Better to have Blogged

Learning Development

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:12:20 +0000

I will take a lot a way from this module and i think that all of my skills have been improved to the point wherethere is a dramatic difference in the quality of work that i do.

This module made me feel like i wasnt at Uinersity and the tasks and work that i took on i took that mind frame with me ,i wasnt a student ,i was a paid professional ,i was being aaid and treated like one so my attitude and work should match that.

Whilst working on the Council job we were constantly under the eye of our client so there was necer any messing around pr any conduct not fitting to a paid professional.All tasks and shoots were handled with care and with professional pride. The job was like any other time management was needed , punctuality and hard work. I tried to help in every aspect and always be working as standing a round would have looked unprofessional.If anything a sense of self confidence and pride has been learnt as we were not training to be in the media industry ,we were in it and this was noticeable in my work.

The CUEAFS filming ,this felt more like university than the other jobs mainly because it was representing them as a part of there society and working with a lecturer. I did learn to be more assertive and to take control which is something i usually leave to other members of my production team ,i learnt team management and leadership skills. Also my social skills helped and improved as i had to talk to a lot of strangers and get as much out of them as possible,that and create contacts i can possibly use in the future.

The Roles Royce filming i treated the same as the council and put myself forward as a professional but it taught me one skill that will be paramount in all my future productions,organisation and recording what has been done I will log all shots that i film in future as this was not done on the monday morning and it will prove a massive hinderence to the editor as the subject was complicated and something we know nothing about so this will put a delay on the finished project.

My ambition for this module was to enhance my skills technically and i believe i have ,i have learnt new cameras and lighting techniques on the rolls royce job and pushed my sound operating skills ,which were at level 0 to a very advance stage now as i did it on the rolls royce,udine,eastwinds film festival and the council job so i challenged myself and met that challenge. Apart from the technical skills that is something i will take a away with me the need to challenge yourself.Your never going to be good at everything and theres always things you will need to improve especially in an ever changing industry such as the media industry. I will challenge my self and push myself to learn more making me me a more attractive and hireable freelancer.

There are so many things that i will take from this module as it has molded me into a professional and my work will not be the same ,so many aspects are needed and buti feel i am a 100 steps closer than i was.

Professional film Diary Udine

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:27:25 +0000

CONTACTS I MADE AT UDINE AND PEOPLE I MET

While i was over there i got a chance to interview many directors and meet a large range of freelance media practitioners.

The directors that i met and filmed interviews with were

LEE Jeong Beom Director of The man from no where

KIM Min-suk Director of Haunters

LI Weiran Director of Shama Town

I also got the chance of meeting Fredrick Ambroisine who is a freelance media practitioner mainly focusing in east Asian films ,he travels the world interviewing directors and storing these interviews until he can sell them or it is a lucrative time time to sell the interview and footage he has of them. He was an inspiration as he is a one man company and compressed what we did as a team to just him and did it too a high standared that he can sell this on.

I will keep in contact with Fred and rollow him online as he has many contacts on the film curcuit and sometimes needs crews so it would be a great experience to work with him and a valuable asset to tap.If i were to film another festival i would contact fred for advice and guidance on what to do and who to film and what i can do with that footage. Its another avenue i can look down in future to earn money.

Another contact i made was Nicola Cassanello who is a free lance photographer who travels the circuit and freelances for the festivals or takes pictures and then sells them on to local press,This is another avenue i haven’t thought of but if in future i decide to try he can help me get through the door. Also is an expert in the 5D which is a camera i am starting to use a lot so i also gained knowledge from him about the camera which helped during the week. You can never have too many contacts even if it is not your direct chosen field ,he is in the industry and is a contact in an area that i don’t already have.

Professional Experience Blog Day 21

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:02:54 +0000

On day 21 of the udine festival it was the mot event full and best day of filming in my eyes. The cosplay was being held in the market square which is basically a professional look alike competition with a far eatern influence . I was the only film camera operator and Matt took stills on his slr and this was the most challenging aspect of the whole trip I had to push my self on to the cat walk and make sure i got good footage and shots as it would entered in to a competition at the end of the week.

