A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CAMERAMAN
BY DANIEL GRINDROD
In many ways today
feels like a typical hang out with one of my dearest, oldest friends, Tim
Foster. We’re sitting in a secluded
corner of a Chermside coffee shop, slurping our milkshakes, staring idly at the
memorabilia around us. Tim is wearing
his usual attire of black metal band T-shirt, dark blue jeans and black
converse sneakers, complete with five o’clock shadow and dishevelled, wavy
black hair. On first impression you might mistake his appearance as vaguely
menacing, but I’ve known this man for nearly two thirds of my life and he is as
harmless as they come. Tim works as a camera operator for Channel 7 news, an
occupation he repeatedly calls “a dream job”. My intention is to spend the next hour learning
about Tim’s journey to his current position, and to find out exactly what is so damn special about his job...
Tim and I have been friends since we were eleven years old. Back
then, Tim was the soccer loving, film obsessed, ladies man and I was the
socially awkward music nerd. We were linked by a common love of Ben Folds Five,
Arnold Schwarzenegger and a cynical worldview.
I’m curious as to whether Tim knew that he wanted to be involved in
television even way back in those days, because I sure as hell didn’t know what
I was going to do with my life! Over a bite of blueberry muffin he muses, “Growing up I always had a great love of film and television, it let me
escape into my own imagination and I was fascinated with how it was done. At
the time I didn’t think I would ever work in the industry as a career, but as I
studied it at Uni, the more I felt I could actually do it. It was my time at Uni
which cemented my desire to work in television as a career.”
Today, Tim looks a little more tired than usual. The Newman
government are announcing their budget tomorrow and the powers that be have
requested Tim put in some extra hours for what is going to be a huge week. I’m lucky
to have the opportunity to talk with him as he has very little in the way of a social
life at the moment. Even when things
aren’t hectic Tim works a minimum of 40 hours a week, so I hate to think how
many he’s doing this week. He insists that he’s fine and that it’s still
nowhere as hectic as the beginning of last year when the Queensland floods hit.
“During that time they had three choppers on standby in the car park,” he
reflects, “and everyone was working 15 hour days. Some guys didn’t have a day off for an entire
month!” At that time, Tim was a casual
staffer in the Ingest department, communicating with Channel 7 news stations in
other states to find out what their big stories were. For me, his promotion from casual employee to
full time camera operator seemed incredibly rapid, so I ask him how it all played
out. “When I was given my chance at Ingest I took it with both
hands, then when the boss asked if I wanted to learn how to be a link operator
I said yes. When he asked me if I wanted to start doing night shifts I said
yes. I was given chances and I made the most of them. If I did not, I would
still be in Ingest. It takes lots of hard work.”
Friends for life: Me and Tim (right).
So, much of it relies on hard work and dedication, but does
knowing the right people also help to get ahead in the business? “In a sense it
can be about who you know, but if you
cannot back up your claims then there are dozens of other people who want a
chance,” he replies in a slightly defensive tone. “It’s up to you to keep
yourself there.” I feel I can relate to
this statement as a working musician in Brisbane. Utilising contacts forms a large part of the
game: if you can’t network effectively, then acquiring gigs and teaching
employment can often be a difficult task. Similarly to television, talent and
reputation are also important factors that will determine to your success in
the field.
Continuing to draw parallels with musicianship and the
entertainment industry, I ask Tim if he feels there is an artistic process that
stems from the collaborative aspect of his job, in a similar way that musicians
in an ensemble contribute to an overall texture in a performance. “Being new, I
always shoot too much vision simply because I am still learning, and getting
used to knowing when I have everything I need to make a story work visually.
The real art in TV news is making a journo’s piece to camera look good. An
example of this is knowing how to light a subject in an environment, whether it
be full on sunlight or a dark room.” It
amazes me to see Tim talk in this way; in the fairly brief amount of time he
has worked for Channel 7 he has gained
considerable confidence in his own craft, a dramatic development from the QUT graduate
uncertain of what would follow after his degree. “There was a period,” Tim mentions, “where I
was unsure of what to do with myself after
it was all finished.” He spent over a
year working at the local Video Ezy while continuing to apply for cameraman
positions throughout Brisbane. He jokingly refers to this point in his life as
“the dark years”. At the end of 2010, his dreams were finally fulfilled when he
received the call from Channel 7. While it was only casual work to begin with,
Tim’s constant hard work and commitment resulted in his promotion to full time
camera operator within a year of being hired.
And he hasn’t looked back. “I
love how each day is different and how I never know what I will be doing until
I turn up to work,” he says as we finish up our lunch. “It keeps things interesting. Plus I enjoy
working with the people I do, and there is a real sense of accomplishment when
I see my work go to air at 6pm, knowing how many people are watching.” I feel simultaneously envious and glad for my
friend. Even during the most stressful of times he is grateful for the
opportunity he has been given and doesn’t contemplate trading it in for a second.
If only everyone could say that about their jobs!
