Ned Miller, based in Chicago, has been a cameraman for years. Unlike most of the previous Shooter's World profiles, Ned doesn't do news. His niche is high-end corporate and documentary work.

Ned Miller, Camera Veteran

David Lent: What do you think are the differences between you and other shooters in your area?

Ned Miller: Things are getting very competitive, very crowded out here. You have to differentiate yourself from your competitors. I believe I bring some added value. It's not enough to have good equipment. You have to have speed, shoot for the cut. I feel I'm successful because I add that value. It's not just a matter of years of experience. You have to develop a reputation in certain niches. Mine's hand-held documentary and high-end corporate. A regular shooter can get great footage with a good gaffer and plenty of time, but you need to be known as a specialist. You need to be able to do things that others can't. I try to keep in mind that every client is different and I have to adapt my shooting style to make them feel I'm on the same wavelength and can accomplish that particular task. This requires flexibility. My nickname for it is "chameleon shooting". I go out of my way to make Ned Miller, 21-year veteran cameraman the client feel that I was the best person they could possibly have chosen.

A lot of my competitors might be just tech-weenies, technical guys who learned how to shoot. I started shooting in 1976 and freelancing in '79. I 1earned a lot of tricks to get more business. I know my market and I know who I'm competing against. If I lose a job, I try to find out why so I don't make the same mistake twice. One of the ways to get repeat business is to make the client grateful. Just little things like a carpet runner, makeup kit, first aid kit, ice chest, even fly swatters. The whole goal is to make the client's life easier and to make them look good to their boss. Having a diversified background also helps. Knowing what the editor needs, knowing what the boom man needs to get rid of that shadow, knowing how much time the gaffer's going to need to deal with those windows...

DL: Have you done other things besides shooting?

NM: Yeah, I started out in film as an assistant cameraman. I had to do a little sound, a little lighting. You know, the younger guys, they all wanna come right out of the box now, just shooting. That makes you shallow. When you're first starting out, you've got to learn all that you can about the other disciplines, starting with still photography, because there you learn composition, how to look at things in ways others don't. That helps you men tally as a shooter. Learning lighting, sound, and editing makes you a stronger cameraman. It's necessary to know the problems the others are facing because often you're their foreman, the link between them and the client.

DL: I always thought that if you edit, you can be a much better shooter.

NM: Right, if you're physically made out for that. A lot of times, it's a different personality. If you try to edit a sequence that doesn't work, and then you shoot, you'll never make that mistake again. You will always shoot for the cut. That's another reason I stay busy: I make editors happy. I always ask about the editing style before we shoot. I shoot to order. Then I suggest additional angles so the editor's happy. If you think about it, no one spends more time with your client than the editors, and they can sell you or bad-mouth you. I've gotten many new clients because an editor promoted me. In other words, take care of your editors by giving them extra angles and hanging on to the shot longer being honest if you blew a take, and making sure the sound is going to be what the editor wants. When that editor is going through their grouchy stage at about 2 in the morning with the client there, you want to be the hero.

DL Talk to me about the transition from not having gear to having it - the decisions involved, how you chose your gear.

NM: Never get out in front of your clients. In other words, don't get something that nobody's asked for. And you can't go wrong getting the best thing. That's why I got a D-600. It really pays to go the extra yardage and get the best you possibly can as long as you'll be able to afford it. It starts with the camera and lens; lighting will follow. I did it in small incremental steps similar to a house; that 20% down can be hard to get nowadays. You want to get what the best people in your market are using. I know that in New York, Ikegami is a much bigger name than in Chicago. Sony is the de facto standard in Chicago.

DL: DC's a Sony town too. Ike's also big on the West Coast where there's a lot of film influence. Ike has a reputation for rich colors. People who were going from film to video wanted that richness.

NM: I think Sony ended up being a better marketing company when they came out with Beta and flooded the market with one-piece units. I remember when ike was the standard with the 79E, the 95B. Somehow they let Sony pass em up. But back to your question about how do you know what gear to go with. I play a little game in my mind, do three-year plans. Where do I want to be three years from now? When you're a younger shooter and you look at the older guys you want to emulate, or sooner or later compete against, you have to look at what they're bringing. I bring what I think will help improve the image, make my life easier, or make some money. If it doesn't fit into one of those three categories, I don't buy it. I rent it. And other things that make the client's life easier like a new van instead of a rusted van so you're not embarrassed. You have to diversify your client base so that if one section is slow, you have others that keep you busy. I shoot for the networks, in-house corporate video departments, independent producers, small production companies, agencies, and out-of-towners coming to Chicago. And I do get nervous if one clients starts to represent more that about 20% of my gross annual revenues. It's dangerous. I worked for a primetime series for Fox for six and a half months, made a truckload of money, and then when it ended, when the ratings went down, it was Ned who? Once your competitors have gotten their foot in the door with your steady, loyal client base, it's hard to win them back. You almost have to replace them. That's the danger of longer jobs.

DL: I'd like to talk about you're shooting style, what's important to you.

