Want to be a TV Cameraman?
- Thread starter EDV
- Start date
they want the all in one guy that do everything without the paycheck. That is why they listed that under cameraman, because it is probably the lowest job description (and the cheapest) they can find that will grab interest of skilled people .
If i am a cameraman and paid for this job, for sure , i will not load the truck in the early morning, drive it, then unload and install and set all the stuff (including cabling and lights) , the shoot the event , then wrap all the equipement back in the truck and drive it back late in the evening.
Additionally , they want the guy to be an artist and do all the post or even take care of the company website.
If i am a cameraman and paid for this job, for sure , i will not load the truck in the early morning, drive it, then unload and install and set all the stuff (including cabling and lights) , the shoot the event , then wrap all the equipement back in the truck and drive it back late in the evening.
Additionally , they want the guy to be an artist and do all the post or even take care of the company website.
Erik Naso
Veteran
The one thing that matters the most when looking for a broadcast photojournalist job is your demo reel and a positive attitude. If your reel is good the rest of the requirements on a list aren't that important. My first job was in Bakersfield Ca. I never shot a news package in my life. I talked to a few News Directors and sold myself hard. I told one News Director I was a fast learner and was eager to learn. I had passion for visuals etc. You have to be salesman and your the product. And it's a great product! I didn't have the experience so that's all I could do. He told me we need more people like you around here so come in this weekend and shadow the chief photog and he will report back to me. I got a part time job at the station and after a year got a full time position and a year later became the chief photographer. See. Passion pays dividends, and 25 years later it still does.
News gathering is a tough job so being creative and telling stories with a creative eye helps you get up and go to work.
News gathering is a tough job so being creative and telling stories with a creative eye helps you get up and go to work.
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Erik Naso
Veteran
Wow!
You'd really need to push yourself into a talk with the News Director in the first place, since the whole resume thing is automated with keywords now.
Quite a different market to break into these days.
swopiv
Active member
Reading this site (and others) sometimes it might be thought that the only way to go is HD, or 4K! A lot of broadcast media places still use SD cameras. The reason for this is that to change the camera means changing an entire tried and tested workflow. Expensive and, for the moment, pointless, as most television is still broadcast in SD anyway.
Bottom line is, the job calls for experience. Doesn't really matter what camera they use, I don't really see how it is relevant at all? Great images are created by the person behind the camera, not the camera itself!
Bottom line is, the job calls for experience. Doesn't really matter what camera they use, I don't really see how it is relevant at all? Great images are created by the person behind the camera, not the camera itself!
Erik Naso
Veteran
Sure times have changed but getting to the decision maker is still a sales tactic used today even with online forms. But if you want to stand in line and not go for it that's fine because the guy behind you that does will probably get the job. You have to act like an agent. Agents talk to decision makers not fill out forms on line. Just sayen.
Well, the online forms are, generally, not going to get you an audience unless you lie (for someone just starting out like you). You'd basically have to call up the station and pester for an interview...not sure how hard that could be, depending on the decision-maker's willingness to meet with society at large without screening first.
That could likely be said for every single entry-level media (or other) job in the entire world.
I worked in local broadcast news for two months when I was starting out in video. Despite my short run, it was an invaluable experience in training to survey, setup, shoot, and edit the best product possible as quickly as possible. It really was a lot of fun, but at the time I got that job, I also acquired several regular freelance clients. With a family of 5, it was hard to justify news photog work when I could earn an equivalent week's pay in one half-day freelance gig.
The caveat for beginners here is that those freelance clients came off the experience of five years working in science, six years working in computers, and two years' volunteer media and video, so I didn't really "start out" earning that much.
Sorry, but any beginner is going to have to be a platypus until your experience and skills show where you can best specialize.
BrandonT
Well-known member
I'm not saying this to sound like a smart aleck, so please don't take it that way. But those requirement don't seem all that tight to me. What size market is it? To me, it basically sounds like they want someone who knows how to use a camera and is able to set up and run it in a variety of situations.. like run and gun field work, as well as interviews that have time to be lit and set up well. Past that, it's just whoever applies and fills the roll best. Could be a guy in his fifties who has been doing this for thirty years, or it could be someone in their twenties who is just out of college (with lots of experience from internships and/ or jobs). Like the other guys said, it's not like it's going to be a job that pays very well, and they are going to work you as often and as hard as they can.
I guess I just never look at like you have to have every single thing on their list going for you. Like the "knowledge in theoretical application on lighting and photography". Someone shouldn't let not "having" that hold them back from applying. But I've also been very fortunate and blessed in my work life and have never had to apply for a job. So maybe it's something that I'm not understanding since I've never had to hustle for employment.
Thanks for posting it. It's always good to see job requirements and see how you stack up to it, even if you aren't job searching.
Spartacus
Veteran
+1
If I would be looking for someone, my demands would be MUCH more elaborated and specific.
flyingdisc
Active member
AND they want you to have a CDL, which usually takes time and money to get.
flyingdisc
Active member
show reel hints?
show reel hints?
What are the elements of a good showreel and a great showreel?
Please post a link to some examples, as I never reely know what to make it look like.
show reel hints?
What are the elements of a good showreel and a great showreel?
Please post a link to some examples, as I never reely know what to make it look like.