A camera operator must operate and handle motion picture cameras to film scenes connected to TV transmission, promotions, and motion movies. Also, you are to decide on camera positions, create good shots, and give suggestions. You have to regularly carry out tests and ensure the tools are clean, to create an appropriate working setting. As a camera operator, you have to cooperate with electricians, directors, and sound and lighting technicians. This is to improve the operations and decide filming arrangements. Additionally, you must execute all quality checks associated with the efficacious sustenance of the camera as well as keep all sectors connected to the studio and costume room. Occasionally, you would have to go to several locations for shots or film scenes and also prepare and organize equipment for the operation. Your job requires you to gather and edit unrefined film on the location to transfer it to television associates for broadcast.
The educational requirement is GED or a high school degree as this job does not necessarily require a university education. Also, you must demonstrate outstanding creativity, multi-tasking, and organizational skill. Furthermore, you must be able to operate calmly under pressure and for a long period. As a camera operator, you will earn an annual average salary of $45,595 or $21.92 per hour.
How to Become a Camera Operator
What is a Camera Operator
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Camera Operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.15 an hour? That's $46,068 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 7,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Camera Operator Do
There are certain skills that many Camera Operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Creativity, Detail oriented and Hand-eye coordination.
How To Become a Camera Operator
If you're interested in becoming a Camera Operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 67.8% of Camera Operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.0% of Camera Operators have master's degrees. Even though most Camera Operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Camera Operator. When we researched the most common majors for a Camera Operator, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Camera Operator resumes include High School Diploma degrees or Master's Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Camera Operator. In fact, many Camera Operator jobs require experience in a role such as Production Assistant. Meanwhile, many Camera Operators also have previous career experience in roles such as Internship or Director Of Photography.
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Camera Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a Camera Operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Editor, progress to a title such as Consultant and then eventually end up with the title Production Director.
Camera Operator Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Camera Operator
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12 Camera Operator Resume Examples
Build a professional camera operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your camera operator resume.
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Mark Rose Camera Operator |
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Kayla Hunter Camera Operator Experience Camera Operator2015 - Present TV One•Atlanta, GA
Editor/Camera Operator2014 - 2015 Dillard's•Atlanta, GA
Audio Operator2006 - 2014 NFL•Philadelphia, PA
Skills News StoriesLive PerformancesFootball GamesCompany WebsiteWeb SeriesDslrEspnTraining VideosAudio EquipmentAudio Tech Education Associate's Degree Photography2004 - 2006 Temple University•Philadelphia, PA |
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Learn How To Write a Camera Operator Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Camera Operator resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Camera Operator Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Camera Operator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Camera Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Camera Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Camera Operator Demographics
Camera Operator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Camera Operators, 22.8% of them are women, while 77.2% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Camera Operators is White, which makes up 64.0% of all Camera Operators.
- The most common foreign language among Camera Operators is Spanish at 59.3%.
Find the best Camera Operator job for you
Camera Operator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Camera Operator Jobs - $76K and Up
- Entry Level Camera Operator Jobs
- Part Time Camera Operator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Camera Operator Jobs
Top Colleges for Camera Operators
1. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
5. Texas State University
San Marcos, TX • Private
6. Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN • Private
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
8. American University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
Find the best Camera Operator job for you
Camera Operator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Camera Operator Jobs - $76K and Up
- Entry Level Camera Operator Jobs
- Part Time Camera Operator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Camera Operator Jobs
Online Courses For Camera Operator That You May Like
Photography settings - learn how to get the most from your DSLR camera and improve your photography!...
Easy-to-follow video training on getting better photos with a digital SLR camera!...
Learn to Use Any Photography Camera or Video Camera to Make Great Videos With Any Budget for Personal or Business Use...
Top Skills For a Camera Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.4% of Camera Operators listed Camera Operation on their resume, but soft skills such as Creativity and Detail oriented are important as well.
Best States For a Camera Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Camera Operator. The best states for people in this position are Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington. Camera Operators make the most in Oregon with an average salary of $80,804. Whereas in Hawaii and Alaska, they would average $76,812 and $76,542, respectively. While Camera Operators would only make an average of $72,504 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$76,542
Avg. Salary
2. New York
$68,545
Avg. Salary
3. Hawaii
$76,812
Avg. Salary
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Camera Operator Videos