Ipushed myself forward and told my self to ba assertive as its what was needed and what all others were doing and minding the pun “when in rome”.

I managed to get good footage and actually managed to take part in the editing process also which was very something i usually shy a way from but i wanted to try and learn as much from this experience and this was something else i could draw from it.

Professional Experience Diary Day 19-21

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:43:46 +0000

Udine Film Festival filming For CUEAFS

The next three days were all routined except a large event on the final day whicj will discuus in a minute. I went ovver there as a camera man but ended up doing photography and sound as well ,this was ok because it gave me more to do and more to learn and work on . The days were split into 1 interview a day ,one panel and vox pops then any events that took place and then finishing with a late night of editing with David Hanna ,where i was there for emotional support only.

The first day was the only problematic day where the sound recorded on an interview was simply dreadful and editing was difficult because of it and the interview was no where near its full potential, After this i stepped in after words were said by Spencer Murphy and i took the Directing role and the interviews after i kept a close eye on the sound and the interviews . It taught me to step in and not hesitate,you cant be scared to step on other toes or upset them ,if a job needs to be done then do it .i will be more forward in future and be more hands on in future. I found directing for the rest of the week to be a great experience as i worked closely and learnt from Spencer as well as worked on my directing skills in unison with my technical, it pushed me forward and i appreciated the experience and it taught me a lot.

This experience taught me time management, good team skills ,creativity ,assertiveness ,camera skills ,great directing experience and helped in self confidence. so to say it was worth the money is an understatement. These skills are important in the industry that i am going in to and will be well remembered .

This year went so welll that i have been invited back next year to take part in the filming crew as well.

Professional Experience Diary Day 18

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:12:47 +0000

Udine Film Festival with the CUEAFS

Day 1

This was the professional experience placement that i was really looking forward to as it was in Ital which is a place ive always wanted to go,also it was a film festival and i havnt had a chance to experience one so on a non professional level this was the most attractive week out of the 20 days.

From the second we got of the plane it was go ,it was the end of a 12 hour day and we were all tired but we got to the festival ,were given our press passes and we were then given an hour to find our hotels ,get changed in to our CUEAFS tops and head back to the theater to start filming,

We filmed the opening nights events and the first screening which was intense and i was intimidated about the amount of press that was there.Even though i was a member of the press i didn’t know where to put myself and where i was allowed so it was a fast learning curb to adapt to but by the end of the first hour i realized its dog eat dog and you do what you can ,hesitation meant you lost the shot which o was unwilling to do.

We headed down to the market square thinking our day was over but luckily i took my bag with the Cannon 5d and the slr with spare battery’s and cards as they were needed.

We didn’t realize the opening night continued in the market square as there were drummers ,martial artists and dancers all doing exhibitions.

I rushed in to start filming and this was a test of camera skill and nerve as there was over a thousand there and many photographers that didn’t mind pushing you out the way. i succeeded in getting some great footage that i am really proud of and we will definatley be using. I was surprised on how well i was able to work even though i lacked in sleep but this only fueled me and made me look forward to the next few days as i like to be busy.

Professional Experience Diary Day 13-17

timmarch — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:30:50 +0000

Filming A Engineering Training Video For Rolls Royce

This job was given to myself and Blue Ridge Film Group by Steve Dawkins as we have all tried to create working relationships with our lecturers he knew that we had started our own company and are filming skills are at a high level.

The job that was offered tous was an engineering training video on stripping down a jet engine which isused to power turbines at an industrial level ,these engines Rolls Royce sell all over the world and there are only 3 people that know how to do this job so with out this dvd the information could be lost. The person who hired Coventry University is the same person who teaches on the engine and the person who would be presenting/stripping the engine on the DVD.His name was Tom and i do apologies but his last name is lost to me but he explained each section to the camera and gave a tutorial to those watching.

Being the first contract that was given to us by Steve Dawkins and the fact it is for a multi billion pound company there was a lot of pressure not to let either down. Steve has a long lasting working relationship with Tom and with Rolls Royce so we didn’t want to upset that relationship by producing shoddy work so taking what we learnt from the council job and everything else we learnt we focused from the second we got there.

