What I love about this work is that no two days are the same.
It’s a big part of the reason I pursued this career and having this taster in the real-world of work has only cemented that.
If anyone reading this is thinking about doing an internship then I would highly recommend taking the leap. It has allowed me to build on the existing skills I gained at University and has given me the confidence that this kind of work is within my wheelhouse. I found this opportunity on a site called My First Job in Film, and being just that it has been an excellent starting point. The great thing about working with Bear Jam is because they are a small, yet fiercely efficient, company which means I have been able to be quite hands on rather than taking more of a shadowing position.
A lot of what I was doing was getting to grips with the pre-production process, learning how to professionally put together the necessary documents and see everything it takes to get a project off the ground. It was immensely rewarding to then see how that works pays off on the shoot. I was invited to go to every shoot I did the pre production for, often helping out as an extra pair of hands and assisting in keeping everything on schedule. Speaking of, one of the biggest things I will take away is witnessing how much you can get done in one shoot day, especially when the turn around is tight. It was amazing to see how a cast and crew can pull together to achieve some impressive results, capturing more than seemingly possible and turning out a polished and visually exciting final film.
When I first arrived Tristan, Content Producer, asked me what I wanted to get out of the placement and my response was to just be as hands on as possible and hopefully be given more and more responsibility as the month went on. I am grateful that they listened and gave me plenty to work on and take charge of. The great thing about an internship, if you’re still on the fence, is that it gives you a chance to stretch out and give new skills a try but under the safety of being supervised by your employer who is there to show you the ropes. It was thrilling to give these things a go and filled me with pride when my work was used and made a difference to a project.
The highlights of my time here include working with Davina McCall on my first day, being given responsibility of AD on a shoot and a client using a script I reworked for them. It’s all in a day’s work for a video production company.
