As part of the activities of the cameraman section at AJM, a three-day workshop was held this weekend in Ohrid on the topic: “Improving cooperation between cameramen and journalists” to which Viktor Stefanovski – executive producer at Sitel TV, Predrag Perovic – cameraman from The Public Service of Montenegro (RTCG), Goran Koprivica – cameraman from Radio Television Serbia (RTS) and the moderator of the event was Trajce Ilievski, a representative of the cameraman section at AJM.
Addressing the participants, the President of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, Mladen Chadikovski, said: “This kind of events and training are essential. Through joint discussion and presentation of problems and potential solutions, communication improves and skills journalists, camera operators, and media workers in the future. The practice of journalists and cameramen debating together about the challenges in journalism will help raise the quality of teamwork, in a spirit of mutual understanding and, in the end, a better product, story, reportage, etc.” – Chadikovski pointed out.
The representative of the cameraman section at AJM, Trajce Ilievski, emphasized that such events are of particular importance for the section and contribute to promoting cooperation, solidarity between the field and strengthening the capacity of camera operators on the one hand and journalists on the other. I am glad that this meeting was attended by thirty cameramen and journalists from 10 cities in the country and two regional representatives from Serbia and Montenegro. In addition to exchanging comparative experiences and challenges that we face daily, we came to common conclusions that we should focus on promoting the sector in the future.
In the workshop, the participants discussed the primary responsibilities of journalists and camera operators, cooperation daily on events on the field and inside the newsroom, their communication and coordination, and what the TV reports will look like in the future, topics that Viktor Stefanovski opened.
The guest lecturers, Goran Koprivica (Radio Television Serbia) and Predrag Perovich (Radio Television Montenegro) spoke about comparative experiences in relations and communication between journalists and camera operators in the public service in Serbia and in Montenegro.
“In Serbia and here, during events, the problem that we are facing all the time is the space and working conditions. But thanks to mutual support with colleagues, we manage to get the job done. I want to give an example of how things work in countries like France: during the visit of the then President of France, Jacques Chirac, to Belgrade, their team came with complete broadcast equipment starting from the lighting, all for their President to be best shown.
I must share my satisfaction about what you, as our colleagues from North Macedonia, have done with the cameraman section at AJM and such events for cooperation with journalists, you are pioneers in the Western Balkans, and I must congratulate you for the initiative and solidarity among the representatives. On the field – emphasized Koprivica from RTS.
The colleague Predrag Perovich from the public service of Montenegro agreed with the general remark, and he said: “The same thing is happening in Montenegro, we face the same challenges, but we manage to overcome them thanks to cooperation and solidarity. But like my colleague Goran from RTS, I think that what you have done and are doing as a section of cameramen should be transmitted as an experience with our colleagues as a great example of cooperation, “- said Perovic.
During the workshop, there were practical exercises and discussions on mutual communication, the role of the journalist, and the cameraman’s role. They also talked about the ethics in the work of camera operators and the specifics and details of the daily challenges faced by cameramen and journalists.
In the open discussion were shared the advantages of the profession and the challenges faced by the cameramen in the country and neighboring countries.
It was established that the cooperation between the cameramen and the journalists exists, there is excellent professional solidarity. Still, there is always room for improvement that will be worked on in the future. This workshop met with positive comments and criticism among the cameramen and journalists, which is a step forward in improving working conditions in this area.
This event is organized with the financial support of the Sigrid Rausing Trust.