Wages

[Henry Corkum]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the television production scene. I'm on my first job now as a Camera Technician running the VTR's, doing color correction for the cameras, and controlling IRIS, etc with a NTSC system. The show I'm working on is running 2 main cameras and a pencil cam. I'm working at least 12 hours each day. This being my first job, I had an experienced technician with me to show me all the ropes, and I know everything now about running everything. Troubleshooting and so on will come with experience. Anyways, I thought I would give some background and now to get to my point.. What is an average wage per day for this type of job? I know location is a factor, but just thought I would get an idea of what others are getting paid. I will be doing another show in summer and I am wondering if I should try to charge a little more. Thanks.

[shootist]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the television production scene. I'm on my first job now as a Camera Technician running the VTR's, doing color correction for the cameras, and controlling IRIS, etc with a NTSC system. The show I'm working on is running 2 main cameras and a pencil cam. I'm working at least 12 hours each day. This being my first job, I had an experienced technician with me to show me all the ropes, and I know everything now about running everything. Troubleshooting and so on will come with experience. Anyways, I thought I would give some background and now to get to my point.. What is an average wage per day for this type of job? I know location is a factor, but just thought I would get an idea of what others are getting paid. I will be doing another show in summer and I am wondering if I should try to charge a little more. Thanks.

 

In the states, you'd probably get $400 to $500 for 10 hours.

 

You say you are new to TV production and you are shading and controlling a 3 camera remote??? I wouldn't pay you a dime for that job without experience. You'd cause more trouble than it's worth. I hope you mispoke in your description.

[Henry Corkum]

In the states, you'd probably get $400 to $500 for 10 hours.

 

You say you are new to TV production and you are shading and controlling a 3 camera remote??? I wouldn't pay you a dime for that job without experience. You'd cause more trouble than it's worth. I hope you mispoke in your description.

 

You are very dis-respectful. I job-shadowed to learn everything that I had to to. I also have a trained technician with me for a week at the start. I've caught onto this job very quickly and have been doing fine. I don't know what your problem is.

[Stephen Williams]

You are very dis-respectful. I job-shadowed to learn everything that I had to to. I also have a trained technician with me for a week at the start. I've caught onto this job very quickly and have been doing fine. I don't know what your problem is.

 

Hi,

 

With respect it's a job that takes a long time to do really well. I have been adjusting video cameras for over 15 years and I am still learning.

 

Stephen

[Henry Corkum]

Hi,

 

With respect it's a job that takes a long time to do really well. I have been adjusting video cameras for over 15 years and I am still learning.

 

Stephen

 

I agree, but to have him saying that he wouldn't pay me a dime for what I do is very dis-respectful.

[Bob Hayes]

Congratulations on landing such a skilled position on your first job. Take advantage of everything you can. That said, and with all respect, there is a new tendency in the US to hire unskilled labor to do highly skilled tasks. It is turning the US into the joke of the world. Jobs that 15 years ago would be highly paid and staffed with excellent people with 15 years of experience are now crewed by novices. This system is driven be the ever growing greed factor in the US. The result if 60% of the people wash out, 20% of the people develop adequate skills and 20% of the people actually are incompetent but just luck out. Over that past tens years many of the 20% that have just lucked out i.e. are still completely incompetent, have moved up into management. These people are actually threatened by the truly skilled and experienced people who could out perform them so they actually feel more secure hiring the unskilled.

 

So when you ask how much you should make and someone says $400 to $500 dollars. He is referring to someone with 10 to 15 years of experience. The job you are talking about is one that requires a high degree of skill and experience and there is the potential to really screw up the production. When you get in a plane do you want a guy who just got his pilot?s license and owns a copy of flight simulator in the cockpit? When things run smoothly many jobs can be performed by unskilled people. Skilled people are hired to fly the plane when things go wrong. When you loose an engine and the hydraulics in the plane go out you don?t want a guy on his first solo behind the wheel.

[shootist]

I'm being disrespectful to someone who's grossly unqualified for the job he's faking?

You are being disrespectful to everyone on the production who will suffer from your mistakes.

