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The First Cameras
The first successful photograph was taken in 1827 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce.
https://www.photography-basics.com/history-of-the-camera/ -
First Moving Picture and First Camera Man
In 1888 although only 2.11 seconds long Roundhay Garden Scene was the first ever "movie" filmed by Louise Le Prince making him one of the first camera operators.
https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-first-movie-ever-made -
New and Improved Cameras
George Eastman was who was responsible for the first use of photographic film which is still sometimes used even today.
His first camera was known as the Kodak and this name is still used today on cameras.
https://www.photography-basics.com/history-of-the-camera/ -
Movies
In the 1890's movies started going from seconds long to several minutes long. -
Silent Film Era
Camera Operators became more popular in the 1920's as the "Silent Film Era" came about. More movies were being produced which meant that there needed to be more camera operators to film them.
https://www.octaneseating.com/history-of-silent-movies -
Sam Cohen and Colored Films
Sam Cohen is one of the most important camera operators in the history of film. Although he was not credited and not very known he was the one responsible for filming one of cinemas most popular movies "The Wizard of Oz"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/fullcredits -
First Summer Blockbuster
Skipping forward to the 1970's films have now added more sound and color to them. Michael Chapman was the camera operator for the first summer blockbuster "Jaws". This movie was one of the first to have camera operators film underwater. -
More Advancements
Later on in the 20th century camera operators started doing more than just filming. Some started having to create computer graphics for movies. -
Motion Capture
Motion Capture started to become a big thing for films in the early 2000's. This also means new jobs for camera operators. Instead of just simply filming the camera operators would record movements that the actors/actresses make and animating them. A famous film that used this is the holiday movie "The Polar Express".
https://www.vicon.com/what-is-motion-capture -
More Jobs
In the 2000's camera operators soon got even more jobs to do as more special effects were added to movies. -
CGI Films
CGI (Computer Generated Imaging) became more frequently used and camera operators helped with creating the CGI -
Conclusion
In conclusion camera operator is a job that has changed quite a bit however still remains the same in some ways. This career has evolved quite a bit.