Shooters World                                                             

A Survey of Video Pros

In my never-ending quest to understand the mindset and milieu of the professional shooter, I attempted what corporations do when they want to know stuff: conduct a survey. I mailed and e-mailed a set of 13 questions to a scattering of folks from my old Shooter's World mailing list (when Shooter's World was a newsletter). The response was truly underwhelming. A good thing, too. I realized I wasn't interested in statistical analysis of a flood of information. I wanted something more accessible than percentages and stats. I wanted to know the individuals behind the names and opinions. 

Five of the survey recipients sent replies to questions about their work as professional videographers. Some of their thoughts and ideas may be useful to you. So--meet a few of your colleagues: 

Skip Blumberg, New York: Skip has been shooting professionally "since the twentieth century," presumably now as an independent. 

Steve Dekter, Toronto, Canada: My loyal correspondent in Canada, Steve is a 12-year veteran shooter.

Dick Mijotovich, Chicago: Dick is an independent videographer with over 20 years of experience. 

Michael Moser, Washington DC: With 30 years of experience, Michael manages his own production company. 

Susan Rhett, Nashville: Susan has been shooting professionally for 20 years, and has worked at a cable network for 18 years. 

Burgess-Lent: Describe your work. What appeals to you most about it? 

Blumberg: I work on Weekend in Moscow, a new independently produced documentary; shorts for PBS kids shows; and fundraising and educational videos for arts, cultural, and social service organizations. I started doing this work for the adventure and experiences. It's creative. 

Dekter: I own and operate Permanent Images. I sell, produce, shoot, organize crews, and liaise with corporate, broadcast, education, entertainment, and medical clients. This work gives me the extraordinary ability to do something completely different every day. There is no nine-to-five rut in what I do. I enjoy meeting all types of people, from celebrities to politicians to the man on the street. Also, the money. Show me the money! 

Mijotovich: I do videography and lighting in the Chicago area. What appeals to me is the independence and discovering the occasional interesting shoot. 

Moser: Mostly I do video DP work--the whole range from commercials to interviews to mini-docs. I've been doing some producing and directing too. Each situation I enter has a new set of challenges. Sometimes it's a matter of lighting to get the richest look; sometimes it's looking for the most original angle or way of capturing a sequence in one take. 

Rhett: I like the external nature of shooting--experiencing the world, independence, creativity, the teamwork aspect of production, and the moments of pure bliss, usually involving music. 

Burgess-Lent: What is the most annoying thing about the work? 

Dekter: In order from most to least annoying: 
Working with unknowledgeable clients, having to teach them, and they don't get it. It can become very frustrating. 

1. When people walk into shots and wave and say, "Hi, mom!" 
2. People not understanding how or why they need to budget in a certain way for production and always wanting to hammer down your price. 
3. Working with clients who try to speed you through the shoot because they want to keep on or ahead of schedule for the president of the company--and you know that if you allow this to happen, there will be problems in the edit suite. 
4. Working with clients who refuse to accept that a satisfied and happy army/crew (one that's given appropriate meal breaks) will work harder. 

Moser: Carrying stuff. 

Rhett: The weight of the camera after 20 years. 

Burgess-Lent: Do you think you will eventually retire from shooting or move into another kind of work? 

Blumberg: If you've got pipes, doing voice-overs always has seemed like a really soft job with a high income. 

Dekter: I can't ever see myself retiring from this profession. However, I can see myself moving to another job within the industry, such as directing and producing. 

Mijotovich: I'll probably never retire from the profession, but I've also begun to write and produce. 

Moser: No. 

Rhett: I don't know if I'll retire from this. I have other interests: small-scale farming, working in the visual fine arts, and studying healing modalities. Ideally, I'd like to marry several of these. 

Burgess-Lent: What's your favorite piece of gear? 

Blumberg: Command Z. 

Dekter: My monitor. 

Mijotovich: Betacam with a wide-angle lens, but HD is becoming a reality. 

Moser: My camera--the Sony BVW-D600. It's most forgiving and relatively light. 

Rhett: Porta-Brace padded shoulder strap, Porta-Brace run bag, a small LCD monitor (camera mounted), and my right hip. 

