Operating for Operators
Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards

A Conversation with Gene Huelsman, David Levisohn & Chris Metcalf​
By David Daut

Each year, the Society of Camera Operators hosts its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards to honor not only some of the finest examples of camera operating in the past year, but also to shine a spotlight on individuals who have given us a career’s worth of exceptional work behind the camera. It’s a space where people in the industry can come together to celebrate one another’s work and enjoy all the merriment of a Hollywood awards show.

But the thing about having an awards show celebrating the work of camera operators is that you still need people to operate the cameras! That’s where people like Gene Huelsman, David Levisohn and Chris Metcalf come in—just three out of the dozens of people who worked behind the scenes on this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Camera Operator reached out to Huelsman, Levisohn and Metcalf to learn a little bit more about their work as operators and what it’s like working an event surrounded by their peers.

“I always want to do the best job I can for my fellow camera operators, and knowing that I was on the screen in the room put a little extra pressure on me,” says Levisohn. Levisohn is no stranger to this particular awards show, having won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Camera Operator: Live & Non-scripted in 2020. He’s shot for the EMMYs, GRAMMYs and Oscars, as well as a number of variety specials and sports broadcasts. He’s particularly proud of the work he did on Grease Live! and the 2000 TV film Fail Safe. 

“This was my second year working the SOC Awards show and it’s always a bit unnerving operating handheld in front of a room full of seasoned, award-winning and nominated camera ops,” Huelsman notes. “I had friends and colleagues in the room, including camera operator Larry Heider, who took home a Lifetime Achievement Award for Broadcast and Live, and presenter Dave Plakos, another talented and seasoned camera operator. I’ve worked with both of them many times and look up to them for setting the standards I try to emulate. I considered it an honor to be there and share that night with them.”

Huelsman started off his career working freelance in New York City during the 1990s. “I shot a little of everything. I day-played shooting many of the field pieces for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and I was lucky enough to see a lot of the world after landing a job working for the Travel Channel.” From there, he worked a staff position as an operator for NBC on—in his words—just about every show that came out of 30 Rock during that time. During Conan O’Brien’s brief stint on The Tonight Show, Huelsman followed the work out to Los Angeles.

“Shooting the cold open for Conan’s first Tonight Show was certainly a career highlight for me. We criss-crossed the country in a Gulfstream, shooting scenes of Conan basically running from New York to L.A. to take over hosting duties on the famed late night show. Over the course of about a week, we stopped and shot scenes at various iconic locales all across the country.”

Since 2014, Huelsman has been back to working freelance jobs in Los Angeles. “Almost every day is different. One day a game show, the next the live red carpet at an awards show. Everything from corporate events to stand-up specials, pilots and music performances. It’s always changing and that keeps it fresh. With the slowdown in entertainment production, I’ve even started shooting some live sports including golf, college basketball and more—a fun, new challenge that is a refreshing change from what I’m used to. As long as I have somewhere to go and something to shoot, it’ll be a good day, and I continue to be grateful to have this wonderful career.”

Metcalf, meanwhile, identifies more as a camera assistant than an operator, but has operated for the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards for the past two years. He’s also been involved with the assistant camera team at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, helping out with workshops and training for attendees at the convention.

“One show I will always speak highly of is Battlebots,” Metcalf recalls. “From 2018 through 2022, I had the opportunity to be the lead AC in the pits area. There’s something special about those moments in our career where we really connect with and enjoy the work we’re shooting. The pits are where the builders build and repair their bots before and after each fight. A lot of strategizing happens in the pits, and there’s a lot of energy in that room. Over the course of five years, I got to watch children and families from the show grow and new teams develop. There’s a certain camaraderie between the builders where they are all very supportive of each other outside the Battlebots Arena, but once their robots are in the arena and it’s “robot fighting time,” all bets are off. It’s been a great community to have been involved in—even though the show has been on hiatus, the community of builders and fans continues daily through social media. It’s fun to be a small part of that. I’ve been able to build a great AC team for this show, both when it was based in the Los Angeles area and in the later years when the show moved to Las Vegas.”

As far as perks of the job goes, Metcalf enjoys getting to see the world. “While I prefer working locally in Los Angeles, traveling for work can be fun. I’ve traveled to and had access to places through my work that I never would have been able to go to on my own.” He notes that he is having this conversation from a hotel room in New Orleans, where he’s shooting a series of stand-up comedy specials.

Thinking specifically about working the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards, he appreciates getting to have essentially an all-access pass to this event honoring the work of trailblazers in the industry. “I really enjoyed being at the awards in 2024 when my friend and co-worker Mande Whitaker was honored with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award for camera operating in the unscripted genre. It was awesome to be in the DGA Theatre that night when Mande gave her speech and to be able to celebrate with her after the show.”

