Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · Holland code ARC
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions.
Also called: Camera Operator, Cameraman, Television News Photographer, Videographer, Master Control Operator (MCO), News Videographer, Production Technician, Studio Camera Operator.
O*NET 27-4031.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $74,990
- Middle half earn $50,920 to $106,660. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
- 61% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Compose and frame each shot, applying the technical aspects of light, lenses, film, filters, and camera settings to achieve the effects sought by directors.
- Operate television or motion picture cameras to record scenes for television broadcasts, advertising, or motion pictures.
- Edit video for broadcast productions, including non-linear editing.
- Instruct camera operators regarding camera setups, angles, distances, movement, and variables and cues for starting and stopping filming.
- Adjust positions and controls of cameras, printers, and related equipment to change focus, exposure, and lighting.
- Confer with directors, sound and lighting technicians, electricians, and other crew members to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences, desired effects, camera movements, and lighting requirements.
- Operate zoom lenses, changing images according to specifications and rehearsal instructions.
- Observe sets or locations for potential problems and to determine filming and lighting requirements.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.3 / 5
- Speaking3.3 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
- Monitoring3.1 / 5
- Writing2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.3 / 5
- Computers and Electronics4.0 / 5
- Communications and Media3.8 / 5
- Telecommunications3.8 / 5
- Engineering and Technology2.9 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic65
- Investigative17
- Artistic67
- Social13
- Enterprising21
- Conventional44
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- director of photography · DE Kameramann/Kamerafrau · FR directeur de la photographie/directrice de la photographie
- video and motion picture editor · DE Film- und Videoeditor/Film- und Videoeditorin · FR monteur audiovisuel/monteuse audiovisuelle
- assistant video and motion picture director · DE Filmproduktionsassistent/Filmproduktionsassistentin · FR assistant réalisateur de films cinématographiques et vidéos/assistante réalisatrice de films cinématographiques et vidéos
- audio-visual technician · DE Fachkraft AV-Medientechnik · FR technicien audiovisuel/technicienne audiovisuel
- boom operator · DE Tonassistent/Tonassistentin · FR perchiste
- camera operator · DE Kameraschwenker/Kameraschwenkerin · FR opérateur de prise de vues/opératrice de prise de vues
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Arts officers, producers and directors (3416)113,500 employed
- Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators (3417)81,300 employed
- Print finishing and binding workers (5423)8,400 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.45. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (27-4031).
Related careers
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