On a film set, the roles of a director of photography and camera operator are clearly delineated. One works closely with the film’s director, discussing the look of a scene and how it should be shot, while the other keeps their eye on the camera viewfinder, framing the shot and keeping it in focus. But that has changed under a new provision that went into effect Aug. 1 allowing directors of photography the option to operate their own camera for feature films and episodic television shows. An esoteric issue, to be sure, to the outside eye but a contentious one for those whose livelihood depends on being behind the camera “The use of a professional operator is a real blessing,” said Steven Poster, the president of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, based in Universal City. “If somebody good is working the camera it’s a smooth operation.” But the camera operator option included in the basic agreement between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers raises bigger questions. Will operating the camera become a condition of employment in the highly competitive working world of cinematographers? And if it can happen with the camera operator a mandatory role on film shoots until the new agreement was approved by the union members in the spring what other positions can be whittled away to cut costs. “The people we work with on the set are marvelous people and they help us and understand how things are,” said cinematographer Bob Primes, ASC. “They get pressured from studios and networks where the executives are not people who have been on the set a lot and they are following directives from the big companies.” It’s another variation on the ages old battle of Art vs. Commerce. Cinematographers and camera operators frame, focus and light their shots, finding the best way to capture a performance for the ages all the while the bean-counting accountant complains about the expense of it all. The camera operator option started, however, as a way for directors of photography to exercise their freedom of shooting their own films. “The spirit of it as I understand is there are certain cinematographers who are used to working that way,” Poster said. But Dave Frederick, president of the Society of Camera Operators, based in Toluca Lake, is of the opinion that the push to eliminate the mandatory position is economic and short sighted. On a case by case basis there will be instances that a director of photography can be effective behind the camera, Frederick conceded. “To make a global contractual change for economic purposes is a shortsighted gain and will result in long term negative impacts on the project’s success,” Frederick said. Attempts to reach a national representative of the IATSE in New York, which represents camera operators, were not successful. Bill Bennett, a cinematographer who shoots television commercials, said the increased use of digital cameras makes the need for a camera operator more important because the camera’s viewfinder does not give the same image that will appear on screen. The director of photography, then, has to be watching the scene on a monitor to judge the lighting and focus of a shot, Bennett said. “If the director of photography is required to (watch the monitor) and the producers eliminate the operator, who is going to operate the camera?” Bennett asked. While the first year of the new contract will not be a “devastating blow to the earnings of the camera operators,” Frederick predicts less work for camera operators in the future. The ICG Local 600 is concerned about abuses of the camera operator option and is watching the situation closely, Poster said. Specifically, there is no way to enforce the option and no way to know if a cinematographer was hired because of their work experience or because they agreed to operate the camera, Primes said. The number of director of photography spots is so limited there is concern that one would take on operating a camera in order to be hired. And when that happens, the quality of the work suffers, Primes said. The new union agreement’s inclusion of the optional use of camera operators created a split between the ICG Local 600 and its parents union, the IATSE. The IATSE supported the language, while the national board of the International Cinematographers Guild came out against it. Former guild President Gary Dunham initially supported the camera operator option but later switched to the opposition. The guild impeached and removed Dunham from office in July for exceeding the limits of authority of the office, with Poster taking over as replacement. There is no question that different skill sets are needed for the cinematographer and camera operator positions. The cinematographer helps the director to design, align and light a shot. They also will rehearse with stand-ins. The camera operator acts as a second set of eyes for the director of photography; looking for composition and focus on a shot.