The technical procedures behind Peter Andrea's reality TV show on ITV in the UK - Essay Example

?Visual Arts and Film Studies and Outline Research Assignment Final Equipment Academic Training Preparing oneself for employment Insurance, Health and Safety Interviews Employment opportunities Summary References Questionnaire Research Assignment Final A cameraman, also known as camera operator, handles television cameras or films to record scenes for motion pictures, newscasts, live events and reality TV shows. As part of the camera crew, a cameraman works hand in hand with actors, reality show hosts, directors and other members of production team in making both technical and creative decisions. Basically, cameramen records events taking place for broadcasting purposes. They do so by using technical aspects of lenses, zooms, filters and other different aspects to capture scenes as per the required standards. In addition, it is the duty of a cameraman to test, clean and maintain the cameras. In this vein, they must critically analyse different potential challenges likely to be faced during filming and give advice to other members of the filming crew on the appropriate lighting, set-up and angles to set-up the cameras (Shepherd, St. John & Striphas, 2006). A cameraman can work in different settings including production studios, sports venues and television studios as well as in private events such as weddings. In this respect, the equipment used depends on the type of video being taken. For instance, filming live broadcast will mostly use stationary cameras while on the other hand recording involving motions that are recorded using track-mounted or crane mounted cameras to capture scenery and movement. Further, cameramen perform video editing using variety of computer programs. This means that those who wishes to venture into this career must be knowledgeable not only on electronic, media production and computer hardware, but also possess soft skills for different computer programs. They should also be efficient problem solvers, creative thinkers and with ability to evaluate details analytically. In this regards, this paper seeks to explore cameraman career in a reality TV show. Equipment To produce quality photography and films as a cameraman, latest high definition equipments are paramount. They should also be maintained to high standards. They include high definition camera for taking photographs and recording shows, and chimera sofbox for providing light. According to Livingstone (1990), Chimera sofbox is highly preferred due to its ability to generate beautiful soft light used to light presenters and interviewees. Other equipments include grip equipment for holding cameras, sound kit with two headsets for sound recording, additional lenses and a van in the event of transporting the equipment. Academic Training A bachelor’s degree is recommended for those wishing to venture in video and reality shows. Cameraman career can be achieved by pursuing a degree in video production that takes between two to four years. During this period, students are trained in-depth on sound and concept development, lighting, editing, storyboarding and more importantly motion graphics. In addition, the course covers video manipulation, basic editing, lighting and field production, sound for video and production management. Students can also train in use of software such as final cut Pro or Photoshop. Further, a student who wishes to further education can consider taking Bachelor of Arts in Television Production. Through this program, students will learn theory, history and basic forms of production. In addition, course work could include sound and picture editing, media research, broadcast news gathering, broadcast writing, visual design, advanced television production, media law and telecommunications management. Even though a cameraman requires some form of training; an individual interested in this career should be eager to learn more and with the right attitude towards the profession. In addition, a career as a cameraman requires much of talent and ability (Livingstone & Lunt, 1994). Basically, an individual willing to become a cameraman has a number of opportunities considering that there is no formal education to grow in this career. Out of curiosity, an individual can horn skills as a cameraman by choosing either to enroll in a film school or undertake a related degree. Mainly, people who choose to venture in this career enroll in colleges or universities to pursue course in media or photography. If an individual chooses to develop skills as a cameraman, then one can major in television production or film. However, gaining work experience is equally useful. This can be acquired in either local TV stations or participating in University’s film production. Burnett (2001) points out that an individual can also develop career as a cameraman by enrolling in a film school training professionals in television and film industry. In such schools, an individual also gets an opportunity to practice using the necessary equipment. Taking short courses is another good option. It enables cameramen to get started quickly by improving their skills through interaction with different people. Nevertheless, getting behind the camera is known as the best education. This is because it is the only way one can learn about different cameras and how to shoot photographs from different positions. A cameraman develops craft and learns about new technology and equipment through practice. Notably, people who wish to venture in this career either chooses to follow a formal route or join the career informally by training on the job, but none of the two ways can be claimed as right or wrong. Preparing oneself for employment Working as a camera operator is an ideal career for an intuitive thinker. However, to become a professional cameraman, it takes about two working years for one to acquire the necessary skills. Such skills can also be acquired through volunteering as a trainee and engaging in other video production activities. An individual will start the career by working as a camera assistant before gathering sufficient knowledge to become a professional camera operator. Completion of academic training course does not necessarily guarantee employment since opportunities for employment and potential career growth depends on the acquired technical knowledge and to large extent individual’s talent. One can grow in career as a studio camera operator by working in a studio. Alternatively, an individual may choose to be a multi cameraman by practicing beyond broadcasting. Acquiring multiple skills ensures that one is an all rounded camera operator. This helps an individual to get an opportunity