Camera

2nd Assistant Camera playbook.

Slates, logs, and hands the camera team everything it needs without slowing anyone down.

What this role owns

1st Assistant Camera

Not your call

Camera settings are the 1st AC's and DP's call — you keep the record straight.

First move

Learn the slate format the DP wants before the first take, not during it.

Titles are usually given to whoever's already doing the work — if that's you, say so.

Also in Camera

Owns the image — camera, lighting, and the visual plan that makes the director's vision readable on screen.

Runs a camera on a real shoot — framing, following the action, and holding a shot the editor can actually use.

Keeps the shot in focus and the camera package running — the difference between a usable take and a soft one.

Flies the aerial shots — legally, safely, and only where it's actually cleared to fly.

Shoots the photos that aren't video — behind the scenes, promotional stills, and the images that sell a project before anyone sees the film.