Where the Jobs Are in Reality TV: Camera Operators

The rise of Reality TV in all its varied forms has not been a kind one to entertainment industry jobs like writing, costume design and set construction. One could make a case that the only people who have really benefitted financially from the movement toward reality-based programming have been network executives who get to take a bigger piece of the profit that isn’t going to exorbitant star salaries. And, sure, on a temporary basis, the average Joes who get their fifteen minutes of fame doubtlessly are recipients of financial gain. When it comes to careers within the industry, however, it would certainly seem that if you want to get in on the action for the long term, you should quit trying to become a contestant, give up on the acting and singing lessons, don’t worry about learning how to write and sell the sewing machine.

Camera operators are where the job growth in the new reality paradigm of TV can be found.

Back in the days of scripted stories shot on location, on a studio stage or a Hollywood set, you had at most three cameras shooting the action. With every single movement carefully planned out, you didn’t need multiple cameras shooting thousands of hours of footage from multiple perspectives at once. Even though Reality TV features more scripted emotional context than many viewers might suspect, there is no escaping the fact that interaction among participants is highly subject to surprise and random events. Since a large cast of unknowns is still significantly cheaper than a small cast of celebrities, you need enough cameras to ensure that everybody involved can instantly become the subject of the camera’s eye.

The result has been a significant increase in the need for those qualified to shoot all that action without missing the most surprising moments and without constantly running in the other camera operators. Sound like something you’d be interested in?

First the bad news. Your favorite Reality TV show may air for as little as 30 minutes a week and that’s including commercials. One you remove the title sequences, recaps and the constant repetition of the exact same scene, a half hour show may only consist of less than 20 minutes of footage. Getting that 20 minutes of footage may require you to lug around 25 pound camera unit for days of shooting that easily pass the requisite eight hour mark. Are you prepared for constant movement with that heavy load for grueling 10 or 12 hour long days with intermittent breaks of less than fifteen minutes?

Here’s some extra information to help you decide. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median annual salary for a TV camera operator at about $46,000 or $21.87 per hour. Do the math to figure out if a 10 day at less than 20 bucks an hour sounds good to you.

But before you do, remember that not all jobs filming real people either doing their actual thing or taking part in a game show will mean exotic locales or put you in close proximity to D-list celebrities. Those 12 hour work days may get no more glamorous than spending all day inside a pawn shop or putting your life at risk filming from the crew boat shooting down a raging river.

What do you need to get in on this lucrative market of filming average people living their lives out before the camera? A Bachelors Degree in camera operator or digital editing will put you ahead of the game. Real life experience is also great, even if it has been limited to running your own small town video production company. Many camera operators start out as production assistants working primarily for the benefit of on the job training in the camera department.

Keep in mind that your future does not have to be limited to filming here now gone tomorrow Reality TV celebrities. Extensive experience as a Reality TV camera operator can lead to jobs as feature film cinematographers, editors for scripted network prime time shows and even eventually into the sphere of producing and directing. In the meantime, however, these camera operator jobs don’t look in any danger of being outsourced or downsized so despite heady competition, the lure of low-cost, high-profit material for an ever increasing number of cable networks remains too high for these jobs to evaporate overnight.