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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

So who operates camera?

Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson

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Alright, I'd like to throw out an informal poll to those who crew on sets in the $500k+ range...who operates A cam? I'm on the path to being Director and while I've been on a number of pro sets, I don't get nearly the range that a lot of you do. In my research it seems that some DP's operate, less times than that the Director does, and mostly it falls on a designated A-cam Operator. This particular aspect interests me greatly, as it seems one of the duties that varies regularly, but still has some significant impact on production.

Question #2 is your thoughts on who operates. It seems a lot of DPs in my area want to operate. Who wouldn't? It's fun! Also seems that it could distract a DP. On the credibility side I've been quoted a number of top DPs that also operate. Then you have a lot of DPs, like our resident ASC member David Mullen talks about how little he operates and instead leaves it to a designated operator. This seems the most obvious choice of action. Though the last option, Director, seems like it could work well too. I got to talk to Soderbergh and hear him give his view on how he is a better Director BECAUSE he operates, because it puts him in immediacy with the talent. The counter to this is that I've had a number of people tell me that as Director I shouldn't be touching the camera lest it distract me from directing.

Thoughts?
 
Id like to find this out as well... But one thing to keep in mind is that there are different types of directors, each has their own forte...

Personally, I'm with Robert Rodriguez teachings on the way he practices film making.. i.e he operates himself as to retain complete control on what the audience see's, but more so, because he edits his own films and can combine the 2 processes in his mind. But its not for everyone. My personal opinion is to keep the crew as lean and mean as possible when working with such small budgets as 500k. If its on Hollywoods tab, then employ as many people as you can.
 
I have thought about this many times over, and what I've come to is that there is no right answer... more importantly is that you find a DP who is comfortable having you, as the director, operate the camera.. if that is in fact what you want to do.
As the director one should have a large say in the crew assembled, and a big job in that part is finding a crew that works well and understands each other dynamics.
I, like yourself Shawn, have a great deal of fun operating my own camera (or at least one of the cams on set.) It is also part of my style of filmmaking... some might call me a bit of a control freak ;-) I tend to disagree with people who say it takes away from your directing by operating. Directing, I believe is a job that is supposed to happen before the camera rolls. Once it turns over to the actors I like to be right there in the heart of it!
Do I always need to operate? No, I'm fine if a DP really wants to get in there an take a shot.. no problem, we all get those shots in our heads that we want to execute just as they are in our heads. So, it's all about finding that balance.
So, what I do during pre-production is make sure that the DP understands this and has no issues with it.. If they do, then perhaps it's just the wrong match between the two. No harm no foul..
 
I'm directing mostly commercials. I leave the camera operation mostly to the DP. Unfortunately my place is between the set and video village and most of my job is chit chat with my clients. That's a bit unfortunate but talking and selling is what I have to do. Plus, when operating the camera I find it hard to judge the subtle differences in the acting which makes a shot good or great. One can say "just play back and watch" but I find it often better to keep the intensity on set up and shoot another take than losing the valuable energy by watching rushes on set.

Here in Europe a designated camera operated is only used in big-budget projects but most DPs want to operate them selfs. Of course special skill requirements such as steadicam or remote head are often done by a designated operator but even then my DP's love to operate the crane (or I do, loving the wheels).

Hans
 
99.99% of the dp's i work with also operate the "a" cam, then have a b cam operator or steadicam operator for the other cameras. however i have seen the bigger time dp's get tired during a long day and let the "B" camera operator, operate "A" cam during a one camera setup...rarely if ever does the director touch the camera. unless of course it is a director/dp and of course he/she is the only person touching the camera.
 
Dino! Thanks for chiming in man. Now is this mostly on music videos that you speak of? On music vids I thought the Director is often his own DP, but maybe that's just my bad assumption. Also it seems music vids offer a lot more 'hands on' opportunity owing to their very nature and short schedule.
 
On a side note Dino, what I wouldnt give to have a webcam strapped to your head during all those insane shoots you do! Damn I envy you!
 
Shawn,

there could be a nice book about your tread topic

"Cinematography for Directors" by by Jacqueline B. Frost

CinematographyDirectorsTT_large.gif



"This book is a master guide for the director about collaborating with their closest ally, the cinematographer.

