...Accella, I'm sure if you Google 'IATSE Local 600', or 'International Cinematographers Guild,' you'll find info on what is happening...in a nutshell, the producers (small 'p'..) of tv and film have offered a contract to the 1 million+ workers (Grips, Gaffers, Cameramen, Propmen, Wardrobers, Make-Up, etc...oh yea, and that ubiquitous Best Boy...) that make up the IA. The contract is strong, with excellent increases in pension, hourly wages and med benefits...except, the producers want to totally eliminate the roll of the Camera Operator...this is what I've done for 25 years...They want to allow the Director of Photography to operate the camera...bad mistake....get ready to see alot of out of focus closeups of your favorite stars, and alot of poor camerawork....All so they can save about $1200.00 a day (on a 14 hour day....)...I'm so glad I spent $35K of my own coin for my Graduate Thesis Film. at AFI.........

Hmmm...that's well and good but not all DPs really know how to pull focus or ride a boom on a movie car, right? Aren't a lot of these guys like art directors? Is that not like asking the Director to also be the Producer?

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Yes, their skillset and mine are totally different...Imagine the interview process in the future: producer: Do you operate your own camera?? DP: No.... p: NEXT........ p: Do you operate?? DP2: Of Course I do!! p: YOUR HIRED. ....Not quite an even playing surface, eh? Imagine the overweight elder extremely experienced DP...he doesn't even get to interview....Advancement within the camera dept. will end, period. No p in the world is going to hire a first time DP that was previously an asst. cameraman; however an operator, 90% of the time, is the one who takes over when the DP is ill...This has happened to me more times than i can count. The only reason that a production has been able to finish a day of work when the DP has gone home ill in the morning is because the production had a camera operator that learned from the ground up how to photograph a feature film...He has spent countless long hours in each classification, not advancing until he has perfected his craft...he is the one person who is involved in every shot of the film...he is a hub for succinct communication, a key to controlling costs...

I think I'm gonna become a travelling x5 modder....I mod for food....