to develop excellent skills in varied scenarios and is also able to learn how to work under intense pressure (Fuchs, 2010). In addition, an individual may be required to take up several responsibilities hence broadening skills necessary for self-reliance. This helps a student to develop skills necessary for managing spot technical problems, build initiatives, cope with unexpected situations and more importantly develop a degree of intuition for the job. After acquiring the right skills, the next hurdle is to secure a job. Therefore, a person should build his profile, which is very critical for future career progression. To do this, individuals should showcase their abilities to numerous potential clients. Even though chances of landing a dream job to some point depend on experience acquired, like other jobs, it is not only what one knows, but also who they know that makes them advance in their career path (Berman, 1987). It is, therefore, paramount to cultivate close relationship with many people operating in this field. Another important aspect is networking. It is highly unlikely for someone to simply give you a business. A person learns about opportunities by interacting with right people. Moreover, one should always be on the lookout for emerging opportunities while at the same time taking more advanced studies to be better positioned. Insurance, Health and Safety There are numerous occupational safety and health hazards associated with camera photography and television production work. In a reality TV show, the potential risk can either affect the cameramen, the host or other participants. Nevertheless, there are many other occupational health and safety hazards including effect of chemicals during pre-production sessions, fire hazards, heat and cold, special effects as well as ordinary medical problems such as heart attack that a cameraman is susceptible. Lack of first aid facilities in many camera rooms tends to exacerbate the problem. Common hazards include ordinary occurrences associated with commercial filming such as blocked emergency exits, lighting and electrical hazards, smoking, accumulation of combustible materials, welding and cutting operations, use of combustible tents, presence of hot surfaces among others (Livingstone & Lunt, 1994). On the other hand, location hazards could include hosting reality shows in old buildings with unstable walls, falling ceiling, and broken staircases are among other hazards. In addition, a cameraman can suffer environmental hazards such as crumbling asbestos insulation and left over waste chemicals used in production work. Therefore high standards for safety and health should be observed in the course of entire production work. In view of this, the safety obligations can be achieved by everyone involved in the process playing their roles. For instance; the employer should put in place adequate control of both health and safety risks. This will play a significant role in ensuring good health for not only the cameraman, but also the show host and participants. As aforementioned, some hazards exist in the camera rooms and therefore it is the responsibility of the employer to hire competent staff with capacity of working with utmost care in order to mitigate chances of risk occurrence. Other basic risk mitigating activities include use of equipments that are in better working condition, and better working environment to avoid ill health. Moreover, it is important to set standards and policies in order to mitigate occurrence of risks. Such policies will enhance proper training of staff in areas of first aid, health and safety measures. According to Deery (2004), risk by definition is the occurrence of undesirable events. It is therefore advisable for a cameraman to take insurance cover even when risk occurrence is not certainly foreseeable. Taking an insurance cover ensures practice continuity since in the event of occurrence of any undesirable event, the camera person can be compensated and within a short period of time get back to the original position. Insurance cover can be taken on all hazardous areas pinpointed above either by the cameraman himself or by the employer. This will ensure that a business is properly compensated in the event of occurrence of any undesirable event. Evidently, taking photographs or recording films can at times be a risky job. This is due to the fact that the environment in which the task is being carried out is not habitable for humans and therefore posing a serious challenge for a cameraman to perform his duties. Having in place proper insurance serves as a motivating factor since with a risk cover, an individual is highly motivated to even cover events happening in highly risky areas. Interviews To get a job as a camera man, one undergoes similar interview questions faced by other job applicants. For instance, “tell us about yourself and what you do” are two of the common cross sectional interview questions. The interviewer would also wish to know the background of jobseeker in cinematography by asking how they got started. This kind of question helps to establish the motivation behind pursing the career. In addition, how the job seeker responds to such question enable the employer to establish if such job seeker is driven by passion. Possible information that employer would also derive from the job seeker are the projects handled so far. More importantly, the interviewer would like to know of the last project undertaken and how successful it was. Such kind of questions tries to assess the job seeker’s experience. Armed with adequate work experience, the interviewer will be able to critically assess every move made by the job seeker in their last project, which is then linked to the project success. It is at this point that the interviewer assesses the job seeker’s ability to undertake the job at hand and, therefore, this section of interview process should be handled with utmost care and great perfection. According to Hearn (2008), it is at this point that the interviewer gets into details of the technical part of the career. They may ask the job seeker about the tools used to record the show, lighting procedures and post production activities. Other questions likely to feature include general questions that derive the wider picture of the recruit. For instance, one may be asked about a general trend in the camera photography field. For instance, “many cameramen say that the best photos are shot from accident scenes, what is your view on that?” such a question tries to establish what the job seeker knows about the industry. The interviewer would also like to know about who the job seeker admires most in the photography field, what they enjoys doing as