How do you get a job like this?

So who wants to be a cameraman who sits on his/her arse all day ?

PS. women OB ops do exist & have done so in Oz for some time , though there should be more .
 
I just have to chime in and tell the OP that I don't these gigs are the paradise you think they are. . .I'd be surprised if the pay was as high as you stated (could be wrong, and you could be talking Australian dollars as well), but also, yeah, standing/sitting in one position is really not that much fun and can even be kind of tiring. Something where you're moving around and (for me) more engaged is much better. I have not done this type of work specifically, but I have done many live events where you're in one place for hours and really, it ain't that great.
 
Unlike many of the contributors to these forums, I got my start in broadcast television. Started out doing props and staging, then camera on small shows working up to the bigger ones before becoming a director, producer, executive and finally working on the biggest OB in the world - the international host broadcast of the Olympic Games, with over a thousand cameras across nearly thirty venues all in the space of two weeks. It takes a long time and lots of skill to be part of this kind of multi-camera, live operation and I sometimes pull what's left of my hair out when I read posts from people who've bought themselves a pocket camera and think that they are immediately part of the television industry!

It's a different world and if you want to be part of it you have to start at the bottom and work hard for years before you are in a position to be considered at the top level. Unfortunately today the credo appears to be "I want it now"!
 
Maybe I am being naive, but... can people do that these days? Start doing easy jobs and work your way up? The industry is not where it was 30 years ago. I've approached my local TV stations with CV in hand ... never got me very far. And the few broadcast jobs advertised locally all require specific skills and experience in a broadcast environment. I even had someone who works for a TV Station recommend me once... got me absolutely nowhere. So "working your way up" only works if you find a way in! ( in my experience at least! )
 
EDV said:
... can people do that these days?
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You're right, getting in is a lot harder because there are fewer places where the work is done and crews are largely freelance. It does mean you'll have to move to where the entry-level jobs are because they won't necessarily be in your back yard. Right now in Australia there are several jobs for ENG camera operators in regional newsrooms. That's a good place to start. Then after a few years in the bush move up to a metro job and a few years after that you'll be in a position to jump into the freelance pool. It all takes time.
 
EDV said:
.....I even had someone who works for a TV Station recommend me once... got me absolutely nowhere. So "working your way up" only works if you find a way in! ( in my experience at least! )
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You have unrealistic expectations of how hiring works. Ceejay has spelled it out well. Working your way up is the only way. You're not going to get a job banging on doors even if you know someone. There's no way I'm going to hire someone off the street and have them muck up my show. There are no easy paths, especially in the entertainment businesses.

At one facility I worked at, a person with a master's degree in film worked in the mail room. It took him 2 or 3 years to move up to the bottom tier job of doing file transfers of production sound to ingest them into the post house system. But at the same time, at that same facility, an intern got an assistant editor job and after about 10 years, he won an Oscar. So go figure. There are no clear paths.
 
@ceejay7777.....After working in the tv industry as a floor manager for 30 years in OZ, and starting off in staging, I think you're spot on.
Still reckon the hardest camera shot on an OB was a lateral golfball follow, on a cloudy day, through a black and white viewfinder, 20 meters in the air, and freezing whilst it was 30 degrees on the ground...try getting someone to walk in off the street and do that.
 
What about the non-sports events that do not rely on moving shots? Guy in the picture was filming a static shot the whole 6 hours ( Carols by Candlelight ). Did not look like something I could not have done.
 
again, I tell you that even if you can get that gig, you probably dont want it. babysitting a static cam is really not much fun unless you are in the early "novelty" stages of your time in the industry (i.e any time you get to touch/use a camera at all is nearly a boner-inducing level of excitement). What happens instead is you get bored, zone out, get stupid. You really want to be engaged. I swear, for any amount of money i would not want that gig. those gigs happen occasionally, and for me its just waiting for the day to end. Its not a fun mental state. Aim higher!
 
That guy has a job - running that camera - sometimes it might be a carol show - sometime it might be golf - I don't think he would have the job if he could not do the whole job.

Also it is a job - so some days are boring some fun.

He probably does the job for the reason most people do jobs. To fund a family life.

My mate has a similar job and does stuff from live charity shows multi cam to handheld news gathering - it is a great job with boring days. He funds his family very well

icedentally he got the job from being in technical maintainsance of broadcast kit after doing an electronics degree. He has the skills to completey tear down a camera or whole sat van and mend it.

he can 'go live'.. Drive the sat truck park it. Point the dish to get a signal. Get rf hookup working. Trouble shoot every thing. Find other options when there are problems. Do isdn for the radio people.. And then a bit of camera pointing!

If you despatch him you will NOT get a black hole in your Tv show. He is awesome.

i think the first step to a jobs like this are.. Respect the job. Understand it is a job. Then slowly get in through making contacts
 
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That is low jagraphics. This thread got a surprising number of helpful and interesting responses. Why are you trying to sabotage it? Besides... the title of the thread was not " Why can't I get a job like this? " but rather a broader " How do you get a job like this ? ". Thread was created to help anyone wishing to get into this line of work, not just me. By the way, after reading some of the comments on page 3... I'm not even sure I want to do it anymore.
 
no it was not a low blow it was constructive help. As most here have said it is mostly about networking and interpersonal skills... and unless you have an indispensable skill set and equipment: people skills are probably more important than technical skills. As already mentioned:-

Paul F said:
At one facility I worked at, a person with a master's degree in film worked in the mail room. It took him 2 or 3 years to move up to the bottom tier job of doing file transfers of production sound to ingest them into the post house system. But at the same time, at that same facility, an intern got an assistant editor job and after about 10 years, he won an Oscar.
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People say you make your own luck in this world. It is true. Partly you need some skill and partly opportunity. However it is how you handle that opportunity. I too have a bit of a marmite personality. (Vegamite to antipodeans) Where my personality works: it works well but.... I also know it has silently closed some doors, despite the smiles and nice words. As mentioned by others producers/managers have a list of names they call.... they work their way down from the top every time. It is what the think of you and how you work that gets you up the list. This is why some people stay at position 5 for years whilst others go from position 6 to position 2 in one job.

It is a universal truth in all lines of work but far more so where the majority are freelance.


PS I up voted your cartoon in the other thread. However this is a USA based forum.... they have a different sense of humour.
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obviously passion for the job and eager to acquire a lot of skill. add that with lots of networking and job applications and you will be there
 
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