First and foremost, if you want to keep a job in the touring business, you have to have a good work ethic and a good attitude; you have to be able to work and play well with others. You should always be there when your truck dumps in the morning. It may not always be at the same time every day, so check with the stage manager or crew chief the night before. It helps to have a look around the venue before load-in. If you don’t know where video world is going, find a place to stage your equipment until someone in the responsible position arrives. Once you have that established, get ready to hurry up and wait.

Most times, the video department is in the back of the line when it comes to setting up, but don’t take it personally. That’s just the logical way for a show to go up; rigging, lights, P.A., set, video and backline. Of course, every gig is different, but that’s usually how it works.

At some gigs, your workday never ends. Be ready for that. You might build screens, sort projector positions, set up projectors if they’re in the seats, or help the LED guy uncover or roll screens on stage. Always be ready to pitch in anywhere with any department. Usually there’s a time when you can relax a bit, have a look around and decide where you are going to locate cameras and run cable. Whatever you do, always keep in mind an old mantra that has served me well: you are loading in to load out.

At some point, you will have to do something that is just as important as operating a camera during a show, and that is laying cable. I’m a Cable Nazi from way back. I judge a video guy by how he or she lays cable, because after you have had to load in a show while untangling triax, BNC, or audio cable, you will say to yourself, “Never again!” How you lay cable affects other departments too, either because of the cable path or because you can get tangled up in another department’s cable. That’s when folks start busting your chops and calling you names like “vidiot!” Lay your cable last, in clear pathways or next to others, but keep it out of their way. You’ll load out quickly and efficiently, and it will keep other departments happy and suitably impressed.

How you take it up is important too, for your sanity and the life of the cable. Learn how to over and under cable. It’s really easy. Create a loop a foot and a half to two feet or more. Keep looping the cable again and again, letting it roll underneath itself when it wants to, usually every other loop. To most people this sounds incredibly elementary, but most stagehands around the world don’t do it, either because of ignorance or apathy. That’s why I also suggest that you wrap your own cable. Don’t let a stagehand do it unless you know him or have seen him do it. Usually a quick lesson won’t help either. You can, however, let a hand help you pull or untangle wire. Wrap you own stuff and it’ll last a lot longer. You’ll also keep your sanity the next day when it just flows off the roll as you load in. My experience with triax and BNC cable is that if you wrap them in a larger three-foot or so loom, they last longer and roll out better.

Running a camera is the creative part of the evening, when you get to be a part of the show. Take it seriously, work at getting better, and talk to others who do it or have done it. I hit a wall running handheld early in my career. After a couple of years I never took it off my shoulder and wasn’t very mobile unless I was doing sports. Then a mentor, David “Schmaba” Alexander, told me something I’ll never forget. “Have fun with it, Mark,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to try new ways of shooting things; off your shoulder, one handed, rolling focus for perspective.

If you find a fun way to shoot stuff, it’ll never be work.” He was bang on. I got athletic with my hand-held work, tried to incorporate more movement in my shots, and created my own style. That’s what’s great about running camera—not just the discipline of holding a shot and keeping focus, but being creative and trying new things. There will always be shots you have to get for the director, but when you’re not getting those “must haves,” try to sell them. “No” doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate your effort, it just means “no, that doesn’t fit here for me.”

As a new camera operator, you may not get to be in the middle of the action right away. But that doesn’t mean you are any less important. The shot most “hard” cameras or Front of House cameras hold is of the artist or lead singer. At times it may seem boring, but I can assure you it’s as important—if not more important—than any other shot. It’s what we fall back on when we have nothing else and it allows the ops down front the opportunity to be creative and look good. So always pay attention and keep on the ball.

I have Dan Hanson, my first director, to thank for my experience on FOH cameras. I got bored at FOH on Randy Travis (easily done, I can assure you). He gave me the same advice and it turned me around. When I started directing, I immediately saw how important a good FOH guy is. It made me a better hard camera op. I got to do a few TV and DVD shoots because of this realization. So thanks, Dan! That tough love paid off, brother. And kudos to my FOH guy now, Brian Littleton, for making me look good. (He also gives good cable!)

Finally, loading out quickly and efficiently ends your day on a good note. Everything you do in your day always leads up to this period of time. As in the load-in, manage your time and your stagehands. Don’t lose your stagehands, and when you are done with them, return them to your stage manager or the local steward. That applies to the load-in as well. When your tasks are done, go hang with whoever is loading the truck. Help them by pushing boxes or, in more strict union halls, by pointing to the ones they need next. Everyone should always go to the truck until loading is done.

Every gig is different, but these are the guidelines. Keep in mind that it is important to improvise, adapt and overcome. Add a bit of patience and you’re ready for the road.