Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions.
21,550 people do this job in the US. $74,990 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 32%
- 14%
- 54%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 12%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit video for broadcast productions, including non-linear editing.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 25% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Operate television or motion picture cameras to record scenes for television broadcasts, advertising, or motion pictures.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Use cameras in any of several different camera mounts, such as stationary, track-mounted, or crane-mounted.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Direct studio productions.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Assemble studio sets and select and arrange cameras, film stock, audio, or lighting equipment to be used during filming.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Compose and frame each shot, applying the technical aspects of light, lenses, film, filters, and camera settings to achieve the effects sought by directors.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up and operate electric news gathering (ENG) microwave vehicles to gather and edit raw footage on location to send to television affiliates for broadcast.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up and perform live shots for broadcast.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up cameras, optical printers, and related equipment to produce photographs and special effects.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Test, clean, maintain, and repair broadcast equipment, including testing microphones, to ensure proper working condition.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe sets or locations for potential problems and to determine filming and lighting requirements.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians10% now, 25% by 2028
- Broadcast Technicians26% now, 32% by 2028
- Audio and Video Technicians25% now, 54% by 2028
- Media Technical Directors/Managers36% now, 38% by 2028
- Avionics Technicians6% now, 15% by 2028
- Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers6% now, 7% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).