Work Experience Duration Evidence

Written Presentation

Why?

To begin with I wanted my placement to be made up of many little jobs to get a general feel of the sort of work that I wanted to focus more on. At the start of the year I didn’t really have a direct focus, I enjoyed editing but also liked working with cameras and photography, I also discovered I was rather good at documentary film making after getting 82% on the module. With this in mind I was very open to any offers that came my way. It turned out that I’d end up on a month long placement in Tenerife working with the Atlantic Whale Foundation. The reason? It seemed like a really good way to spend my time, knowing that I would be doing stuff other than filming but also that I’d be doing something for a good cause at the same time.

But firstly, the smaller jobs.

Norway

This started off as a small documentary project for the respective uni module earlier this year but it turned into something quite bigger soon after we got there. Myself and two mates flew out to meet a woman called Asne. She had appeared in several magazines in Norway talking about Hunting and how she loves it etc. We got in touch and she let us follow her for a day in the life of sort of film. This was the first time I’d worked abroad and a lot of the creative process took place while we was over there. We wasn’t sure where she would take us or what she would say but in the end it all worked out amazingly and we’re still working on producing a longer version of the documentary that we’re thinking of submitting for festivals. This longer version will be completed in the summer.

We worked in some very harsh conditions, deep snow and dark forests being the main obstacles. Due to the rough nature of the project we had to work very closely as a team and I feel we really hit the mark in that respect. We had several meetings and delegated jobs amongst ourselves really well, there was no arguments and we were always open to each others creative views.

I certainly improved my teamwork skills on this job, I also learned that even though I was thrown right out of my comfort zone I still managed to work to a high standard and wasn’t phased by it at all. This fuelled by interest for both documentary making and working abroad again to film and experience other cultures.

Tennis Showreel

This was a small one day job where 5 of us were asked to bring two Sony Z5′s to the Warwick Sports Centre where we were asked to film a coaching session.

The job lasted for just about 2 hours where we took turns filming fly on the wall style with the instructor and the ‘students’ learning the drills and then actually doing them. It required on the ball concentration to be in the right place at the right time to get some good shots. It also allowed me to experiment somewhat as I took a camera off and went for a wander trying to get some new and interesting shots to mix up what could have been a very average promo.

Fashion Show

This job came about after running into Bex (Rebecca Pittam - Skills Instructor/Senior Technician at Cov Uni) She asked us if we’d mind doing her a big favour by filming a charity fashion show later that night at Maison Bar. She said she wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t last minute and that she trusted us to do a good job. We got there early and had a quick meeting with the chap running the show. He told us we were actually covering for professionals who they were supposed to hire, this was a nice chance to prove that we can work to the same level as professionals. We found out where the models were coming from and the sort of movement that we can expect to see. We set a camera up accordingly and used the second as a roaming camera to walk around the action.

Tenerife AWF

This was the big one, the main placement. The key reason I chose to do this was because I knew that my work wasn’t going to be paid for. That was a given, so with this in mind I thought the idea of volunteering for a charity would look even better on a CV than just a short placement or a series of smaller jobs. It also allowed me to further my interest and do a bit more digging into filming other cultures abroad that I had gained from my work in Norway.

My work in Tenerife was based solely around filming promotional videos for the foundation, the island and the boats they used for data collection on the whales and dolphins. Ed had worked out that if the AWF sold the tickets for the boat trips rather than the big holiday companies like Thompson etc then the AWF would be able to offer more of a cut to the boats and make €500,000 a year in the process, helping the industry and themselves. Our role was to film the boats, the guests and the staff to promote each boat that the AWF uses. The second project was to travel around the island and film places of cultural significance. I was really looking forward to this one because of my interest in this sort of filming. I wanted to do the island justice.

We traveled all over the place from forests and mountain tops to small fishing villages and big cathedrals. It was a real eye opener and I realised two things during my time out there. Firstly that I really like editing in the sun and secondly I really want to continue filming other cultures. We received some positive feedback from everyone there, we’re still waiting to hear back from Ed as he spent most of our placement away at other projects but we’re optimistic.

Whats Next?

