When stakes are high, hire a professional videographer

30 June 2019|PRE-PRODUCTION, VIDEO PRODUCTION

By Ramsey Pietro Nasser in London, United Kingdom

Hi, I’m Ramsey. I know that choosing the right cameraman/editor can be a tough decision. It’s not easy.

There’re a lot of things to consider. The first is attitude. There’s nothing worse than hiring someone who just doesn’t care about your day, your event, or your dream.

The second is experience. Somebody who hasn’t clocked in years of experience can easily ruin a shoot, or take you off-air by tripping over a wire. As cameraman, there are a lot of things to think and prepare for, and the best cameraman will have a backup solution for every problem. It doesn’t take much to fluster an inexperienced cameraman — he or she can ruin the atmosphere on the day, and this comes through in the work.

The third thing to consider is equipment. There are a lot of guys out there with a camera (GWACs), who are not only poorly disciplined and badly prepared, but who also rely on a DSLR — failing the grade for television.

Filming with a television or cine-camera is part of a larger workflow, where every aspect of the production is taken care of by expert handling.

As cameraman, you master lighting, composition, focus, grip, power, sound, and data management.

As director, each year you become more experienced, working your way to rigging your camera with a 2nd monitor; freeing your hands to give talent precise direction.

As editor, don’t waste time. Use the world’s fastest editing software, a Editors Keys backlit keyboard, and the WACOM Intuos Pro pen & tablet to ensure work is finished on time, and on budget.

Ultimately, hiring a cameraman is like eating at a restaurant. There’s the cheap and cheerful — why not ? — but there’s also the kind of restaurateur who cares about every detail.

Red Adaire used to say: “If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait till you hire an amateur”. He was a firefighter who specialised in putting out oil wells.

I think there’s a lot of truth in that.