I'm seeing this more and more. People think they can start at the top, to hell with working your way up the ladder and paying your dues. I'm even more convinced now that I would not pay you a dime, not only because you are not qualified but because you are an attitude case.

Enjoy your failure.

[Henry Corkum]

Wow he certainly doesn't even belong on this forum. He has no idea of my past experience. I am trained, so I don't see how in hell I'm "faking" the job. If any moderators read this, please have this person banned or something. Thank you.

[Michael Collier]

Shootist if your going to bash members like that....why not post your real name instead of some lame moniker? Your the only one with an attitude problem I can see. Hes probably very green, but it seems he has a lot of gusto, and the DP and director aren't complaining, so why do you gotta break balls? You have yet to give any qualifiers as to why you are the foremost expert on paintboxes. Maybe your just angry because your stuck where your at, probably more because of sub-par work and attitude, I would imagine. But you seem to think that paying your dues is about time put in. Its about quality produced and work ethic. It seems from the limited anonymous info we have on both of you two you we cannot make an educated decision as to where your both at.....so why not chill out and help the guy?

[shootist]

"I'm new to the television production scene. I'm on my first job now as a Camera Technician"

"He has no idea of my past experience"

 

You laid out your 'experience' in your first post quite directly. From those words, you would appear to be a faker selling yourself as an experienced camera tech. Just because the DP doesn't complain is no indicator of anything. He may be clueless too for all we know. You may be the child prodigy of camera tech's but that would be highly unlikely.

[Andrew Roddewig]

Shootist you are lame, lighten up a bit man, no wonder you are so angry, you must have an awfull life.

[Chad Stockfleth]

hehehehehe....everyone is clueless!!!! Congrats on your job! I hope you do well and continue to learn and remember to show people respect!

 

Cheers!

[Guest Giles Sherwood]

I agree with shootist. Clearly people with little experience can NEVER produce quality work. I mean come on, nobody likes Clerks, Pi, Blood Simple, or Citizen Kane :P

 

Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coens had never been on a real movie production before the first day of shooting Blood Simple, and Sonnenfeld had learned how to load a 35mm magazine from his AC only the night before in his hotel room. Orson Welles said he learned everything he knew about filmmaking from watching Stagecoach over and over.

 

Maybe Mr. Skinner is taking this guy's nasty comments a little too personally (this IS the internet after all), and maybe the unskilled-doing-skilled-jobs is a problem in this country, but then again some people really do just naturally have more "gusto" and skill than even some true grizzled veterans.

[Bob Hayes]

I agree with shootist. Clearly people with little experience can NEVER produce quality work. I mean come on, nobody likes Clerks, Pi, Blood Simple, or Citizen Kane

 

Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coens had never been on a real movie production before the first day of shooting Blood Simple, and Sonnenfeld had learned how to load a 35mm magazine from his AC only the night before in his hotel room. Orson Welles said he learned everything he knew about filmmaking from watching Stagecoach over and over.

 

Maybe Mr. Skinner is taking this guy's nasty comments a little too personally (this IS the internet after all), and maybe the unskilled-doing-skilled-jobs is a problem in this country, but then again some people really do just naturally have more "gusto" and skill than even some true grizzled veterans.

 

The following are Gregg Toland?s credits leading up to Citizen Kane. Maybe Orson Wells should have hired some one who ?had an experienced technician show him all the ropes so he would everything about running everything.?

 

 

Citizen Kane (1941)

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

The Westerner (1940)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Raffles (1939)

Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)

They Shall Have Music (1939)

Wuthering Heights (1939)

The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)

Kidnapped (1938)

The Goldwyn Follies (1938)

Dead End (1937)

Woman Chases Man (1937)

History Is Made at Night (1937) (uncredited)

Beloved Enemy (1936)

Come and Get It (1936)

The Road to Glory (1936)

These Three (1936)

Strike Me Pink (1936) (dances and ensembles)

Splendor (1935)

The Dark Angel (1935)

Mad Love (1935)

Public Hero #1 (1935)

Misérables, Les (1935)

The Wedding Night (1935)

Forsaking All Others (1934)

