The Op

By Dave ChameidesTV & Film Arts Film Interviews Visual Arts

The Op episodes

December 28, 2025 Operator Jerry Jacob
Join us as we discuss being one of the worlds first steadicam operators, shooting concerts in front of 100s of thousands of people, NCIS New Orleans, Monsters Ball, and so much more.
Jerry's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert
1 hr 46 min
December 21, 2025 Cinematographer Clair Popkin
Join us as Clair and I discuss the need to stay out of the story, the challenges of extreme nature cinematography, Free Solo, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, and so much more.
Claire's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert
1 hr 18 min
December 14, 2025 Operator Michael Ferris
Michael and I discuss his operating over the years, working with John Cassavetes and Orson Welles, on Die Hard, Waterworld, and Snakes on A Plane, and so much more.
Mike's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert

2 hr
December 07, 2025 Operator Albert Hall
Albert and I discuss skipping school to make movies, making movies with Ridley, Braveheart, The Martian, and so much more.
Albert's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert
1 hr 38 min
December 01, 2025 Cinematographer James Friend
James and I discuss the importance of Star Wars, Learning about cinematography in a closed book store, All Quiet on the Western Front, Patrick Melrose, and much much more.
James' IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert
1 hr 50 min
November 23, 2025 Operator Nick Müller
Nick and I discuss dancing on cruise ships, Stranger Things, Fall, Fear Street, and so much more.
Nicks IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert
1 hr 57 min
November 16, 2025 Production Designer Jeffrey Pratt Gordon
Jeffrey and I sit down and talk about how cool the Baltimore film community is, Starting out with John Waters and his crew, The Wire, Serial Mom, and much much more.
Jeffrey's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert

2 hr 6 min
October 31, 2025 Operator Xavier Thompson
Tune in as we talk about starting out cabling for college football, breaking into Steadicam, American Fiction, Snowfall, and so much more.
Xavier’s IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert

1 hr 23 min
October 27, 2025 Actress/Producer Jamie Lee Curtis
Join us as we discuss growing up normal in Hollywood, the magical bond between the operator and the actor, Halloween, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and so much more.
Jamie's IMDB
To see pictures and things we discussed in todays episode check out the podcast page of The Op.
Please check us out on our website and on instagram and like us and review us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert

1 hr 51 min
October 11, 2025 Operator Don Devine, SOC
Veteran Camera Op Don Devine, discusses water color painting, Hoosiers, Barry, the joy of the silence after they call 'Roll Camera', and what it was like back in the day when you could actually hear the film moving through the camera.

For more on Don, his watercolors, and everything else we talked about in this episode, click here.

Please check us out on the web and instagram and like us if you enjoyed the episode.
Theme Music - Tatyana Richaud
Theme Mix - Charles Papert

2 hr 30 min

About The Op

From the publisher's feed

Dave Chameides, an A Cam/Steadicam operator has been working in film since the late 1900s, has won 2 Emmys, an SOC Operator of the Year award for his work on Ozark, and a seriously cool…