Jan Rein Hettinga is a Dutch freelance cameraman who has been working in the industry since 1994 and still brings the same passion to his work. He shares stories from behind the camera on his blog.
In this article, he reflects on recent developments in the broadcast industry from his own perspective.
In the eighties, Back to the Future was my absolute favourite film. I must have watched the first part at least twenty times. A DeLorean with a 2.21 gigawatt flux capacitor for travelling through time, I’d love one of those. To go back once more to all the major television productions I’ve been part of over the past thirty years: the Tour de France, the UEFA European Championship, the Olympic Games, Formula 1, festivals, concerts, commemorations, the coronation of the Dutch king, and the wonderful travel programmes I’ve been able to contribute to as a freelance camera operator. Behind every production lies a great story, and I would do it all again with passion and joy.
I would also love to travel a few years into the future, because in my view the broadcast world is currently at an interesting, but also exciting, tipping point. Technological developments are moving at breakneck speed, and although I haven’t really noticed much of that yet as a cameraman, I’m convinced it is going to happen in the years ahead.
Artificial intelligence will play a major role in the field of camerawork as well. A colleague recently sent me a video showing how far Germany has come with AI-driven cameras at football matches. A Grass Valley camera on an Egripment remote head independently recognises the positions of players relative to the ball and follows the game the way a lead camera operator normally would. What makes this system remarkable is that it has taught itself how to respond, and as a result it keeps getting better. In studios too, camera positions are already being replaced by robots. If this becomes as reliable as a human operator and cheaper, it would be naive to think it won’t lead to major changes in our profession.
Last year I was standing on a circuit in the Netherlands with a camera in the dust of rallying cars, while the director was in Stockholm and the vision engineer was in Oslo. It took some getting used to, but it worked, and the client was able to save considerably. Formula 1 has been using remote production for years. Large outside broadcast trucks on location may well be on their way out. Ultra-fast fibre connections and 5G make it possible to send images, audio and data back and forth without any meaningful delay. The question is no longer whether this model will conquer the Dutch market, but when. What we must not lose in all of this is the human dimension, because after a remote production wraps, you can’t look each other in the eye anymore, shake hands, or share a beer to celebrate. Those informal moments exist for a reason. They are where trust is built, where you evaluate openly, and where you learn from one another. Technology can solve many things, but not that.
At the Winter Olympics in Milan, I operated three remote-controlled cameras on my own. Three cameras, one operator. A considerable saving for the client, and a wake-up call for me. Because if I can operate three cameras, how much human work will disappear in the years to come?
Yet I don’t want this to become a story of doom. Technology that once required an entire team now fits in a backpack. Productions that were never financially viable are suddenly within reach. Good news for camera operators who are willing to adapt. The cameraman who remains relevant will not be the one who fights hardest against change, but the one who understands how remote production works, is comfortable with PTZ systems, and knows how to manage multiple cameras simultaneously without forgetting their core talent.
Because that is what robots and algorithms cannot replicate, at least not for now. An AI can perfectly frame a wide shot or capture an offside moment, but it doesn’t glance beyond the viewfinder and notice that a coach is about to explode with fury. Camera operators are storytellers, the eyes and ears of a director who is increasingly working from a great distance. You need to be a generalist, with a solid understanding of technology, but above all a sharp eye for detail and an instinct for the unpredictable. That way of telling stories through images remains a craft. The profession will change, but it will not disappear. After all, there are still excellent painters, despite the fact that we have long been able to photograph everything beautifully.
I therefore hope that developers continue to listen to specialists who have their feet firmly on the ground. A good camera is not simply a rectangular computer with an all-seeing eye – it is also a tool you want to put on your shoulder and use instinctively to keep making beautiful shots. Ergonomics, good viewfinders, and the ability to customise a camera to your own preferences will remain critically important well into the future.
At the end of Back to the Future, the DeLorean lifts off and Doc Emmett Brown delivers those legendary words: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” It is the cliffhanger that sets up the second film. I would happily climb in and take a look at exactly what the future holds for the broadcast world. But if that time machine never comes along, I’ll put the camera back on my shoulder and seize every opportunity I can to keep developing. I’m more than willing to move with the times
