What Does a Camera Operator Really Do? Watch the Legends Tell It Like it Is1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEver heard of a “famous” camera operator? Not really, right? That’s because they’re consistently overshadowed by a distinct chain of command. In the process of crafting a shot, you’ve got your director with a vision, your DP setting up the course for that vision, and then you’ve got the guy who physically translates that vision to the camera. How that guy decides to get there however, is arguably one of the most important decisions made on set.
Camera operator Mitch Dubin works almost exclusively with Steven Spielberg, which means all that movement during the storming of the beach of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan can somewhat be credited to his actions. He defines his role clearly and concisely: “As a camera operator you’re setting up a shot and you have a finder and you’re putting down marks and you say, ‘Okay, the shot starts here and it ends there…’ Everything in between, all those thousands of choices, we make those are ours. That’s what we do – we fill in the gaps.”
via: No Film School
Image Credit: The Black And Blue
