Charlie Productions : Camera Department

What with Avatar and Tintin and the Zemeckis MoCap stuff bringing along the idea of doing everything in-computer, maybe it's no longer a given that when you're making a film, you're pretty much guaranteed to have a camera department.

In the olden days, before we had such newfangled toys as a billion light-reflecting dots on actors' faces to read their expressions and then make them all gorgeously plastic as the virtual 'camera' flies round and round again pointlessly, we at least had to have a camera.

When we started out, Chris operated the camera. Indeed, sometimes he still does. But along with that comes the inevitable tendency to forget to put batteries on charge, to insist on another take because you can do better even when the acting was spot on and the camerawork was just fine, to not actually pay any attention to what the actor's doing because you've fallen in love with the movement of the shapes in your viewfinder.

So generally we like to work with camera people. At the very least a camera op. But as with all the different departments, when you add people to your crew, each and every job title you add is a blessing. Because as much as it is possible for the director to direct, shoot, light, focus, do steadicam or tracking... Generally it's a damn sight easier - and far far better - if there are people concentrating on each of those jobs, meaning the end result is going to be that much more spectacular.

Charlie Productions believe passionately in doing things and always trying to stop in time for tea.

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