A cameraman's job begins the moment he walks onto the set. Although other production members are responsible for unloading the equipment off the truck, the cameraman feels compelled to be present as the camera is set up. This is due to the vast number of issues that can arise simply from transporting such a large and sensitive piece of equipment. Once the camera and all its accessory equipment is inside the sound stage, the cameraman runs a check to determine that everything arrived in appropriate and working condition.
One of the cameraman's primary responsibilities is to please the head camera person, commonly known as the cinematographer. Technically, all other camera operators work under this single individual. The cinematographer is also held accountable for the work of the camera people on his team. For this reason, a cameraman needs to always first confer with the cinematographer regarding suitable shot angles or the distance of a shot (e.g., far-away versus close-up). The cinematographer reports directly to the director and constantly receives applicable information that the cameraman will want to know. Cameramen often partake in a ritual called, "watching the dailies." Together, the camera crew, director, producers or actors gather to see how scenes appeared on camera after they are shot.
Prior to arriving on set the cameraman receives a breakdown of the scenes that are expected to be shot that day. Upon double-checking that the scene order has not changed, he then proceeds to move to the indoor or outdoor set location and positions his camera into place. Once the camera is physically stable and in working order, the cameraman confers with the cinematographer to see if a particular angle has already been chosen. He then checks the lens and verifies that the appropriate distance, perspective and lighting are in place. The camera lens must also be wiped cleaned immediately prior to the onset of shooting when the director calls, "Action!"
Re-shoots are an ongoing part of the television and film-making businesses. This job requires the use of a camera team to be successful. Re-shoots can take place at several times: during the regular time initially allotted to film the project, after editing has begun and right before a movie is sealed and shipped to marketing. When participating in a re-shoot a cameraman will be given even stricter guidelines regarding the set-up of shots. He is not allowed to artistically interpret a shot's visual aspect or any lighting details. Re-shoots generally occur because an error in the filming is discovered too late to simply add the shot back into a regular work day's filming schedule.