Specifically, outside studio filming. Inside a studio you can have all the large cameras with support you want. Same goes I would imagine for location shooting where you have the equivalent of a free set. But often if i’m watching some random TV i’ll see presenters out in public, or in shops or suchlike where a) there wouldn’t be room for a big shoulder-mounted affair but b) it’s pretty obviously different from someone carrying a consumer handheld doodah.
Let’s say we have an average on-the-street piece from a journalist or someone. Aside from the presenter themselves, how large would the filming entourage be, and what would they be using?
Not sure if I’m missing the point here, but why do you think they wouldn’t have room for a basic shoulder mounted setup (or even larger steadicam rig) when filming a journalist outdoors or an indoor craft type show?
IME that is exactly what the basic “street” entourage consists of, on-camera talent, cameraman with shoulder mounted camera, and one or two people working the video and sound feeds in the van.
If it’s anything like still photography it has less to do with the camera and more to do with the person behind the lens. That is to say if a pro camera operator and you with your handheld doodah switched cameras, his would probably still come out looking professional and your’s wouldn’t. At least in still photography, but I’ll bet it transfers.
But for your main question, from what I’ve seen when in the field, the it’s still a pretty big deal. It’s still a shoulder mounted camera, a sound guy, someone watching the video feed etc etc.
My BIL does free-lance camera work; everything from foot-in-the-door interviews, following the cops while they’re on the hunt, to corporate stuff. He has one of the above linked on the shoulder Sonys. (Betacam I think)
His crew depends; sometimes it’s just him, with the reporters voice later dubbed in asking questions. At times, the audio goes live via cellphone back to the reporter, who then thinks up new questions for BIL to ask while filming. Other times he has a reporter with him, and even a producer, and maybe even a sound guy. A regular situation requires him to take additional muscle just for protection, for theft as well as aggression. Last year he got his bag of spare batteries nicked. The muscle covers his back to stop him being shoved, or the camera rear panel being fiddled with.
BIL uses a tripod at times, mainly where he’s static for a while, or has time to set one up. It depends on how fast the situation is moving and whether there’s enough people to carry the gear. A story a while back had him and a mini skirted, high heel wearing reporter scrub/gorse-bashing up and down near vertical hills chasing the cops chasing an escaped prisoner. That day, the chase was a dead end and the cops found them a ride out. The next day the reporter was more organised, but it ended up being road chasing for the next couple of days before the guy was caught.
He has a neat setup in his SUV. There is a tripod quick release head mounted between the front seats, so he travels with the camera there. He can have the camera on his shoulder and running as he’s getting out of the door if he spots something interesting while driving.
I’ve worked with many one-person crews, particularly at small TV stations and free-lance industrial videographers. The reporter/videographer uses the shoulder mount for most shots, and puts the camera on a tripod to appear on-camera.
And yes, that does mean you’ll sometimes have a miniskirted, high-heeled, styled reporter schlepping a camera, tripod and gear around. It’s a sight that inspires a mixture of laughter, pity and admiration.