It covers the fundamentals of selecting a cinematographer, translating the script into visual imagery,
choosing the appropriate visual style for the film, determining the color palette, electing film
and HD formats and postproduction processes, including the digital intermediate.

If you want to improve the visual power of your film and your enjoyment in creating it, you’ll want to read this book.

Contents include
• Never-before-published excerpts from interviews with Academy Award™ winning and Academy Award™ nominated ASC cinematographers.
• Clarification of how to translate aesthetic concepts into the technical applications necessary to get the director’s vision onto the screen.

What people say
“Frost takes an insightful and elemental look at the artistic and business relationship of Director and Cinematographer. Crammed with all the essentials,
Cinematography for Directors is a ‘must read’ before you walk onto your first professional set.” Donald Petrie , Director, Miss Congeniality, Grumpy Old Men,
How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days

“Ms. Frost’s work is profoundly compelling, remarkably well researched, and on the cutting edge of both the technical and creative aspects of the delicate and
complex interaction of the director and the DP. To anyone remotely interested in filmmaking, it is a beautifully written page-turner.” Penelope Spheeris,
Director, Wayne’s World; The Little Rascals; The Beverly Hillbillies; Black Sheep; The Decline of Western Civilization, Parts I-III

“I urge all aspiring filmmakers to read Cinematography for Directors.
Frost has the ability to put the Director at ease by bringing clarity to the notoriously elusive relationship between the Filmmaker and the Cinematographer.”
Bryce Dallas Howard , Actress, Terminator Salvation, Spider-Man 3, As You Like It, Lady in the Water, The Village; Writer, Producer, Director, Orchids

Jacqueline Frost has been teaching film and video production and film history for twenty years at various universities throughout the country.
She currently teaches cinematography and advanced film production at California State University, Fullerton, where she is an Associate Professor.
She regularly teaches a course through UCLA Extension entitled “Cinematography for Directors,” on which the book is based.
Frost also continues to freelance as a cinematographer in the Los Angeles area."

I have ordered it but still didn't get it. Just waiting.
 
i do 60-70% commercials/promos, 20% music videos and 10% features and other...so what i said pertains to that...

regarding webcam, actually i try and take a photobooth shot on each set...so maybe ill send you some of those and you'll realize how tired i am, and how little i see my wife and son and maybe you'll think twice about wanting to be me...
 
Shawn Nelson said:
I got to talk to Soderbergh and hear him give his view on how he is a better Director BECAUSE he operates, because it puts him in immediacy with the talent. The counter to this is that I've had a number of people tell me that as Director I shouldn't be touching the camera lest it distract me from directing.
Click to expand...

If you can wear all the hats and do them as well as 3 different people doing them, then you're probably going to get more of what you want as a director. BUT:

I sometimes do all 3, I can't tell you how many times I've missed things I wish I would have caught if I would have been sitting and watching a monitor like a normal human being/director. It is VERY, VERY hard to do all three at a high level. That's why most smart people do not.

Something I learned recently about directing...a lot of the time it's about sitting back and guiding the talents of all the people you picked back in pre-pro. No matter how talented you are as a director, if you really want to graduate to the level of the big boys, you need to consider that you need the talents of other people to make your work bigger-than-life...something that all the "vision" in the world won't do for you.
 
Maybe it really is like being QB, better to pass it or hand it off, rarely does it work to run it in yourself
 
I pretty much always operate. I have an excellent Gaffer and a 1st AC. That way I can direct/shoot. My issue has always been that as I am very specific about frame and movement It is always quicker and more relaxing for me to do it myself. I get frustrated when i am not operating because it never catches the beat for me.

I have a lot of DP friends who don't agree with this. Their argument is that you are meant to be talking with the talent and critising the frame as you shoot, rather than operating. In other words you can't give the mise-en-scene your full attention. I understand the argument but don't fully agree. Actors are there to act, it is their job. We have previously discussed how the scene will play out. If I don't like the way they are playing it, the operating of the camera isn't gonna make me miss that.

I work in small comfortable crews. I dispise large crews. For large budget BIG productions it is necessary to an extent. for smaller stories why the hell have large crews...beats me.
 
There is no right answer. I guess is it depends on what kind of director you consider yourself:

Mostly visual / atmospheric: (Ridley Scott/Michael Bay/Ron Fricke, Tim Burton),
Performance/story/actor led (Kenneth Branagh/Billy Wilder/Woody Allen)
or do you think in "edits/montage" (Hitchcock, Eisenstein, De Palma etc).

