headroom so tight as to chop their hair - even in wide shots. It was ridiculous and the DP and I fought him to no avail. It was what he wanted and ….wait for it…it was horrible and didn’t work.

I think operators need to have the same mindset as an athlete, be it a field goal kicker that just missed a critical kick or a quarterback that just threw an interception. You need to be in the moment - there isn’t time to dwell on past performance – establish what went wrong, figure out how to fix it, then move on so the mistake doesn’t mentally tank your next take/shot. It is important to have short-term memory when it comes to mistakes – the faster you put them in the rear-view mirror, the sooner you can move on to the next challenge.