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A camera operator who understands the story, emotionally and stylistically, can convey the director’s choices, be they visceral or poetic, and bring his or her unique relationship with the camera to an audience in a profound way.
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Hi, I’m James Thomas GBCT, Assoc ACO, currently a member of the ACO’s Training Committee and responsible for the ACO’s Social Media. I grew up in Slough and was introduced to the world of film from acting as a child including as an extra in the first two Harry Potter films where I saw all these people running around with jobs and radios, and I thought, that looks fun! After A Levels. I went to Staffordshire University to study a BSc Film Production Technology, where I mainly learnt to function on little sleep… obviously invaluable! After that, I spent 6 months in Philippines on a paid internship where I got to experience loading 35mm and working with the Red One. I spent time working with an Argentinian operator training in Steadicam operating, which I’d first tried in my last year of Uni and immediately loved. It was incredible meeting and working with others from all over the world. I had the option to stay longer but I knew I wanted to get started on having a career in the UK. At the time I didn’t have a base in or near London permanently so I spent 2years sleeping on friends and family’s floors and sofa’s while I tried to break into the film industry, bouncing between operating on corporates and smaller things and as a trainee on larger stuff always determined to get to feature films. The following year it all fell into place completely by accident where I ended up on two big films back to back and could afford somewhere to live and even pay bills. The years that followed I slogged my guts out as a central loader and A camera loader on a number of large films always alongside countless short films and music promos running around with a Steadicam of some description. I loved learning from some of the best in the world and using those lessons to push my operating further in my own time. After a hard time for me personally which meant I had to step away for a while, I wanted to push my operating forward, I was being trusted to assist on GBCT Steadicam courses with top operators and I’d been getting more and better jobs operating myself so I took the leap to start operating 2021/22, getting time on feature films, TV Drama’s and commercials, I’ve never loved working more than when I’m on set operating. During the turbulent time of the last few years, there’s a lot of people struggling both mentally and financially and I hope that we will see some normality in the industry very soon so we can get back to what we love!
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