I plan to finish this year of uni and work in the summer to save up for some trips in my 3rd year. I’m really interested in working abroad for my final major project, possibly in America but I might even go to China in the Easter and do it there as I’ve heard some good things from people who went this year. It’ss somewhere that I want to visit anyway simply because of its depth of tradition and culture but also the politics over there interest me too. After that its anyones guess, but I’ve learned that I really enjoy editing and I hope to work on this further in my 3rd year with a view to working with that if I can’t follow my main interest in filming other cultures.

Networking List

Ed Bentham – AWF Founder – If I ever want to stay with the AWF again Ed is the man to ask.

Chris Light - AWF Media Producer – Already working with the AWF so if I want to get in there and work with them Chris is the guy to contact.

Ken Fero – Documentary Film Maker – Ken’s always looking for people to lend a hand, this could be a useful contact.

Tracey – Blue Planet Diving School – It would be great to film under water but I need a diving license first and Tracy can help me here.

Joe Fox – Zoologist at Salford University, has expressed an interest in combining media with his work.

Johnny Bradford - Graphic Designer – If I ever need any graphics work done I can contact Johnny.

Updated CV

27 Rosemary Ave
Beechwood
Runcorn
Cheshire
WA7 4PJ

Home tel. (01928) 830428
Mob. 07581283664
Richard_neal3@hotmail.com

Richard Neal

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I’m a 2^nd year student studying Media Production at Coventry University. I aim to find a career in the Media Industry but am currently unsure as to what discipline I want to focus on. For this reason I am very open to any opportunity that is there for me to take.

I have a keen interest in video editing having worked as an editor on several projects. I’m also a keen photographer and cameraman with experience with many cameras and lenses in each area. I also have a passion for working abroad having spent over a month now filming many projects over seas for both my degree and charity foundations.

I also have 4 years previous experience working on restaurant and bar where I completed several health and safety training assignments during my time and was often relied upon to cash up of an evening. There was a strong emphasis on hygiene and customer satisfaction, which required me to learn vital communication and teamwork skills as well as learning how to work under pressure.

EDUCATION

2009-2011 Coventry University
BA Media Production

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

April 2011 – May 2011 – (Volunteering) Atlantic Whale Foundation –  Tenerife
Spent a month volunteering for the AWF (Atlantic Whale Foundation) working on promotional material for the foundation and the Island. I worked all over the island and on boats filming places of cultural significance and wildlife (Dolphins & Whales)

November 2010 – Documentary Filming/Editing – Norway
Filmed a short documentary in Norway over 5 days, which required a lot of forward planning. Most of the creative process took place while we was there, this required me to think on my feet in order to make creative decisions depending on what was going on.

June 2008 – Video Editor
I worked as an editor for the small production company ‘Furious Films’ where I learnt to meet professional deadlines without being in a professional environment.

February 2008 –Researcher / Editor
I worked as a researcher and editor on a short corporate film for the organisers of a Health course at Liverpool Community College. My role on set varied from finding locations to identifying potential shots. I also liaised with producers while keeping them informed on progress.

February 2008 – Runner / Editing Assistant
I helped out on a short film for the FACT theatre in Liverpool. I undertook key roles in almost every area working under the head technician on set of a short film and also leant a hand in the post-production process. I received good feedback and gained first-rate experience of a professional film set.

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT 

July 2010 – September 2010 – Howdens Kitchens
Summer job working on a factory floor assembly line stacking kitchen cupboards ready for shipment. Was trained in Health and Safety practice.

March 2005 – September 2009 – Holiday Inn Runcorn
Spent 4 years working on Restaurant and Bar where I was trained in many Health and Safety practices, gained a lot of confidence talking to the public and how to work under pressure while dealing with drunk and violent members of the public. Team work and customer satisfaction were key skills I also learned here.

February 2004 – July 2004 - BB’s Coffee and Muffins
Worked as a barista at BB’s where I learned how to speak to the public and work in a professional environment.

SKILLS

Health and Safety Trained - Was trained in health and safety practice while working on Restaurant and Bar

Coping with pressure & stress – Balancing studies and part time work

Team Work and Leadership – Am competent in working as a team to achieve a common goal and am always happy to take charge if needed.

Computer Literate -  Have years of experience working with both PC and Mac software.

Deadline Orientation – Am able to work to tight deadlines while maintaining a high standard of work.

Camera Operating – Can operate most hand held video and still cameras to a high standard.