Determining what you are selling is the first step I suppose - it might be necessary to operate the camera- If not (and you have any faith in your camerman to provide something useful) then you might find it beneficial to use an operating cameraman or operator (This being a camera forum most people here are used to cameras and, coming from low budget/indie roots will have never known any other system) - However, 99% of working directors I know are not inclined to operate - preferring to have it done and focus on the "directing" aspect that they are interested in. Sure lots of people will point to Soderbergh DPing his own shoots but he is in a minority and frankly, Julia Roberts was so hard-lit in some parts of oceans eleven she could have been her own mother! Still a great director though but my question is why? Directing is a tough enough endeavour as it is.



On of the things that an operator does is figure out a lot of the technical headaches on a shot :

EG: crane angle of attack to get the shot and end up in a good position for the next one (moving a crane base is a costly endeavour), ways to build the camera to fit through the window (hanging the mag, behind the lens filters, matte box options, operating off a fluid 7/ weaver steadman/ hot head/ libra head/ power pod etc ), get low enough (low angle prisms, silver fronted mirrors, swing tilt or frazier lenses etc), get the right panning speeds to avoid stuttering, knowledge of equipment so he doesn't spend all morning trying "the wrong" way to get a shot before going handheld, framing between light-stands right on the edge of frame whilst executing a circular track,ways to hang himself off the camera to assist other departments (ie lighting access, shadows, actor access) whilst still managing to get the shot, working with tricky/hyperactive/unpredictable actors on a long lens and failing light, "Line of action" as it pertains to editing the scene and making sure no mistakes are made that will later on become apparent in the editing room when everyone has crossed the line, levelling the camera to the shot (not the same as just getting the head bubble in the middle of the circle - often requires measuring tapes and triangulation), watching out for telltale cables, camera boxes, someone's Panavision jacket tossed on a railing, unit trucks down the street, signage that is undesirable/ litigious in frame, flies passing in front of the lens, halation, veiling glare, double filter reflections, Matte Box back reflections, polariser petrol marks, focus marks on the floor, radio-mikes in actors clothes, radio-mike-senders becoming visible as the actor turns around, boom poles hovering on the edge of frame (throughout the take), matte-box light leaks, making sure actors are on their marks right before the take (never) and so on....

In short - it helps if they are technically (not just artistically) aware. I can't count how many directors have shown up in a white shirt (that's page one guys - reflections - dark colours usually better unless you're in a white room) - Just because you can frame a sunset or a Warner Brothers close-up on your pal with no pressure doesn't necessarily mean that people are ready to operate on a shoot with a technically intolerant/expensive actor and no time.

Its probably quite a macho/control thing to want to operate I think - For example, why not want to focus pull as well? Or do catering? Or style the actors hair? (not a popular "slashie" combo that : "Director/Hair stylist")

Horses for courses I guess - Budget and film-style plays a big part in the thinking. If it feels right I say, and you can split your attention between all the artistic and (necessary but not-very-directorly) housekeeping stuff (which btw mostly happens between setups, potentially taking you away from actors) then absolutely do it.
 
As a not operating director you're off the set most of the time. Sitting in a tent or another room in front of the monitor often because there's just not enough space. So in terms of leading actors. The first one the actor looks at after a take is the Operator to get any kind of feedback of his mimic or bodylanguage. The director is shouting something from far away or needing his time to approach to the actor. In this time the talent normally tries to get a feeling by looking at the people around him and first one who has seen the performance in frame is the Dop/operator.
That's one of the most important parts why I do operate myself. I'm the closest one to the scene, I'm part of it and the first one to give feedback. Also I can nearly whisper directions to the talent during a scene and don't need to scream from far way and destroy the feel. And I'm getting Ideas for movements or framing in a way I couldn't have thought of if not being part of the scene. Most important with good assistents it just works much easier and faster for me, then having to explain and criticise movement an framing. In this way I can really better concentrate on the performance.
 
I shoot and direct my own stuff. The crew understands that and I think in the end they appreciate it. Everyone works their own way. If I prepared correctly, then I know exactly what shots I want, what I want from my actors and may have even created a visual reference for myself just in case I forgot something. This usually helps me.
 
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