What You'll Do

  • Operate television or motion picture cameras to record scenes for television broadcasts, advertising, or motion pictures.
  • Compose and frame each shot, applying the technical aspects of light, lenses, film, filters, and camera settings to achieve the effects sought by directors.
  • Operate zoom lenses, changing images according to specifications and rehearsal instructions.
  • Use cameras in any of several different camera mounts, such as stationary, track-mounted, or crane-mounted.
  • Adjust positions and controls of cameras, printers, and related equipment to change focus, exposure, and lighting.
  • Confer with directors, sound and lighting technicians, electricians, and other crew members to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences, desired effects, camera movements, and lighting requirements.
  • Observe sets or locations for potential problems and to determine filming and lighting requirements.
  • Instruct camera operators regarding camera setups, angles, distances, movement, and variables and cues for starting and stopping filming.
  • Read charts and compute ratios to determine variables such as lighting, shutter angles, filter factors, and camera distances.
  • Set up cameras, optical printers, and related equipment to produce photographs and special effects.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.75/5
Reading Comprehension 3.25/5
Speaking 3.25/5
Coordination 3.25/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.25/5
Critical Thinking 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Time Management 3.12/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.0/5
Writing 2.88/5
Active Learning 2.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Dependability, Attention to Detail, Innovation, Adaptability, Achievement Orientation

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Visualization 3.75/5
Near Vision 3.75/5
Far Vision 3.75/5
Oral Expression 3.62/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.62/5
Oral Comprehension 3.5/5
Speech Clarity 3.5/5
Visual Color Discrimination 3.38/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Acrobat Adobe After Effects Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Dreamweaver Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Adobe Premiere Pro Apple Final Cut Pro Apple Final Cut Studio Avid Technology audio visual editing software DaVinci Resolve Email software Google Drive Litchi Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Pix4D Pix4Dcapture

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.39/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.37/5)
  • Innovation (High importance: 4.22/5)
  • Adaptability (High importance: 4.19/5)
  • Achievement Orientation (High importance: 4.03/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Advanced Air Mobility Operator (AAM Operator) Advanced Air Mobility Pilot (AAM Pilot) Advanced Air Mobility Technician (AAM Technician) Aerial Camera Operator Animation Camera Operator Camera Engineer Camera Operator Camera Person Cameraman Cinematographer Commercial Drone Operator Commercial Drone Pilot Creative Specialist Drone Camera Operator Drone Operator Drone Pilot Electronic News Gathering Camera Operator (ENG Camera Operator) Event Videographer Filmmaker Legal Videographer Master Control Operator (MCO) Motion Designer Motion Picture Camera Operator Motion Picture Cameraman Motion Picture Photographer Movie Shot Camera Operator Movie Shot Cameraman News Camera Operator News Camera Person News Reel Cameraman News Videographer Operations Technician Optical Effects Camera Operator Production Technician Remote Camera Operator Remote Pilot Remotely Piloted Aircraft Camera Operator (RPA Camera Operator) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Controller (RPA Controller) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator (RPA Operator) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot (RPA Pilot) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Technician (RPA Technician) Sensor Operator Sports Videographer Studio Camera Operator Studio Technician Television Camera Operator Television Cameraman Television News Photographer Unmanned Aerial Camera Operator Unmanned Aerial Systems Operator (UAS Operator) Unmanned Aerial Systems Pilot (UAS Pilot) Unmanned Aerial Systems Technician (UAS Technician) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Operator (UAV Operator) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Pilot (UAV Pilot) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Technician (UAV Technician) Unmanned Aircraft Operator (UA Operator) Unmanned Aircraft Pilot (UA Pilot) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator (UAS Operator) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (UAS Pilot) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technician (UAS Technician) Unmanned Aircraft Technician (UA Technician) Urban Air Mobility Operator (UAM Operator) Urban Air Mobility Pilot (UAM Pilot) Urban Air Mobility Technician (UAM Technician) Video Camera Operator Video Coordinator Video Operator Video Specialist Videographer

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.