We Live Again (1934)

Lazy River (1934)

Nana (1934)

Roman Scandals (1933)

The Masquerader (1933)

Tugboat Annie (1933)

The Nuisance (1933)

The Kid from Spain (1932)

Washington Masquerade (1932)

The Tenderfoot (1932)

Man Wanted (1932)

Play-Girl (1932)

Tonight or Never (1931)

The Unholy Garden (1931) (uncredited)

Palmy Days (1931)

Street Scene (1931) (uncredited)

Indiscreet (1931)

One Heavenly Night (1931)

The Devil to Pay! (1930)

Whoopee! (1930)

Raffles (1930)

The Trespasser (1929)

Condemned (1929)

This Is Heaven (1929)

Bulldog Drummond (1929)

Queen Kelly (1929) (uncredited)

The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1928) (as Gregg)

Johann the Coffinmaker (1927)

The Loves of Zero (1927)

The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)

The Bat (1926)

[Henry Corkum]

Thanks to the people who actually have some respect on here. For my experience, well you have to start somewhere don't you??? I never said I'm doing a multi-million dollar film shoot. It's a pretty small show I just did. And to show you that everyone likes my work, they want me for a show for July and August. Now why would they want me again if I did a crappy job? C'mon now.

[Tim Tyler]

Matt,

 

I'm curious how you got the job initially. Did you apply?

[Bob Hayes]

Matt, I am very excited for you. We all remember the times when we were starting out and filled with excitement and enthusiasm. We were all thrown into jobs where we were all in over our heads. Fate sometimes deals us a great hand of cards on our first time at the table. And we want you to do well and succeed.

[Guest Giles Sherwood]

I know Orson Welles had the best of the best working for him. That's one of the first things he did right :P

[Henry Corkum]

Well you guys should be glad to know I quit the business.

[Bob Hayes]

Matt

 

I'm sorry to see that you decided to back away from something you were obviously very excited about. As I mentioned earlier I for one would like to see you achieve your dreams. When you aspire to being in the camera department it is in many ways an elite arena. It is tough and challenging and to succeed you have to be dedicated. Please feel free to e-mail me if you feel the need.

[Paul Maibaum ASC]

Well you guys should be glad to know I quit the business.

I hope you didn't make this decision just because there were some negative posts on this forum regarding your quailfications/skill set.

Paul Maibaum

DP/LA

[David Mullen ASC]

Unfortunately one of the things you need to develop in order to work professionally is a thick skin... the abuse to your ego is part of the territory, whether or not it is fair. Conversely, you can't develop such a large ego that it keeps you from learning new things either. Some sort of happy balance is needed between a healthy ego that allows you to believe in yourself even when others don't, yet allows you to correct your mistakes and recognize your faults and weak areas. And it's a balance you spend your whole life trying to achieve, believe me...

[Guest]

"there is a new tendency in the US to hire unskilled labor to do highly skilled tasks."

 

Does this practice extend to the Whitehouse?

 

R,

 

PS: If you're still around Matt I'd be curious to know where and what you where working on? I know the insides of pretty much all of the TV facilities in TO if that's where you where.

 

PSS: If you really did decide to quit the business, there's a flip side that says you should be congratulated. There are hundreds of better careers out there, film and TV are not the Holy Grail people hold them out to be.

[David Mullen ASC]

"there is a new tendency in the US to hire unskilled labor to do highly skilled tasks."

 

I know a lot of people with advanced college degrees doing menial office work, so it happens the other way too.

[Justin Hayward]

Unfortunately one of the things you need to develop in order to work professionally is a thick skin... the abuse to your ego is part of the territory, whether or not it is fair. Conversely, you can't develop such a large ego that it keeps you from learning new things either. Some sort of happy balance is needed between a healthy ego that allows you to believe in yourself even when others don't, yet allows you to correct your mistakes and recognize your faults and weak areas. And it's a balance you spend your whole life trying to achieve, believe me...

 

An ego is easy. Taking people?s criticism is hard. Remember people?s criticism WHEN people pump your ego. That?s balance. It's very hard, but believe him.