Video Editing – Have a fair amount of experience working with Final Cut Pro and other Mac based video software like After Effects, Photoshop and Motion.

Working Abroad - Now have over a months experience working abroad in Europe in contrasting environments meeting deadlines and now relish working out of my comfort zone.

Filming Wildlife - Spent a month working in Tenerife filming whales and dolphins for the Atlantic Whale Foundation

QUALIFICATIONS

HND MEDIA PRODUCTION            Liverpool Community College 2008 Graduate

A Level in Media Studies                     Riverside College, Runcorn 2006 Graduate
A Level in Film Studies

10 GCSE’s A to C                                    The Heath Specialist Technology College

REFERENCES

Ed Bentham – Atlantic Whale Foundation Founder – edb@whalenation.org

Bronek Kram – Liverpool Community College Tutor - bronek.kram@liv-coll.ac.uk

Ken Fero – Documentary Film Maker - k.fero@coventry.ac.uk

(NOTE: Appears same as previous CV due to my mistake of updating the previous one, overwriting it)

Team Work

Our entire time on the AWF placement was revolved around team work. Not just with our own group but with the other Media Production guys and other people from other courses, both at Coventry and around the World.

Firstly we had to work together on the boats. Someone would film/take photos of the Dolphins while someone would do petitions, fill in the data sheets and talk to the guests. When I was working with Jake on the boats we’d occasionally swap because we each have different filming styles so someone would see something and film it but miss what the other might see. We managed to get a lot of footage of all the island by doing this as well, this certainly boosted the content of our videos. My main role I would say was Editor as I did a fair bit organising all the footage and seeing what was usable. I also edited the MaxiCat video and worked with Jake giving him my opinions on his video, he would do the same for mine.

When it came to meetings we put our work open to the floor, all and any comments were welcome and we often got some good ideas. Obviously most people just replied with “Yeah, its good… I like it” etc, not really helpful as such but its positive feedback nonetheless.

Me filming on Son Caliu

Outside of the videos and filming we worked with everyone every morning to clean the house. We met up at 9am outside the kitchen and was given a job to do. It was usually only 20 mins work but it had to be done to keep the place tidy. The same applied to cooking and washing up. If you was asked to do it then you had to, nobody ever complained.

One day, when the head coordinators were busy elsewhere myself and Jake took the lead and delegated jobs to people rather than have everyone sat around doing nothing all morning. I think the fact that everyone listened and did as we asked was an indication of the respect we’d earned by being professional, polite and friendly to everyone over the course of the placement.

We also worked with other members of the Media Production course who were there before us. They had already started work on some projects. Yasmin had been working on a promotional video for the Teide Challenge. I let her use my Mac to edit on as she was having trouble with the footage not being recognised on her laptop. We also worked together filming boats if someone couldn’t get on there. We were all working towards the same goal so it made sense to collaborate.

Research Room

There are a few things I think we didn’t do that well on. Researching locations to film was non existent, we just turned up and filmed without really knowing what was there and where we could film. When we arrived at the locations there was a sense of urgency to get out and film every possible thing as soon as we could without any real consideration for what was in the shot, setting up the camera correctly or even getting the tripod out. In some cases this was required because there were some things that we needed to capture, like dolphins that are only close enough to the boat to be worth filming for about 2 mins before they move away. You don’t really have time to get a tripod out and make sure the settings are correct in some cases.

I did feel like I moaned a fair bit on set just because some of these fundamental things weren’t being recognised. However, I feel it was necessary because the rushed set up did make quite a few shots either pointless or just unusable because white balance or composition of the shot was all wrong. It gave me a lot of work in the edit to get some of the footage to look nice.  It didn’t help that most of the time the weather was so average at best that every shot looked like it was filmed in the middle of autumn in the UK.

If we were to go back and do it all again, which we do plan on doing again next Easter, then I would ensure that we researched these locations. That we were well prepared before each shoot and that we took some better cameras. The Nikon D90 was a nice camera, light and easy to use when you know how but they’re not the best quality and I would rather have taken a Z1/5 as you can get some really nice quality on those that would give it a much more professional output.

Aside from those few minor things I think we all did really well as a group, I never had any bad feedback from the group, I got a good response for the video. Its just a shame that the weather wasn’t great or we could have got loads more footage and done a few more videos. I’ve still got footage with me so I’m going to work with Jake some more and try to get them finished, or at least part the way there.