Our first day there was a recce and a meet and greet my self Jim Peakman and Steve Ringrose went on this day even though Steve was not going to be able to film the project he would be editing so we thought it was important he got a comprehensive understanding of the project from Tom and get some previous footage to look at if possible.Also this gave him and us to see the area and engine that we would be filming so that it wouldn’t be completely foreign when it came to editing.

It gave myself and Jim a chance to recce the location and spot potential problems for when we were filming ,we all pointed out the lighting and sound.The room we were filming in is a large warehouse and it is surronded by windows so lighing would be an issue and we would have to keep track of it all day making sure we re white balances and checked iris and shutter speed constantly.Sound was also pointed out as there was an echo so we made the decision to use tie mics as it would cut out exterior sound.

Except this we had the decision of what equipment and crew we would use as other Blue Ridge Film Group members had prior engagements.I had recently worked with Mathew Riddle and saw that he was a hard worker and his filming was at high standard so we took him on for this project as a test to see whether we could use him in future.

We decided to Go with the Jvc 700 which i was looking forward to as it would push me technically and i would have to elarn a new camera which was the basis for my work experience. Now looking back i will use the JVC for many projects as it was a good camera and we were impressed with what we filmed.

Filming took four days ,Myself and Jim were the only members there for the full 4 days as Seve ringrose was away Steve Dawkins had to leave at some points dude to work commitments and Dave and Matt alternated daysThis gave me a sense pf professionalism and dedication to this project that i was there the whole time and managed to get a good repour going with Tom an also it made me feel more involved as i would have hated to lose time as this project moved quickly.

The four days went well and with out problems minus one which was the organization on the first day.Not doing a project like this before hindered us as we were used to slow shots and having a complete understanding of the information we are filming.This project was at far to grand a scale for us to understand so logging and recording the shots was important and we picked that up from Steve Dawkins which we then took on to the rest of the filming through out the day and the week. That was a steep learning curb on the organization of shots because it is something i havnt done before but will do on all shoots in future. This will make it easier for our editor as he wasnt present when filming and the information on the film is far to complicated for us.

This was a great learning experience and experience as a whole and i have taken a lot from it.we were happy to hear that steve and rolls royce were happy with the filming and that we are going to have many other opportunities to work with them again and even though the pay is not high the value of having rolls royce on your cv is priceless and will help Blue Ridge Film Group as a whole and individually reputation wise and give us respect as professionals and not as students.

Professional Experience Presentation

timmarch — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:41:30 +0000

Professional Experience Presentation

The rationale

Why did i choose the placements i did ?

When starting this module i was adamant that i wanted to do a more traditional placement but then i did the short film module and from that i co founded the blue ridge film group which is a small production company set up by like minded and strong students.From this i realized that a lot of my future will be free lance and self managed projects ,so that is what i through myself into.

From the start i wanted to do as much as possible to get the most out of this opertunity ,and to gain the most amount as possible from each experience.This module gave me an oppurtunity to try my hand at being freelance and also work with others from many backgrounds ,cultures and to see whether i could cope.as well as enhance my skills as a freelance media practitioner ,mainly on the technical side.

Practicalities

I did many roles through out this module

Camera and sound operator for an informative engineering dvd for rolls Royce.
Camera ,photographer and director of interview and filming team for CUEAFS
Camera and sound operator for a carers choice DVDs for Coventry city council.
Head of media and filming for a starting company Crew Members Direct which consisted of directing ,producing ,camera work and research.
Photographer for the Golf Pros at Moor Hall Golf Club
Sound Operater on a fIlmed sketch by the Blue Ridge Film Group and directed by Steven Ringrose

As you can see i took part in many projects but mainly on the technical side and partially on the directory and organizational part because i wanted to push myself. Directing/ organizing others as well as producing comes naturally to me and i have done it in other projects ,due to previous work in other careers such as cheffing i am able to run and organize a team without difficulty but my weakness has always been the technical area of filming. This is why i pt myself forward to film and operate as much as possible so i could work with others already in the trade and learn from them and create valuable contacts.

What have i learnt and taken away from these roles ?

