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I want to investigate how the camera operator can overcome challenges and situations on the spot and also influence and change the narrative of not only Film but also live Television. Throughout R&D week I worked with Creative Capital as a Camera Operator for two of the broadcasted talks that were timetabled into the week. I have combined these camera operating opportunities with a class I attended titled "The Poetics and Politics of Representation in Image Making" to help me better understand what the camera operator can do. I also attended a Canon open workshop to see how the camera operators knowledge of cameras can improve the narrative choices he makes as well as improve my knowledge of the camera.

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During the Canon workshop we got the chance to look at the new C500 Mark II body, which was very useful for us as we have been operating with the C500 Mark I for the last year. the main elements of the camera have remained the same, however it has been updated with a new interface and control system, making it easier to navigate in the menus. The cameras shape was more ergonomic and comfortable to hold from handheld, making it more useful in scenarios where a tripod cannot be used. The Mark II can also now record at up to 4K, meaning higher quality output.

Ultimately, the changes to the Mark II are more about making the job of the camera operator easier, by making the interface more friendly and easier to navigate. This helps the cameraman in the way in which he can present the narrative. as he has more control of his camera and the functionality of the camera .

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I enjoyed looking at the different camera interfaces in the Canon Open play. This camera in particular had a good example interface to use. Its generally small size is often representative of the size of a viewfinder the camera operator often finds himself with unlike in film, where a much larger playback monitor is often at hand. Using this camera for a bit really helped me to practice and see what its like using handheld and portable camera viewfinders and will be something I consider when looking at location shoots on my course as a Digital Television Production student.

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the C500 manual from Canon was one of the things I researched and looked at after the workshop. I thought it was important to know all of the buttons and controls I had at my disposal. More often than not, the camera operator faces the challenge of being presented with a new camera which they may not have used before. Learning the entire interface from this point can be long and a struggle which is why learning all of the general features the camera can have can often help as most cameras at heart will have similar controls perhaps just labelled differently.

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The Poetics & Politics of Representation in Image Making

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The Poetics & Politics of Representation in Image Making

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In this talk by Gianpaolo Bucci, we covered alot of information on how the camera operator and crew must build rapport with the talent and people they are interviewing. Gianpaolo spoke of his travels internationally and how he spent a month with the talent, coming to his house everyday playing games and talking with him before the talent asked him, "aren't you meant to be recording me?" By this point the relationship Gianpaolo had built with the talent was so close that they automatically became infinitely more comfortable in front of the camera. Whilst this may seem solely the task of the director this should feel like more of a responsibility for the entirety of the crew, including the camera operator. The camera operator arguably will spend just as much if not more close and intimate time with the talent than any other, as they are often up close and personal with them at all times. From this I have learnt how I as a camera operator can learn to become more comfortable in my situation and also consider how my moves and narrative choices may not only effect what I do on the camera, but what the talent infront of me also does.

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"Knowledge linked to power not only assumes the authority of truth but also has the power to make itself true."

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"Knowledge linked to power not only assumes the authority of truth but also has the power to make itself true."

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Michel Foucault's quote here tells us that knowing you have the power of truth is sometimes powerful enough to make itself a truth when in actuality it is just the power that gives this false truth its validity. This is a powerful message that I feel rings true and in some ways can be applied to that of a camera operator. Sometimes knowing or being confident that your answer is the correct answer, or in this case, your shot being the correct shot can be enough for someone to see it itself as the correct shot to use. This way we as camera operators have power in controlling the narrative and can choose how we push shots to the director.

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In this article, Richmond describes the camera as "another character in the movie". being able to look at the camera from a different perspective, and see it as a fundamental aspect to the narrative and not just an instrument of recording is a huge factor that the camera operator has to overcome. Not only must they understand the camera and its function fundamentally, bust also creatively and see how it can have an effect on narrative. Again, another element I will consider when operating the camera on set and also on live tv. When I am live, the camera is not a character, but an audience member.

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In this image I was working on a 2-shot of the talent in an interview. Again, I found my positioning to the right of the stage too difficult to capture both of the talent and so we often had to cut to a different angle. perhaps this is something I can consider in my next job.

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A close shot of the talent. In the center and in focus. she did not move much so it was not very difficult to capture.

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A still from the Camera Feed I was operating

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In this show, working as the camera operator I had to deal often with the talent moving on the spot and swaying from left to right. It often made it difficult to focus on the narrative of the talk and the speaker as I was prioritising his position in the frame and now what he was saying. I was fairly limited in creative shots I could offer as my camera was constantly live and my tripod made the camera more or less locked to its position. Regardless I still had to consider

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Camera Operations 2 - Picture-in-Picture

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Camera Operations 2 - Picture-in-Picture

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in this image, the photo in the bottom left corner was the camera I was operating live. Because of my cameras positioning I was often capturing the back of the talents head and sometimes having to adjust accordingly. being used as a picture-in-picture screen is also something tricky to deal with as it means your camera feed is constantly live and so was something I learnt to deal with as a common problem