For this year’s event, Metcalf enjoyed working with people like Hector Moreno and Eddie Martinez at Panavision to develop the camera packages for the show. “I really enjoy the social aspect of the show as well. Getting to see a lot of my friends and co-workers dressed up and enjoying a night on the town with a fancy dinner is always a good time.”

Huelsman agrees. “Getting a shout-out from the evening’s hilarious host Justin Wade about my years as a Local 600 operator was nice. And after the show, getting kudos from several of the operators in attendance for my work shooting handheld that night was huge. Congratulating and chatting with Bonnie Blake at the after party was also big treat.”

At the start of this year, Los Angeles was impacted by historically catastrophic wildfires; just about everyone who lives and works in this city was affected in some way, and even in mid-February, people were still reeling from the disaster. SOC President Matthew Moriarty opened the show by promising an escape from the horrors those in attendance had just lived through, and for two hours it was just that—a joyful celebration of stellar work from great craftspeople. As the show wound down, Moriarty returned to the stage to present the President and Governor’s Awards. While traditionally these honors have gone to professionals from other parts of the film industry who have supported and advocated for the craft of camera operating, this year was different. Instead, the awards were a moving tribute to the Los Angeles firefighters who worked tirelessly to get these blazes contained, and to photojournalists James Ramos and John Schreiber, who took cameras to these disaster areas to keep Angelenos updated on the latest developments.

“The Governor’s Award to the LAFD Air Operations team certainly has to be mentioned.” Huelsman notes.

“I’m a video production guy at heart, and it was nice to be able to support director Zak Holley on this year’s award show,” Metcalf mentions, speaking to not only the directing of the show itself, but also the video segments used to showcase the work being celebrated. “To see behind-the-scenes on all the work that he put in preparing for this show, and then to see him and his team from Holley Video pull it off, was really inspiring to watch. Zak went above and beyond to make sure that this year’s awards ceremony shined and went off without a hitch.”

While the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards has been a long-standing way to highlight and celebrate the work of camera operators, there have been a few interesting examples in recent years of operators getting recognized during some of the most visible mainstream events. From Ryan Gosling taking Sean Flannery’s hand during his performance of “I’m Just Ken” at last year’s Oscars to Don Cornelli getting a shout-out during this year’s Super Bowl telecast. For a craft that in some ways aims to be invisible, I ask the operators what it’s like seeing the spotlight turn the other way in moments like these as well as the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

“I consider Sean Flannery a friend,” Metcalf mentions, “so to see the shot where his hand is taken by Ryan Gosling at the Oscars was really cool. Sean has also done some amazing work with the past few Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour movie, and so many other things. I love seeing him show up in all of the cool behind-the-scenes videos. I’m a really good cheerleader, and it’s been great watching my friends have so much success and receiving the acknowledgment that they deserve.”

“I always love seeing the camera people get acknowledged,” Huelsman agrees. “The SOC’s work that night celebrating those behind the lens at the Lifetime Achievement Awards was well received and deserved. It really epitomizes the creativity, hard work and long hours the camera department puts in to tell stories through moving images. I have great respect for all those in the room.”

Beyond just celebrating lifetimes of great work in the industry, the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards are a great place for the next generation of aspiring operators to rub shoulders with the people doing the work right now. I ask what advice Huelsman, Levisohn, and Metcalf have to give.

“At the awards, I was actually working next to my granddaughter for the first time,” Levisohn says. “She also aspires to operate and is looking forward to a long career. My advice is if something goes wrong, move past it and learn from it. No one is perfect. Keep doing your best and also have respect for your co-workers, no matter what their jobs are.”

“Never stop learning,” Metcalf adds. “Technology is constantly evolving, and you need to be able to keep up with the new advancements. I enjoy attending trade shows like NAB and Cine Gear to keep up with the manufacturers and their latest products and innovations.”

Huelsman agrees. “Learn everything you can about all aspects of production. A broad knowledge of what goes into making great TV and film is the underpinning of someone who aspires to be a good camera operator. I would also tell them how proud and grateful I am for the career I have and get to do what we do. Never take it for granted.”

“Be nice to everyone,” Metcalf adds. “You never know who your next job is going to come from. Whether you know it or not, people are watching you on set all the time, and the way that you interact with others around you tells a lot about your character. This is Los Angeles; there are a thousand different people who know how to do the job that I’m doing, but it’s those intangibles that will keep your name on the top of someone’s mind and keep your phone ringing for years to come. Just being a generally pleasant person to work with will be a helpful asset in your career.”

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Select Photo for Slideshow

Gene Huelsman

David Levisohn

Chris Metcalf