The Rolls Royce DVDs taught me a lot ,not about engines as i am simply useless in engineering comprehending but in many filming aspects. I learnt that organization is key in any job as we were tested in recording and cataloging the shots taken for the editor,something i haven’t done in other filming shoots. I have learned to be more organised and methodical about my work ,you cant always do what you whant and stay with in your mind set you must conform and listen to your clients need and put your creativity and pride to one side. I also pushed my technical skills as i learnt a new camera “the jvc 700″ and also on lighting which was was very difficult on this job but with help and hinking we over came the challenge as a team.

The CUEAFS filming. I didn’t learn a lot technically from this but i did learn skills that will prove to be beneficial. I learnt to be a lot more assertive ,i went there as a camera man but became the head camera and director of the team ,i could see that others weren’t able to perform the task so i stepped in to help but finally actually taking over the role. Also with the amount of press that was there i had to push myself not to be intimidated and not hesitate. Iwill take this onto other projects because if you don’t try ,u will not get ,and that could make the difference between a good shot and a great shot and the changing of my reputation and career.

The photography for the golfers ,the sound operating for Blue Ridge Film Group i will talk about as one as both were technical. They taught me more technical aspects and skills that will prove valuable to me in the future as my future lies and depends on the understanding of these elements. They pushed me of the understanding of these techniques and taught me ,which was the target and purpose for taking on these roles.

Working for Crew Members Direct taught me that comunication is key as were not ble to perform a number of tasks due to commitment issues and misunderstandings ,which hinderd filming. In some of these tasks i failed the director of the company due to work management and time commitments i wasn’t able to make days that he could. I have learnt that you can only take so much on and organizing film crews ,equipment and shots is one thing but organizing yourself is just as important and if anything ,the most important thing as it has a knock on effect to your work.

The professional Experience journey

This module has given me an insite to what my future might hold and the informed the career plan that i will be taking. I plan to work freelance which is very self motivated and challenging and this has taught me to have confidence in myself and my skills.It has informed and altered my career plan that i am now more adiment that i don’t want a 9-5 working job at one place i want the option to move and choose my work and that i don’t want to work for one company.It will push me more creatively and technically to do more work with different people in different fields. It has changed my career aspects as i am now set on what it is i want to do where as before i was in two minds to find one permanent job and not make it more difficult on myself ,now i go with the moto the more you put in to something the more you get out.

Next Steps ….

From this module and from speaking to all the contacts i have made i will be putting my Cv ,show reel and work out in to the field and going for more filming jobs that i would have previously hesitated to apply for. I will work on my self organization and continue working on my skills but instead of working on them in a class room i will now work on them out in the field and get help from those already out there. I believe that i am ready to hit the job market and that i am ready to go in to the field ,but there is always more to learnt ,i will use the next year to take less paid work and enrich my knowledge in the field but also take as much as i can from my next year of university.

Conclusion

I have spoke in depth about what i have learnt and some things that went wrong and what i will be now doing after this module ,so what do i put in the conclusion. I am better for this experience ,my failures ,triumphs and repetition of existing skills have all equally helped me and have learnt countless skills that i will never forget and this module has put m foot in the door of the industry that awaits me after university.I have learnt that I need to be constantly looking for more opportunities to gain as much experience as I can and that you never stop learning ,but what you do have , believe in and trust as doubt can get in the way and stop your potential.

Updated CV

timmarch — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:41:47 +0000

my cv 2

List Of Professional Contacts

timmarch — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:07:59 +0000

One of the most important aspects of our 201mc module was to create contacts out in the industry and to start to create professional3 relationships that will not only enhance or skills whilst at university but help us when we fully enter the industry.

Spencer Murphy :

A university lecturer that is the head of the “Coventry University East Asian Film Society” and was the Series producer and interviewer for the interviews that i directed and filmed in italy at the “Udine Far East Festival”. This contact i thought might be considered a cop out ,a lazy excuse for a contact as he is a lecturer at the university but i look and think that it is possibly one of the most fruit full contacts that Ive made. I have never worked with him before but i have found that he has many contacts in the industry and a wealth of knowledge and also is happy to pass my name on for future work. From this contact i have learnt a lot but also secured more work for in the future as i will be filming with him next year.

