Camera crew · Sydney & Orange

Freelance camera operator.

Cinematographer · Live director · Licensed drone pilot

A DOP or operator who turns up prepared, reads the room, and makes your production run smoother. Commercials, branded content, documentary, government and infrastructure, news and live crosses.

Check a date Watch the reel Camera list

Rates start at $800 + GST for a single camera half day, including camera, basic lighting and basic audio. Anything beyond that is quoted based on shoot and gear requirements.

Evan Zell with a Sony FX9 on a shoulder rig on set — Sony FX9 · on set

How I work

No ego, no drama, no surprises.

Whether it is a fast turnaround TVC, a high end corporate shoot or a narrative day, I integrate into your crew rather than rearranging it. I know the Sony FX and broadcast bodies inside out and adapt quickly to your gear and your workflow, so a change of camera or a change of plan on the day is not a problem.

From solo run and gun through to multi-camera, I will match your pace and represent your brand like it is my own. The best days on set are the ones nobody remembers being hard, and that is usually because somebody quietly made sure of it. That is the whole job.

Showreel

Fifteen years, three minutes.

2:43

Cinematography showreelShowreel

Fifteen years of camera work cut together. Commercial, corporate, documentary, live and aerial.

Freelance jobs

Shot for other people, under their name.

1:00

ForbesTVC

Freelance DOP on a regional television commercial. My role covered camera, lighting and grade. Watch for the location coverage and finished commercial look.

1:00

Fitness FirstBranded

Freelance camera on a gym brand package, shot in a working club and cut for social. Watch how the filming covers the space and activity while the venue stays in use.

0:30

Meals on WheelsCase study

Freelance DOP on a not for profit case study, shot on location in a client home.

Shown with the permission of the companies who commissioned them. Most freelance work never appears here at all, which is the arrangement.

Selected work

Podcast productions.

Australian Cricket Podcast

A short example of a sports podcast production.

The State of the Game · NRL podcast

A longer sports conversation, presented as a video podcast.

Driving the Equality Agenda

Communication and confidence with Sam Mostyn — a video podcast conversation.

Selected work

Commercials, music and promotional films.

Ceramica Homes · Cinema ad & TVC

A short commercial for cinema and television.

California Legends · Music promotion

A performance-led promotional film for California Legends.

VRA Rescue NSW · Longer-form promotion

A longer promotional film showing rescue work and the people behind it.

Bullio Cup & Endurance NSW · Cinematic promo

A cinematic promotional film centred on endurance riding.

Telstra 4GX · Archive commercial

A commercial example from the production archive.

Dewar’s · Archive TVC

A television commercial from the production archive.

Poolside · TVC

A short advertising spot built around a poolside visual gag.

Training & education

Make the information easier to follow.

HETI · Health Coaching Series

A training video example from the Health Coaching Series.

Lung Foundation Australia · Managing Your Lung Disease

A patient education film that explains living with and managing lung disease.

Evan Zell filming from the open door of a helicopter wearing a headset

Camera

Every day is different. That is the point.

A helicopter door one week, a boardroom the next, a flooded road the week after. Fifteen years of turning up somewhere new with the right kit in the boot is what makes the unfamiliar day feel routine to the people hiring me.

Behind the camera

What the job usually looks like.

Evan filming a presenter in a blue suit with a gimbal by the beach — **Presenter to camera**Gimbal, broadcast

Evan operating a camera in a laneway with two talent — **Branded content**DOP, laneway shoot

Interview set up with a soft light dome by a window — **Interview and testimonial**DOP and lighting

Sony FX9 set up with Parliament House in the background — **Canberra press**Camera operator

Broadcast camera on a pedestal in a club function room during load-in — **Hospitality**EasyRig, freehand, dynamic

Cinema camera rigged on a boat with open ocean behind — **Marine**Camera at sea

Sony FX9 on a tripod beside a red dirt outback road — **Regional and remote**Australia wide

Camera covering a packed conference floor under stage lighting — **Live audiences**Stage and floor

Chamber musicians carrying their instruments beside a lake at a music festival — **Performance**Concert and festival

Booked for

The jobs this comes up on.

Commercials and branded content

TVCs, brand films and social cutdowns, on your director or with me directing the day if that is what you need.

Government and infrastructure

Transport, utilities, education and police work, where access, inductions and paperwork matter as much as the picture.

Construction progress

Site filming, progress updates and long term time-lapse, including the parts that need a white card, a RIW card and a site induction.

News, press and live crosses

Red carpet and press calls, and live crosses over DEJERO and LiveU when the story has to be on air now.

Selected credits

Camera and DOP work.

Transport for NSW, Sydney MetroDOP, Steadicam and drone

NSW PoliceDOP and drone, driver training

MultiplexCamera and drone, AMP Tower progress

ABC TV, CatalystDrone operations

The Morning ShowLive cross, DEJERO and LiveU

Mobile Living with Patrick DangerfieldDOP and drone, Seven Network

NSW Department of Primary IndustriesLive director, shark mitigation

Destination NSWRegional promotional series

Parramatta Connect Light RailProgress filming and drone

TAFE NSWCase study series

Everything

Questions producers ask

Before you ring.

Do you bring your own camera package?

Yes. Sony FX9 and FX6 cinema bodies, a Blackmagic broadcast body with a Fujinon 2/3 inch 4K lens, Xeen cine primes, Sony cine servo zooms and G Master glass, plus lighting, sound and grip. Or I shoot on your camera or a hired package, whichever the job wants.

Will you shoot on our gear and to our workflow?

Yes. I know the Sony and broadcast ecosystems well and adapt quickly to a different body, codec or LUT pipeline. A change of camera on the day is not a problem.

Do you work as a second unit or B camera?

Often. Second unit, B cam on a multi-camera interview, or a solo run and gun unit while your main crew is elsewhere. I match the look you have set rather than bringing my own.

Can you handle sites that need inductions?

Yes. White card and RIW card are current, so construction and rail work is a booking rather than an onboarding delay. I have shot for Transport for NSW, Multiplex and Parramatta Light Rail under exactly those conditions.

Will our client know you are freelance?

Only if you tell them. Call sheets and introductions say I am your crew, I do not contact the client afterwards, and the footage does not appear on my reel without your yes.

Also

The other things one booking covers.

Availability & booking

Tell me the date and the job.

Quickest way to get an answer is the phone. If I am on a shoot I will call you back the same day. Rates on request, and they depend on the day, the kit and where it is. Ring even if you are not sure it is my kind of job. Worst case you get a straight answer and the name of someone better suited.

0438 719 158 info@evanzell.com.au

Based at Sydney Olympic Park and Orange NSW. Available Australia wide and overseas. ABN held, fully insured, invoices as a contractor.

Call 0438 719 158 Email