So you think you’re a shooter

Over the last five years or so a new position has opened up on reality shows, the jr. shooter.  Someone who has grown out of ACing and is ready to begin their career as a camera operator.  In my opinion, it’s a position long over due but one that is under appreciated by both the production companies and the sometimes, the jr. shooter themselves.

By Dawn Chenette

The jr. shooter is usually a creative person.  Excited to learn the craft, seeking feedback to help them become a better more skilled shooter.  However, sometimes the person lacks the respect for those who came before them.  They see this genre as an easy way to make a come up, more money and respect.   Let me just warn you against getting ahead of yourself.  If you feel that after a few months or even a year your are entitled to the same respect as those who have been working for years to get where they are, you are mistaken.  Please, give yourself time.  Realize that camera operator is a position many aspire to and are proud of and if you feel you are entitled to the title and matching pay simply because you have a camera on your shoulder you are not only wrong but also setting yourself up for failure.  You are unknowingly disrespecting those who have worked for years to get where they are and can help you get where you wish to be.  Please don't take this as a disrespect but realize that i know there are a few people who seek to become camera or audio simply for more money not because they love it.  The negative attitude of entitlement will also make you a less desirable hire.  Whether you are new or a seasoned shooter, people want a skilled person with a good attitude.  If you are a pain in the ass to work with, you won't last and if the people supporting you,  helping you climb the ladder feel you are ungreatful and well, cocky, they will stop supporting you.  New employers may hire you but if you move up too fast you won't be ready.  They will be hiring you as an operator and expecting you to be able to complete any task they hand you.  If you fail, that's it.  they won't know you are just coming up and help guide you in the right direction, they will just write you off as a bad shooter.  The problem with entitlement is that you don’t learn your craft.  With time, practice and hard work come rewards.  You become good at your skill set, you earn your status among the troops, gain trust of those around you – and will grow a long career and be respected.

I love what I do.  I love watching people.  I love studying the human condition and get a bit of a thrill at predicting reactions and capturing them.  When I began as a camera assistant I worked 6 days a week, flat rate, some days up to 18 hours.  Some days my full 10 hours then packing gear and driving my crew to the next city 6-8 hours away.  When did I sleep, never.  not safe, not fun.  plus, the most I ever made was $550/week.  I know this is a bunch of old folk “when I was your age…”  “up hill both ways in the snow” bullshit but it’s true.  Myself and the people I was surrounded by worked very hard to make it better.  To demand rules and parameters for safety.  We didn’t consciously do it for the future, shooters, I did it because I felt it was fair and I loved my job just not the circumstances.

I worked myself up to camera operator after a couple years of ACing and learning from some great operators.  I was scared to death.  I constantly asked for feedback and watched my tapes trying to learn and get better;  (i still ask for feed back and watch tapes by the way, you can always get better) I made 1/3 of what the other operators made, and rightfully so.  I was less experienced, I couldn’t lead my crew the same way or make the same decisions based on experience that can only be gained through time.  However, by working under the title of “camera operator” there was as much pressure on me to be as good as the other operators and bring back footage for the show.

I’m not saying you should expect to be paid less when you move from jr. operator to operator, I’m just saying don’t feel bad about it and don’t pass up the opportunity because of the pay.  Of course after a couple years you should push for a fair day rate.  It will more than likely come naturally.  Be sure to talk openly with your fellow operators about what a fair rate is.  It’s important for us all to stick together and keep rates at a level that is exceptable.  If there are a few of us taking work for a lower rate it lowers the bar for everyone.  Not just in pay but also in quality of the shows.  Not okay.  We are a technical group who have been specially trained for this.  Someone else can’t just pick it up in a week or two.  a good reality shooter is a special and specific skill set.  Technical skill combined with listening, study of human behavior, teamwork and instincts. Be sure to value yourself and your skills.

Working under the protection of the title jr shooter is a benefit.  It lets people know you are dedicated but still learning so they will feel comfortable coaching and training you without stepping on your toes.  It's a bit like an apprenticeship where you can learn from your peers and experience which in my opinion is they most direct path to success.  On the job experience is invaluable.  You will not only break in your body, acclimating it to the weight and feel of the camera making it a part of you but it will also get you started learning from your mistakes and successes. It will allow you to learn leadership skills before having to really lead.  Personally I am a big fan of move up slowly.  I feel I may have moved up a bit too quickly which put a lot of pressure on me.  I felt the need to be as good as the other shooters but was still learning.  I would have loved to be a jr. shooter between AC and operator.  However, it was a smaller genre then and getting thrown into the deep end of the pool was the way it was done.  So I learned to shut my mouth and take direction/feedback which was difficult at times but well worth it.  ‘Take the direction’, may not make sense now but will later.  It took me a long time to learn to know when to say “when”.  When things were unsafe, when I needed a break, when I needed help.  It was very important that I identify my allies and look to them for guidance and a place to vent.  It can be very frustrating being the “new” shooter.  At times you are over worked and put into situations a more seasoned shooter may not be, all of which can benefit you and will, in the end make you better at your craft.  It was very important to me to have a “mentor”.  Someone to look up to and who will tell me when I am justified in my frustration and when I was just being whiney.  It takes just as much guts for someone to give you feedback as it does to take it.  When people take the time to teach you it means they believe in you and are taking time out of their day to teach you.  It takes just as much effort to train a new shooter as it does to be one.  I was very lucky to have more than one person fill this slot in my life and the knowledge they gave me and continue to give me is absolutely invaluable.

So to all you jr. shooters and ACs, keep your head up.  Work hard and you'll get where you want to be.  Just remember in times of frustration that it will always be a cycle of rewards and frustrations, obstacles and clear paths, good days and bad.  That's life.  The most important thing is to keep a good attitude and allow yourself to step back and laugh when needed.  The best thing about reality tv is we are all in it together.  almost all of us worked our way up and have been where you are and felt how you feel.  At the end of the day we are a team and that's my favorite part.

/// mande w.