The next steps in my career are not fully polished, I have explored a variety of aspects in the industry from being a self shooting videographer to working on a feature film set. In order to succeed I need to select one area and put my all into it, however, I am unsure so I am going to weigh up each side considering my previous experience in each field and how it has affected me.
Considering I have worked as a self-shooter for the past 2 years I think it is an area I have a considerable amount of experience within the field and the struggles surrounding working by yourself. If you look deeper there are 2 options as a self shooter, working for a company or being freelance. As a freelance videographer, you often rely on social media and word of mouth to find clients, often working with the same clients over and over. Your working hours may be random with a lot of days sitting alone editing and travelling to and from shoots. You also rely on finding work by yourself, pitching projects and communicating with clients through a large variety of formats whether that be online job posts or through email and phone calls. Whereas working within a company means all work comes to you, with regular working hours and a larger number of clients. It opens up to more collaboration within the industry, there is someone contacting clients allowing you to have more creative freedom with a greater amount of time to do so.
Personally, I would rather venture down the path of working within a company, the creative freedom is a must for me rather than focusing on finding work I would prefer it to come to me and work from there. The regularity of hours is also very attractive as it allows for more structure outside of work.
On the other hand, the world of feature films or high end TV. I understand that to have a major role in this area of the industry you have to start at the bottom, and in the camera department that means working as a trainee. This involves getting coffee (most important) for the camera department and working closely with the second assistant camera, completing all the extra jobs they need doing. Effectively you are the second assistant camera’s assistant. Hours are longer and there are often 6 day weeks but working in the camera department means you are always active and are constantly learning new information as a trainee. After a period of time and experience you can work your way up to being a second assistant camera and then the first assistant camera and camera operator. The next big step up is working as the Director of Photography, overlooking both camera and lighting departments, that is the ultimate goal for me.
I think for me working in the camera department on high end productions is my goal and is the area of the industry I would like to be involved in despite the fact that you have to work from the very bottom. I get excited being on set and it makes work feel less like work, there truly is nothing like it. However, to reach this goal there are a number of steps to take, some of which I have taken. One option is to go through a company like ScreenSkills, this involves applying for a 2 day workshop to learn all the basics of being a trainee. You are then on their books for a calendar year, they find you work for you to apply for roles and make industry contacts. Another involves contacting camera assistants and asking for advice and potential work, this can mean contacting hundreds and only getting a few replies, it can be a demanding yet rewarding process.
In an ideal world, work is constant and you have the creative freedom to do what you want. I think a mixture of working as a single shooter for a company on a freelance basis combined with working on sets and working your way through the camera department would work really well. It is my dream to do it that way, I am just happy with a camera in my hands.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ScreenSkills. [online] Available at: https://www.screenskills.com/
- Myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk. (n.d.). My first job in film: How do I become a camera trainee in the UK film industry?. [online] Available at: https://www.myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk/resources/careers-guide/detail?page_id=5
IMAGES
Figure 1 – Personal Library Image. BTS Photo – TALK SHOW – Stress. (2020). Shot by Isobel Doyle
Figure 2 – No Film School (2019). 1917 BTS Shot. [image] Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_superwide/public/1917_bts_2.jpg?itok=06K6M_Tg
Felix Gibbons Portfolio 