“An imaginative and creative camera operator is a kind of magician. When their technical mastery is allied with the vision of the Director and cinematographer, the contribution they make is mysterious and beautiful. So much is wrapped up in the feel for the shot whether static, or moving, and this quality is not one to teach or learn but to be constantly open to, and experience. When the great operators access this, the results are sublime.”
Sir Kenneth Branagh
“When I hire an operator, I tend to take on the person before the position. That is to say, I believe the individual brings to the job a unique alchemy that establishes the tone for the set.
While here I have found that the operators I have worked with are true artists, true masters of their craft and true friends. These people have a joy for the process of making films that is contagious and it reminds me why I love this business so much.”
Shelly Johnson, ASC
“There are so many tools at the disposal of a modern filmmaker, nevertheless, the composition of a frame and the movement of the camera are still amongst the most powerful of these tools. A camera operator who understands the story, emotionally and stylistically, can convey the director’s choices, be they visceral or poetic, and bring his or her unique relationship with the camera to an audience in a profound way.”
Joe Wright, Director
“Camera operating is not a craft that you can just learn, you have to be born with the ability to feel the shot and make it seamless. You have to understand story telling and know when and how to move the camera. There is nothing more beautiful than a perfectly operated shot. A shot that you never see start or the finish of the move, and some how, it just got there.”