Burgess-Lent: What do you see as the most promising aspect of the television medium and business? 

Blumberg: Calling it television is short-lived. It remains to be seen how the digital delivery system will be an improvement. Ultimately, I don't care what they call it or how they get it to people, I just want to make it and show it to them. Also, the equipment is getting cheaper, lighter, smaller, faster, and more fun to use. 

Dekter: I'm interested in the new Internet focus with webcasting and MPEG, and the whole realm of Internet/television broadcasting. 

Mijotovich: Hi-def is moving ever closer to a medium comparable to film, and this will present some opportunities. 

Moser: Television provides a learning experience each time I go out. I'm continually challenged to get some form of reality into that frame. 

Rhett: The medium is becoming more democratic due to the quality/quantity of business and professional gear and Internet access. I see a proliferation of programming targeting more specific audiences. 

Burgess-Lent: What do you regard as the most negative aspects of the medium? 

Dekter: I hate the cost of acquiring state-of-the-art equipment in order to keep a competitive edge. 

Mijotovich: The lack of creativity in corporate programs. 

Moser: I dislike the mistrust and the lack of control. 

Rhett: I believe the broadcast industry will change beyond recognition. A lot of folks won't want to make this transition. Also, I believe that what we create, creates us as a culture. There's too much negative stuff that people accept easily into their homes and lives. I don't want to be part of creating that. 

Burgess-Lent: What are most important ethical issues you've had to deal with in your work? 

Blumberg: Whether or not to eat whale blubber. 

Dekter: In news, shooting a ruckus faithfully without inciting people to behave differently for the camera; asking bereaved individuals for a clip, knowing they would prefer privacy; finding myself at times falling into the category of "video vulture," since it pays so much better than straight news shooting. 

Mijotovich: Being honest when a client asks me about their show. Although many times their ideas are okay and even excellent, most are very ordinary and some not even that. But the client is very excited. How should you respond? 

Moser: I have a hard time working for a client whose political agenda is far from mine. Sometimes I have to refuse. 

Rhett: When I shot news, I had the usual questions about the ethics of much of what I shot. That's why I got into production. 

Burgess-Lent: Do you set your own pay rates? 

Blumberg: The good news is that, although per-minute acquisition fees are flat, the cost of higher production values continues to drop. 

Dekter: I generally set my own rates unless shooting for the NABET union of broadcast cameramen. Within our city there is a general standard that I try to be competitive with. Although we do not fix rates, we have certain standards. From time to time, a budget will dictate my rate. 

Mijotovich: It's hard, given the number of people who are willing to work for less than half of my day rate. More and more clients go for it. My pay currently is not commensurate with my experience and skills. 

Moser: I follow industry and union guidelines, and feel fairly compensated. 

Rhett: I do not set my own pay rate. I work full-time. I could probably go freelance, but there is a glut of freelance camera people in Nashville. So, I'm pretty happy with my situation, pay-wise. 

Burgess-Lent: What would be your ideal assignment? 

Blumberg: Can you get us a dozen half-hours this year? 

Dekter: Money and reputation aside, I would want to be at an event of historical importance. I'd like to tell the story with accuracy and flair, bringing my camera to a place most people don't get to see and allowing them to feel they've lived it too. 

Mijotovich: Shooting a feature on HD. 

Moser: Anything where I can put a camera on my shoulder and be allowed to do my job in a trusted and creative manner. 

Rhett: Documentaries about music and musicians; a documentary about healing that incorporates physics. Education programming (elegant and interesting) about the above and about farming, nutrition, and lifestyles. 

That's the first round. I'd like to make the survey an ongoing part of my column. If you'd like to contribute your two cents about the world of the professional videographer, e-mail me at lentx3@aol.com I'll send you the questionnaire. 

[One more thing. Kevin Ross, a full-time news photographer, sent me this query: I wear glasses and they can be a pain--fogging up, getting scratched, falling off. Have any cameramen had Lasik eye surgery, and will they pass along the pros and cons of their experience? Readers? You can contact Kevin directly at Kross@coveredge.com. Please copy me. I'm curious.] 

Send me your comments and suggestions. I like to hear from you. lentx3@aol.com