Working with a Production House

When applying for my placement I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to gain experience in the field of cinematography. Therefore, I applied to a number of production houses in Belfast. The first (and only) email response I received was from Below the Radar TV. An ‘Award-winning documentary, film and online media production‘ house, who focus on factual TV shows. 

After a successful interview with the managing director Michael in early September, I was eager to begin. Fast forward to the 23rd of November and I am anxiously packing my camera bag in my bedroom, then double checking it again at 11pm for my first day on set the next morning. 

I will be using Gibb’s Model (1988, p.49) to explore and reflect on my experience. 

Description 

Prior to the shoot I spent one day working in the office with the Below the Radar team. I worked closely with Assistant Producer Nimita throughout the day to gain an understanding of the new TV show in development. Nimita explained to me that the shoot tomorrow would be a key part of the sizzle reel they are creating to pitch the project to  interested broadcasters. According to Filmlifestyle a sizzle reel is ‘a video that presents the best and most exciting moments from a film or show. They are typically used to help producers sell their projects to investors, distributors, or networks. The term “sizzle reel” was coined by Hollywood director Walter Lantz in the 1930s when he created an animated short called “Sizzling Stakes.”’

 Feelings

The following morning, the company had arranged a taxi to pick me up at 8:30am. I was feeling very nervous for a number of reasons. The first reason was in case I had forgotten any equipment needed for the shoot. Luckily I was only shooting B roll so the pressure was spread across the main cinematographer and myself. The second reason was that I knew I had to perform, there was no room for error. The schedule for the day was intense, we had 3 interviews to film and only a select amount of time with each interviewee. Two of whom had flown over from England especially for the shoot. Once I arrived at the first location my nerves subsided as my attention focused to setting up lighting and framing the shots before 9:30am.  

Evaluation 

The set up went smoothly and I was then able to take the opportunity to watch the other cinematographer and sound recordist set up and ask a number of questions. I was unaware of how tight the Director wanted my framing to be and therefore I didn’t have a telefocal lens with me and had to borrow a zoom lens from the other cinematographer. Throughout the day the shoots progressed smoothly and we managed to finish early. 

Conclusions 

My conclusions from the shoot were that you can never be too prepared. I’ve learnt that I should have been more thorough with my questioning on the day of prep and took the time to ask Nimita and Michael specific questions on the recording formats and framing on the shots. This would have allowed me to prepare appropriately and bring the correct lens and memory cards for the shoot. If it wasn’t for the support of the other cinematographer I would not have been able to achieve the shots below and would have wasted precious time on the day to return to my house to retrieve the additional lens and cards.

Below are examples of my final shots from the day. I’m very pleased with the composition and lighting achieved, I believe they will be of added benefit to the finished sizzle reel.

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Actions

To improve on this, I need to work on building my confidence and taking the time to prepare efficiently for the future shoots. I have learnt from my work experience so far that I can achieve what I set my mind to and don’t need to worry as the real life professionals are usually friendly and helpful should I need it.

Bibliography

The University of Edinburgh (2020). Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. [online] The University of Edinburgh. Available at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle