For most situations I prefer the wheels, I know that when something is moving in my hands, the frame is changing. It is a tendency for me to over operate when on a fluid head. Furthermore, when scanning the frame for "bad things" I find my hands will wrongly drift to where I am looking and screw up headroom or even pan into the "bad things" to be avoided. Of course when on a slider, the fluid head is the most common choice.

What can you do except stay strong, keep your head up and move on. What I try to do is optimize myself and remember that I can only control the things that are within my control. Am I doing the best work I possibly can? Am I presenting myself in the best possible way. Are my resume and reel and IMDb as impactful and complete and optimized as can be? Same goes for my cover letter and any communications I may have put together to campaign for the job.

Sex scenes and scenes involving nudity are some of the stranger bits of business we have to deal with as camera operators. It goes without saying that the first and foremost rule is to be serious, be an adult, and take it very seriously. Actors who bare their souls are one thing but actors who bare their bodies 5 feet away from you while simulating sex are completely different.

There is such a plethora of incredible films to draw cinematic inspiration from; listing just a few would be quite an endeavor. Therefore, I'll approach this question differently.

Good question! Don’t try too hard. In my experience, the best way to form trust and respect is to be on time, pay attention and ask the AD’s opinion. Once they feel you’re willing to work with them rather than trying to run their set it generally all falls into place.

Names are so important! Everyone responds best when you learn their name and since we need something from everyone I try to learn them all.

I think that these days, ANY shot is achievable, no matter how insane the idea may be. It all depends what equipment, time, budget and resources are at your disposal.

For narrative:

I ask for a script or advance sides so I can become familiar with the script.

No one else remembers your mistakes like you do. Don’t carry that weight with you, from day to day or even shot to shot.

Communicate. That’s really the answer.

A dolly grip is the operator’s most hands-on collaborator on set – they keep us safe, comfortable, and in the right place for the shot to work.

There are many ways a person can get hurt on set – some obvious, some not. The more time you spend on set, the easier it is to recognize when something might go wrong.

You can say no. This is a powerful word that you can use in many situations. If you are being asked to do something dangerous to you, an actor, other crew members, or something is just plain dodgy, you can say no.

Generally I try not to “tell” an actor to do something, but I try to frame it as a request. Starting with “can you” or “would you mind”, because sometimes my technical request might interfere somehow with their process, or might inhibit some subtle character work they’re doing which I may not even be aware of.