Adam Torrel:

Adam Torel is a founder of Third Window Films, an Asian movie distribution company that aims to follow quality, as opposed to market interests. I found him to be a fascinating man and is willing to discuss his aspirations and opinions which is rare when people find out your a student. I met him when filming the ” East Winds Film Festival” and will be seeing him at future events that i will be filming which will be help full because he can introduce me to others making my interviewing and filming a lot easier.

Spencer James :

Another part time lecturer but also a film maker and practitioner of media. He owns his own media company but also works freelance. A good person to know for work and possible contracts in the future as he will need crew,but also on the rolls Royce work we are doing his in put is highly respected as he has done multiple films for them. He is also giving us advice on setting up our business so an important contact to have at this early stage of myself and production company’s career.

Mandy Sanghera – Coventry Council Carers

Mandy was the director of the carers DVD i was camera/sound operator. She is involved with most of the DVD’s that get made for the council and is also a writer with a stage production in theaters now. Mandy is a good contact to have as she has many contacts in the local media, and somebody i may end up working for in the future.

Jason Kurmoo

Owner and director of the company “CrewMembersDirect” Which is an online job agency for media practitioners ,an agency to display yourself and find work a swell as constructive criticism from those that have hired you back on the site.I will be working with Jason in the future as he will have access to workers which i will need as i am in the process of starting my own production company. Also we are in talks about making joint ventures by incorporating aspects of both of our company’s together. Possible business partner n the future but if not an important contact to have in recruiting.

Steven Dawkins :

A lecturer at Coventry university but also a Director and film maker both corporate and none corporate. Again this was someone that i had been taught by but never worked with on a professional level. Steve has many contacts in the industry both creative and corporate. We worked with him on the Rolls Royce project and will be working on the same account in future. Also his contacts will be important to us and also the wealth of knowledge is an endless resource that i hope to learn from.

Fredrick Ambroisine

Fred is a one man media machine. He is a Freelancer and travels the world following east Asian cinema where it is at his height.He conducts interviews with high ranking names in Asian cinema in front and behind the camera from directors to actors.He does this as either as part of a commission or to store and sell on to movie company’s or the news.An important contact to know when traveling the world and looking into filming film festivals and particularly asian cinema as he is respected in the field. I will see him next year at the Udine festival but also possibly others that i visit this year.

Nicola Cassanello

A freelance photographer who was working at the Udine film festival, who has offered his help and advice when ever needed.It is good to have him in my phone book as he is an expert in DSLR cameras and it will be good to call upon his knowledge and experience when needed on future shoots. You can never have to many contacts and having someone in every chosen specialty in the media will increase my knowledge and resources which will enhance my work. A good contact to have when taking stills in future.

Professional Experience Diary Day 11-12

timmarch — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:30:15 +0000

Extra Days Filming For Coventry City Council Carers DVD

Mandy Sanghera Contacted Jim stating that she wanted two extra days of filming done for the DVD with carers and council workers that she thought was important to get on to the DVD. We were filming interviews again and the location was poppy court ,we were there to interview a manager of care home. We were alot more confident and it was a lot quicker to set up and get ready as we knew what was needed and wanted from the clients as we had already done a week with them. Jim was alot more confident and Lizzie was better at conducting the interview better than mandy so it was easier to control meaning we could get it done alot more quickly and it seemed a lot more proffessionall. These days of filming were the best as we had learnt from previous mistakes and adapted to the filming we were now doing ,putting us in to an excellent mind frame.

the second day we We moved then to the Civic 1 Building where we would be holding our most important interview as it was for the head of Mandys department and technically the people that were paying us for the project.

This shoot took the longest as the people involved really did not want to be filmed and were not willing to take on board critism or direction even though Jim was at his best through out the project ,Idid sound for this stage and because of the people being interviewed constantly having to repeat shots it took a long time and was difficult to keep concentration and our patience ,but that is all in the job description and it taught me that there is simply good days and bad day.

Looking back over the footage due to there lack of commitment to the dvd and thereunwillingness to listen to direction this scene could not be used as it did not look right as they were reading of paper behind the camera which ruined the shot.

This has taught us to be a lot more forward and forget that titles of those your directing and that sometimes you just have to put you foot down and deal with the consequences.