C100: What is your job title?

Eric Coughlin

Eric Coughlin

Veteran
When someone asks what your job title is, what do you say?


I think I generally say filmmaker or professional filmmaker. Sometimes videographer. I film mostly corporate, documentary, and events.


I figure this topic is relevant to the Cinema EOS forum as I'm curious what C-series types of shooters typically refer to themselves as. I'm sure if you went over to the F35/F65 forum, for example, you'd get different results in terms of job titles.
 
I just say Producer, or Cinematographer, depending on who is asking. Nevermind that I also write for HD Video Pro, Wired, DV and a bunch of websites, edit a ton, occasionally direct too and am a decent still photographer, NRA Certified Shotgun, Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor and a Range Safety Officer. Too many hats, it is much less confusing to just say Producer or Cinematographer.
 
Shooter, cameraman, photographer, photog, camera guy, camera monkey, 'hey you', @$$hole. Sometimes I'm called a DP and just laugh inside. The bulk of us ARE NOT really true DP's, but some like the ego boost of calling themselves that and some clients feel the need to call us that, maybe to reassure themselves that we know what we're doing(supposedly) or that it better justifies the rates they're paying us. Just for the love of God do NOT call me a videographer. I despise that term. Whenever I hear it or someone referred to as such, I think low-end corporate, 'uncle-Bob shooting a wedding', any other negative you can think of, guy with a camcorder.
 
I would say same with "filmmaker". Unless your main source of income is something that would be considered "filmmaking" (and I mean the stuff that most people would consider filmmaking. . .docs, narrative, maybe some type of shorts. . .NOT corp video, events, weddings), it's a tad on the pretentious side. Personally I say I work in video production, or freelance video production. I am not always shooting (really not the majority of the time), so that covers everything.
 
Hey Eric,

I've been round and round with this when talking with the people at Production Hub and similar directories.

We do the same stuff although I also do nonfiction TV. I have a collection of my business cards from my beginning. I wouldn't use Filmmaker, sounds pretentious for us, I think of Errol Morris or someone with a beret and ascot. Great for picking up women in a bar or party though. For my first 20 years I was a Cinematographer because I was doing film and that was just what we were called. If one worked on features or out in LA, then those guys were calling themselves Camera Operators. Sometimes we called ourselves DPs but that implied the Big Time, so I felt that was a little pretentious plus now that porn is so prevalent the public, the male contingent of the public, thinks of DP as in the porn acronym!

So now I call myself a Videographer, which has baggage but is good for business. Baggage in that it used to be the realm of the guys doing weddings. However, I can now tell one of the secrets to my success, are you sitting down? When the internet first started to heat up and the search engines were created I was probably the first Chicago DP to have a website. When I would get inquiries I ALWAYS asked what words did they input and invariably, probably 95% said they used the word Videographer, although to me that was nails on a chalk board. So I started to call myself that in all my marketing and web stuff but my video buddies chided me because that was denigrating what I do, after all, the lowly wedding guys were Videographers and we were DPs! So I bit my tongue for 15 years because I didn't want to let out my secret. Now if you Google: Chicago Videographer I am probably the first shooter who comes up that is Not a wedding guy or production company, so I get work coming in because I used the term Videographer and Google respects longevity. That is what the public thinks us as, even a VP of marketing, PR, corp comm, etc.

That's the marketing, but when I meet face to face, if I want to impress I say "I'm a cameraman on TV shows and docummentaries." Everyone knows what a Cameraman is and it has a dashing panache to it. However, if I am on a bar stool or at a bbq I may say something generic like "I'm a carpenter", or something similar because I don't want the usual 10 questions and I'm at the point of my life where I don't feel the need to impress. But if he is a corporate type, like the kind surrounding me here in the suburbs, I'll say "I produce corporate videos" because I am always looking for new clients!

P.S. I do not mean to denigrate wedding guys. The DSLR revolution really brought them up. They can make nicer looking video than I can now!
 
