A camera operator runs the camera: framing, composition, camera movement and the physical execution of the shot. It is a craft role on the floor, and it sits under the director or the cinematographer rather than over the production.
Scope of the job
Framing and re-framing as action develops, operating on tripod, shoulder or gimbal, coordinating focus with the assistant camera, and maintaining continuity between takes. On documentary and corporate work the operator also decides how to cover unscripted moments.
Equipment and format
Equipment is specified against the brief rather than taken from a stock list. Tell us the delivery format, note if the material is for broadcast, web or internal use, and raise slow motion or a particular frame rate up front, and the kit list follows from there.
Working with the wider team
Lighting and exposure belong to the cinematographer. Schedule, permits and transport belong to the producer or fixer. The operator’s job is the frame and the move. When a client books an operator without a DP, we ask who is making the lighting and look decisions so that nothing is left unassigned on the day.
What to confirm before booking
Dates, address, call and wrap times, what is being shot, and who is directing. Add a note about access and parking, since loading can take as long as the setup in busier Zhuhai districts. Direction can be given in English and relayed in Mandarin, or the reverse.
Send booking enquiries to [email protected].