NM: I think I have an innate eye for composition. I was the kind of kid that liked behind-the-scenes stuff. I've always had insatiable curiosity and a short attention span - which makes me a perfect cameraman - because as a freelance cameraman, you're constantly learning about new subject matter That's what I really love about this work.

DL: We know a little bit about a lot of things.

NM: Exactly (laughter). And like most cameramen, I have a lone-wolf component to my personality. In terms of style, I don't know that I have a particular style of my own so much as that I can work in any style that the client wants. There are certain jobs I would turn down. I would not be your man in Chicago for cheese pulls, you know, pizza commercials. I would probably turn down a fashion ad or a car spot.

Depending on the time they give you, the size of the crew they give you, the amount of money you have at your disposal - that determines what The Look will be like.

DL: The path you've been on since you started - can you talk about how that has gone, the ups and downs...

NM One of the reasons I got into camera work is that I wanted to see the world on other people's money being a cameraman helped. But I think you can divide cameramen into those with families and those without. Before you have a family, the world's your oyster, and you don't mind going away for six weeks, on the road, to foreign countries, dangerous situations. I feel I've already used up eight of my nine lives haven't you?

DL: Well, I hope not eight. A couple (both laugh)

NM: Well, I can think back on many times when I was put into stupid situations that nowadays, now that I'm a father, I would not do. I try not to work weekends nor 18-hour days. When my client base was transitioning from 16mm to video in '88, I fought it and fought it. I was your typical arrogant film person who thought video had nothing to offer. I ended up saying: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." I sold all my film equipment and bought video. That was a turning point. I was losing all my clients. I had the world's best film equipment in my house gathering dust, and my cash flow was suffering. That was one of my lowest points. But now I enjoy video more than film. I have weathered several recessions, and I know the importance of minimizing fixed costs, so when business gets slow, you won't go under. That's another reason to be highly diversified. To be diversified, you have to offer different packages and different shooting styles to the different types of clients - all the way from full packages to a backpack-style run-and-gun.

DL: How do you prepare for a shoot?

NM: Every night, when I'm packing for the next day's shoot, it's different. I ask myself: what is going to be our largest lighting situation? How fast do we move? How many locations do we have? Am I allowed to bring other people? If it's a client with not much money, I might pull from a list of interns to come out for free - if I only have a soundman. I also need to know if security is an issue: should I use this piece of gear and will I be very upset if it is stolen? Even if your insurance is good, you could be out of a camera for many weeks, renting, losing money. I also feel it's better to bring too much than too little. You can always leave it in the van and throw a tarp over it. You'll look better by having it.

DL: Tell me about a high point as a shooter Been to the mountaintop?

NM: Yeah, I've had a lot of very exciting shoots. I volunteered for the Speilberg Holocaust documentaries, which were in no way creative, but I felt that I was a part of living history. We've all shot sentimental subjects before but to spend three hours silently behind the camera while people are literally choking on tears - I felt I was part of something bigger than myself.

As far as exciting goes, I did the Cobra attack helicopter series at Camp Pendelton for the Marines, doing escort tactics 40 feet off the deck at full speed, guns open. Only a cameraman could be able to enjoy these kinds of opportunities over the years.

DL: Young shooters coming up - what would you like to pass along to them?

NM: First you have to take a long, hard inventory of yourself to make sure you'll be able to succeed, especially as a freelancer. You have to have that creative knack. You have to have an eye for composition. You have to be technically adept, know the basics of optics, electronics. You have to be personable with clients. Their main fear is hiring a shooter who lets them down. And if you're freelance, you have to be able to handle financial insecurity.

The best way to learn, I feel, is the old fashioned way, like we did in film: attach yourself to someone older who is successful at what you want to do. In other words, apprentice. If you're totally self-taught, you'll ingrain bad habits that will take years to erase. You need a mentor. Mine was Warren Lieb, considered the best documentary shooter of his time. Also, you've got to be physically in good shape, especially if you're going to do hand-held. It's usually the back or knees that go.

Keep your gear organized. You're always better off working with anal people, who can predict Murphy's Law.

As far as creative control and financial security, I realize now that sooner or later, you have to start producing. Although I consider shooting the fun part (producing has a lot of very boring administrative details like schmoozing and selling If you re totally self and handling post), the long range goal for true financial success is producing. I don't want to sound bad habits that will like a turncoat, but I think that's the reality.

This came later by email:

I feel the days of the totally independent owner/operator cameraman may be numbered. The reason: the price tag on the HDTV cameras and a quality 16:9 lens! I fear we will have to partner up on these. Having experienced sharing film and video cameras before, I can tell you it's a bummer. Less profit to be made and lots of scheduling hassles.

We will need the HDTV for the upper end broadcast crowd in the next few years. We will have to have a high end SP camera for the clients who will stay with SP until the transition, then we will also need a camera that services the corporate crowd in the format that wins out, whether that's DVC/PRO, DVCAM or SX. So it looks like there will be a period of time when we will need three cameras to service a diverse client base, and be able to provide 4:3 & 16:9! Who could afford that alone? Even if you shoot everyday, who could swing the loan? Instead of serving everybody, we may have to niche ourselves even more so we will need only one or two cameras.