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As a freelancer I have many different job titles:

- Camera Operator - For factual/docu TV news style work (Most work where I just turn up and shoot)
- Videographer - A combination of camera operator / editor / producer (Most projects. I plan, shoot and edit)
- DoP - For short films/features (unpaid) and music videos (paid)
- Editor - When I'm just doing editing jobs

It completely depends since like many others, I do different jobs. I'm primarily a camera operator and editor however I can act as a DoP for certain projects. I shot an entire feature film on a BMCC, for that I was much more than a camera operator.
 
My daily job pays me as "technician 3." I'm listed as a producer/director. I get to shoot some- but I mostly just think of myself as an edit monkey. Pays the bills. Which, as I get older, turns out to be nice.
 
I've been in the industry for 30 years & free-lance lighting and shooting for the last 20, broadcast and corporate. Mostly corporate over the last 5 or so years. I would never call myself DP for reasons already stated; leave that title for the big time feature film and high end commercial guys - pretentious at most any level below that in my opinion. Since all I do is field production with small crews, I like the way the English describe what I do, "Free-lance Lighting Cameraman or Free-lance Lighting Camera Person". I think it describes what I do perfectly and distinguishes between professionals that are camera operators and camera people that light as well.
 
I would call myself a lighting cameraman (person) most days, docs, corporate, small commercials, behind the scenes EPK's. Occasionally I shoot a large enough commercial to have a crew to direct and then I would call myself the Director of Photography. Many times the client/producer expects me to direct as well even though I am not being paid for that job. Budgets can get ridiculous these days. Never does the camera I use have anything to do with the job title. My job is to light and photograph the action/scene. I can do that with any camera and lighting gear that I feel will accomplish the job. The idea that young producer's propagate about needing a "Red" camerman or a Canon C300/100 Cameraperson is ridiculous. It is for the inexperienced and low/no budget productions trying to get the equipment for free.

Please do not call yourself a filmmaker unless you have made a decent amount of films that have been distributed to a decent size audience. Anyone can throw a video on youtube these days and call themselves a filmmaker. It is the most overused term out there. I have made a living in the film business for 30 years starting when they were actually shooting film. I have worked as an electrician, gaffer, camera person, editor and producer. But I mostly make my living as a Lighting camera person. I have made about 5 to 10 films myself that have aired on broadcast tv or been shown on the film circuit, but I would not yet call myself a filmmaker.
 
Filmmaker is a pretty basic term in my opinion, and it does not matter if you make money from making films, thats just industry bullying. Also distinction between analouge and digital is not relevant for that term I think.
 
greenheron said:
Please do not call yourself a filmmaker unless you have made a decent amount of films that have been distributed to a decent size audience. Anyone can throw a video on youtube these days and call themselves a filmmaker. It is the most overused term out there. I have made a living in the film business for 30 years starting when they were actually shooting film. I have worked as an electrician, gaffer, camera person, editor and producer. But I mostly make my living as a Lighting camera person. I have made about 5 to 10 films myself that have aired on broadcast tv or been shown on the film circuit, but I would not yet call myself a filmmaker.
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I really don't agree with this. If you are producing shorts, documentaries and features (to a certain standard) you are a filmmaker. I'm in post on a micro-budget £2.5K feature that most likely will do the festival circuits, VOD and maybe a local cinema for a night. Chances are it won't get distributed via the standard channels. Hell once it's done the rounds, I'll stick it on torrent websites myself.

I've put a huge amount of time and effort into the film. It's pure passion.

I've created shorts that have won awards and been to some pretty decent venues and festivals.

If I'm not a filmmaker then what am I?

The way I see it when I'm at work I'm a videographer / video producer. When it comes to creating personal projects, I'm a filmmaker.
 
Yeah, I don't think "filmmaker" ought to be an elitist term reserved for big budget movies. A filmmaker is essentially someone who makes films, regardless of quality or budget. A professional filmmaker is someone who makes a living (financially) making films or at least makes films at a professional level.

As for what a "film" is, that's more subjective. I don't think if it was shot on film or digitally makes a difference at this point. As for if a wedding film or a artistic corporate video is considered a "film," I guess that is a matter of opinion.
 
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