a cameraman, favourite TV shows and more importantly, future project that they are looking forward to accomplish. These entire questions are equally important as they seek to establish job seeker’s career desires and future plans. In addition, they form the basis of interviewer’s decision of either to hire or not. Employment opportunities Areas of operation for a camera operator include news, movies, sports, and TV reality shows, just to mention but a few. There are varied categories of camera operators including freelance cameramen who operate as independent contractors with organizations such as independent film makers, studios and advertising agencies. Video photographers records private events such as weddings and business meetings. Nevertheless, studio camera operators deal with motion pictures and broadcast studios. An individual wishing to pursue career as a cameraman needs to study film and television production. In addition, operating a camera requires a person to have an artistic eye besides the technical abilities in order to be able to compose interesting and visually dynamic images (Andrejevic, 2004). Operating computer software goes hand in hand with work of a cameraman. Such skills lay the groundwork by equipping a student with sufficient skills needed to work as a television camera crew intern. At the college, a student acquires skills on post processing, lighting and many other varied aspects of television and film photography. Students should consider working on internship while still in college to enhance their skills. Many learning institutions offering courses in camera and film shooting work closely with potential employers and therefore can connect student for internship or job opportunities. As interns, students can improve their skills by working with experienced video photographers, working in companies that process film and by participating in television and film production. Nevertheless, to develop career as a cameraman, an individual must be willing to work for extended hours (Kiciloff & Starosta, 2007). This is because people who show willingness to work for long hours without complaining are more likely to get hired by the already established firms. In addition, hard work, good education and ability to work together with other crew members make an individual a good prospect for many employers. Summary Working as a cameraman is a very interesting career. However, the job requires an individual to be highly talented, critical, quick to learn and more importantly with an artistic eye. As mentioned above, a person wishing to pursue a career in this field need to enroll for a course related to this field. However, as pointed out, there are no specific courses for a career in this field and many people who rise to be successful cameramen have either studied related courses or joined the profession informally through on-the-job learning. The paper has established the job of a cameraman as one of the most critical in show, film or cinema production process. It is the duty of the cinema operator in recording images, motions, and sounds while ensuring high quality end product. However, similar to other businesses, there are several risk factors that a cameraman should consider. This means that everybody working in this field should work carefully to avoid or mitigate occurrence of any undesirable event. Nonetheless, to ensure business continuity, the insurance firms offer a cover not only to the camera men, but also their tools of work. This ensures that an occurrence of any undesirable event, the camera man is quickly restored to the original position hence speedy restoration of photography activities. A career as a cameraman is no different from the others. This paper has found that as a technical field, one has to work for a period of about two years in order to gain adequate experience. In addition, an individual needs to utilise available channels to get employment or job opportunities. These include networking with other people and also carrying out promotional activities. As such, individuals should showcase their products in order to win many potential clients. Another way to look for opportunities is by working as a volunteer where by one gets a chance of displaying their abilities to potential employers hence affording opportunities of getting hired. Nevertheless, this field is wide and a lot of opportunities are available and therefore new entrants should work hard in order to excel in their career. References Andrejevic, M., 2004. Reality TV: The work of being watched. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Berman, R., 1987. How television sees its audience: A look at the looking glass. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Burnett, M., 2001, July. What I have learned. Esquire Magazine, July. 136, 1. Deery, J., 2004. Reality TV as Advertisement. Popular Communication, 2(1), pp. 1-20. Fuchs, C., 2010. Class, Knowledge and new media. Media, Culture and Society, 32(1), pp.141- 150. Hearn, A., 2008. Variations on the branded ‘self’: theme, invention, improvisation and inventory. In Hesmondhalgh and Toynbee (ed.), The Media and Social Theory (pp. 194- 210). London: Routledge. Kiciloff, A., and Starosta, G., 2007. Value Form and Class Struggle: A critique of the autonomist theory of value. Capital and Class. 31(2), pp. 13-40. Livingstone, S. M., 1990. Making sense of television: The psychology of audience interpretation. Oxford, England: Pergamon. Livingstone, S. M. and Lunt, P. K., 1994. Talk on television: Audience participation and public debate. London: Routledge.. Shepherd, G. J., St. John, J. and Striphas, T. (Eds.), 2006. Communication A Perspectives on Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Questionnaire 1. Which photographers do you admire and respect most?............... 2. What most influences you in your work?......................... 3. How do you perceive a career in camera photography?....................... 4. Since you joined career as a cameraman, how has the career developed and what have you done to remain relevant in this practice?...................... 5. Some of your clients could be concerned with quality of your work, which equipment do you used to enhance superior quality?......................... 6. Are there enough jobs for camera operators?............................ 7. How do I get a job as a reality TV show camera operator?............................ 8. How do I become a camera operator and which course should I take?........................... 9. What are the key values for a person to make a good camera operator?........................ 10. What career options are there for a camera operator?................................... Read More