The term videographer usually refers to someone who records videos for a living, whether for film, television, or the Internet. A videographer can work for themselves or as part of a studio or production crew. On large projects, such as feature films, the videographer is usually part of a larger production crew that includes the director. On such large-scale projects, videographers are more accurately referred to as cinematographers, and their responsibilities include overseeing the production’s overall visual design. Videographers are more likely to work alone or with a sound and light technician on smaller productions such as independent documentaries, weddings, commercials, and corporate events.
A videographer is expected to have a wide range of technical skills in today’s job market. Maintenance and repair of video walls and satellites, shooting and editing video tape, lighting, and sound may all be part of a videographer’s operational responsibilities. Disk, tape, live broadcast, and celluloid film are all used videographers, though the latter is usually reserved for large productions. Filming or videotaping is a term that refers to any type of videography in which the videographer does not use actual tape or film, such as when the video is recorded directly to DVD.
Whether the videographer is self-employed or part of a larger production team, a wide range of clients require the services of a videographer for various projects. Companies that want to use Internet video to promote themselves and communicate with customers, for example, might hire a videographer to film a company profile. The client’s website or a video sharing site like YouTube or Metacafe can then host these company profile videos. Digital shorts, which are short sketches filmed a videographer specifically for the Internet, are also popular on video sharing sites. Prior to the Internet, the demand for a videographer’s services was much more limited, with projects such as music videos and commercials being limited to television only.