Camera Department

The all-important Camera Department: Director of Photography, Camera Operator, Focus Puller / 1st Assistant Camera, 2nd Assistant Camera, Data Wrangler. The Director of Photography is the Department Head for all things videography. Though the Camera Department interfaces with almost every other department: Directors, Art, Grip, Lighting, Talent, Script, Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe, Visual Effects, Sound!

Directors of Photography, or DPs, bring the look of any film to life through lighting, framing and camera motion. They typically select the type of camera for the shoot and the lenses and filter for each shot.

Camera Operators literally do just that. They operate the camera from recording to motion. They work hand in hand with the Dolly Grip for dolly moves.

1st ACs mount lenses and pull focus for shots where the distance between the camera and the talent changes over the course of a give shot.

2nd ACs are responsible for additional, but essential aspects of camera operation, like maintaining and swapping batteries and data storage. They sometimes also manage the slates, in conjunction with the Sound Department and Script Supervisor.

There’s NO video without picture. You always need a great camera department for any shoot.