I went to my first IMAGO conference in 2011, in Belgium, where I witnessed the continuation of long-held friendships and much camaraderie. A few tempers of course – confederations will invariably give rise to those occasionally – but also passionate debate and, ultimately, a sense of purpose and willingness to look beyond the immediate. And that seems to be the essential difference between ‘union’ and isolationism. The former knows there is a future to protect and preserve. The latter, so often, is reactive and nostalgic. I’m all for nostalgia, but it cannot be the be-all-and-end-all.

I write this whilst on location in Serbia, one of four countries I’ve been working in over the last month, the others being France, Russia and Croatia. In each country I have worked with a new crew, picking up a camera and lighting team from the pool of talent in each region. I am glad (and not a little relieved) to say that it has been a highly energising and enjoyable experience, and it has reminded me of what we all have in common as filmmakers.

The continuity of a regular camera crew is not as prevalent as it used to be. Back in the day, studio crews could be as thick as thieves for years, providing long-term employment for any given team that did things ‘just so’. By many accounts, they became second families to those embedded in-house. Jobs were handed down, invariably, from father to son, or via some other favoured male line. Dynasties were born.

Certainly, work anxieties can be allayed if you are familiar with the person next to you. Instinctively knowing what is required at any given moment is very often what keeps a film on schedule. And in documentaries, having a regular collaborator can be more than a vital work asset. One’s life and livelihood, literally, can be on the line in an instant. You need someone you can trust to watch your back.

But in a freelance and ‘flexible’ world where below-the-line workers migrate, either through choice or necessity, from one job to another, the continuity of collaborators can be a rare thing. Producers are becoming increasingly unwilling to travel and board non-HoD crew members as they discover (cheaper) personnel, infrastructure and very attractive tax-relief regions across the globe.

So in this silver anniversary year of celebrated cinematography, I find myself sitting in a Belgrade café, once a city behind the Iron Curtain but now very much leaning toward Europe, and considering the travel-the-world-and-meet-new-and-exciting-people side of our job, witnessing permutations of a familiar system, with cultural flourishes.