Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

Median salary

$74,990

Average salary

$83,210

Employment

21,550

Projected growth

1.2% growth

Annual openings

2,900

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Do

Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 28.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.3/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.0/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.8/5
Telecommunicationsimportance 3.8/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.9/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.8/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
E-Mail4.8/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.6/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.5/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Dental Laboratory Technicians93% skill match
Upholsterers92% skill match
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers92% skill match
Stonemasons91% skill match
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers91% skill match
Prepress Technicians and Workers91% skill match
Carpet Installers91% skill match
Structural Iron and Steel Workers91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
Service Orientationimportance 2.9/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Other Software Used

Adobe Dreamweaver
Apple Final Cut Studio
Avid Technology audio visual editing software
DaVinci Resolve
Email software
Google Drive
Litchi
Pix4D Pix4Dcapture

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Attention to Detail
Innovation
Adaptability
Achievement Orientation
Cooperation
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ArtisticHigh
RealisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
EnterprisingLow
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where camera operators, television, video, and film make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).