Do You Need A Specialty To Be An A Cam Op?
Is it necessary for an A camera op to have specific skills like steadicam? Wheels? Technocrane? Ronin? Handheld?
I believe reliance on steadicam is less now. New technologies like gimbals, drones and lower cost remote heads are changing the way we capture images. However the A op should be able to confidently go handheld, set up and operate crane shots and even participate in drone and driving shots if required. For the director and DP seeing their trusted A op organizing and operating these shots is comforting. So yes, confidence on the wheels is important. Being a skilled steadicam op is less so.
I'd say an "A" operator these days should be proficient with as many tools of operating as possible. They certainly must be adept with wheels, handheld, technocranes (and any remote heads). These are the fundamental tools.
To me It's like a carpenter who's good with a drill gun and a hammer but can't use a power saw. I just don't see them working. When it comes to specialty tools like a steadicam or Ronin or underwater shooting let's say, I wouldn't call these required skills, but the more instruments one can operate, the more valuable they become.
I believe the three biggest skills we need to possess as operators are the ability to listen, to communicate, and to read the room, but that is a conversation for another day…
Regardless of what camera you are on, I believe it is expected that you have certain skills. We don’t always know from day to day what will be asked of us - I might be on a fluid head for one shot, a remote head mounted on a telescopic crane the next, and handheld to finish the day. If I am not proficient at any of those skills, I not only limit myself, but also the DP, who once he/she notices my deficiency, might not hire me on the next gig. It is in our best interest to acquire all of these skills as early as possible.
I think the hardest skill for younger operators or those just starting out to get a handle on is the wheels (in any configuration). While it used to be more popular to have a Panahead or Arrihead on the dolly for most of the day’s coverage, and some people may think they no longer need to learn the skill, the use of remote heads if far greater than it used to be. Even as a B or C camera operator, knowing how to proficiently use the wheels is necessary. There are many times the A camera will be in the middle of a scene, and the B camera will be sent off to leapfrog and mount on the crane for the next shot. Sometimes the A camera operator will want to do the shot, but sometimes they won’t. If the B camera operator isn’t good at the wheels, it can get uncomfortable very quickly: 1) it’s embarrassing 2) it’s a time killer waiting for someone to nail a shot that they aren’t prepared to do 3) the DP (or the other operator/ACs) might have second thoughts about hiring that operator for the next job.
**As an aside, there are several ways to gain practice on a gear head (wheels). 1) Get to a rental house and practice with one of their heads – chase people around the prep room floor, do figure 8s/write your name on the wall, or something else, but you are looking for muscle memory with your hands – you want to get to the point where you don’t have to think about which way is up/down, left/right. 2) If you are on a job and the gear head is in a case on the truck, pull it out and practice at lunch. 3) buy an old-school Mitchell or Mini-Worrall remote head and set it up at home. They aren’t terribly expensive, and you can generally sell them for the same amount you purchased them for once you know how to use it.**
Steadicam is a specialty, and I believe is not required of an A operator - there are many extremely talented A camera operators that do not do Steadicam. That isn’t to say that being proficient at Steadicam won’t help you move up the ranks, get you on the job out of town where the DP can only take so many of his crew, or solidify your position, but I don’t believe it is a required skill to possess as an A camera operator.
The more skills we have in our arsenal, the better, both for us and the DP. You are never wasting your time learning how to become good at something that may pay dividends later.
I think of a camera operator’s specific skills like a builder's tools in his or her tool box. The more tools at your disposal - the more involved you can be in the overall build. I also believe that more tools make for a more valuable operator. Wheels proficiency and good handheld technique are a basic “Must” for A camera operators (in the narrative / scripted space at least). Solid Technocrane experience I believe is a close second and if you can round out your skillset with Steadicam, Gimbal, Arm Car, Joystick (for drones) and even Underwater chops, you’ve got the full package and will be much more marketable as an all around visual storyteller. Many of those skills also carry with them higher pay rates as well as lucrative kit rentals, not that money is the overall objective but it’s certainly a consideration. This is a competitive field in a competitive industry. The more skills you bring to your job, the more jobs you’ll get. That’s not to say that there aren’t good A camera operators who don’t have any of the “specialized” skills, but most of those have decades of operating experience under their belts and solid reputations. I would recommend that any new operator enter into the field with as many specialized skills as possible.
Honestly, anything is helpful but no, you dont need to have any special skills. Camera operating is about storytelling. The best steadicam op in the world, technically speaking, is worthless if they can’t understand the scene. Its about software (mental), not hardware.
Actually, I take that back. There is one. The skill to be able to hold your bladder, that’s really the key because you are never going to get to pee and if you do, everything will have changed by the time you come back.
This will be a pretty short answer for me. I'm an A-Camera/Steadicam Operator, but operators like Dan Gold, Mitch Dubin, and Lukasz Bielan have proved Steadicam is not a required skill to be a successful A-Cam operator. However, I do think you need to be proficient with the wheels, Technocranes, and handheld to do the job well. The Ronin and other gimbal heads? Not so much. You're more likely to end up controlling the gimbal via wheels while someone else carries it when you're on a feature set. That or you look for a B-Cam operator who has a gimbal and is proficient with it.
It never hurts to have the extra skills, like Steadicam or gimbal operating, but I don't think it's a requirement.
We’d like to think that an A-cam operator could just be a studio mode kind of guy. And, it does happen. But, your chances of being hired go up exponentially with more skills in your pocket.
In my opinion, an A-cam operator should at least be proficient in setting up and performing on the wheels, fluid head, Lambda, hand held, dolly set ups on track and dance floor, fixed arm cranes as well as telescoping cranes, and remote heads. Throw in Steadicam and/or Gimbal work, pursuit vehicle experience, water splash housing, etc to sweeten the package. The A-cam operator should know how and be able to make stuff happen.
Side note: I think we’re not far from having a regular operator on the crew also be licensed as a drone pilot. Production will pull a drone permit every time you go on location, just in case the director wants an aerial shot. Drone sits in the truck on the ready. Kind of like the progression of the Steadicam from specialty tool to always at the ready.