Captains Log – AWF Tenerife Placement – Week Four

Thursday 5th May

Today was the day we headed off to Laurel Forest and Taganana. We headed off at about 9am to film again at . We got some really nice shots of the boats, the fish and the fishermen. The weather was really good for it as well, not a cloud in the sky. We hung around for about half an hour till they had finished packing the fish and then we headed off for an hour 1/2 drive to the Laurel Forest. We was a bit put off by it to begin with as it just wasn’t very picturesque. The light was terrible inside the forest, which made it hard for us to film and there wasn’t really much to film. We stuck around for about 40 mins walking about, stretching our legs and getting some nice shots of the amazing views as we was very high up at this point.

Laural Forest Views

After the forest we drove for about another hour till we found a really nice view of the forest. We stopped to do a quick time lapse of the area. While everyone was doing this me and Joe found a cliff face and decided to climb it, turns out we managed to find an amazing really high view of Taganana so I grabbed the camera as everyone else joined us.

View of the Forest

Taganana View

Me Climbing with Joe

to Taganana. It was a very quiet town hidden in the mountains, free from mass tourism and  because of this had managed to keep its beautiful appearance. As soon as we arrived we all split up to take a wander around and find some nice shots. We managed to spend a good hour here filming buildings, streams, roads and the local people. It was so chilled out here we didn’t want to leave.

We drove to a small restaurant that Ed had asked us to film in and spent a good 2 hours there doing another time lapse and just having a well earned break. We soon headed back to the house so they could use the cars to pick people up from the docks. On the way back we reflected on the best days filming so far.

Friday 6th May

Today was another epic day of filming. We had planned to travel to Güímar, a small town in Tenerife where they had some stone pyramids. We wasn’t really convinced that the footage would go that well in the film as so far everything had a sense of grandeur about it and these pyramids felt a bit boring in comparison. When we arrived, after getting lost, we found out that it would cost €10 per person to get into the area that these were kept. We decided against it and moved on to Candelaria.

Tenerife Pyramids

We drove for about 15 mins before arriving at Candelaria. The town had a magnificent cathedral called Basilica of Candelaria that was home to a Black Madonna. Outside in the main square they had 9 stone statues representing the Guanches, the native tribe of Candelaria. Inside the cathedral it was very creepy. Possibly because it was rather empty with only about 10 people in there including the 4 of us. We filmed what we had to and moved on.

Native Statues

When we left Candelaria we moved on up to Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife. We spent ages here waiting around for the evening but first we filmed a nice cathedral that used to be on a red light district. We went to the city centre and took some time out to enjoy the sun as we did yet another time lapse of a fountain. We was waiting for a traditional spanish concert to start.

Cathedral

Time Lapse Fountain

The Concert

We stayed till about 11pm when our camera batteries had died. We’d managed to get a load of really nice footage of the concert and festival atmosphere. It’s down to Jake to edit it together and try to keep that feel in the video.

Weekend

Our last weekend in Tenerife and we spent it working. Well kind of. Saturday was our day, we went surfing and scuba diving in the same day. Sunday we went to Masca and took a really beautiful walk down to the coast. We took our cameras to capture this amazing landscape. The walk took about 4 hours because we kept stopping to film and just admire the area.

Waterfall

The Canyon

Monday 9th May

Today was sort of a carry on from the weekend. We spent most of the day sleeping and doing nothing other than nipping to the shops to get some food. Why? Because we was going to actually climb the volcano tonight, leaving at 11pm to start the climb at midnight. The climb itself wasn’t that bad, we had gathered a few injures over the past few days due to the intense sports we’d attempted. Some people already had injuries from previous climbs as well so our ascent was slow, riddled with pit stops to recover from aches etc.

We eventually reached the refuge, a small cabin where people could pay to sleep. We didn’t want to pay €20 per person for an hours sleep so we slept outside. This was the worst thing for me because I woke up and my body seemed to have let everything catch up with me. I’d had no pain or aches before but after the sleep my body couldn’t keep up and I suffered badly with altitude sickness. I would have carried on at a slower pace but we ran out of time and had to head back.

We didn’t film anything today because we didn’t think it was worth bringing a camera and a laptop for a time lapse as it would be added weight.

Tuesday 10th May

We got back to the house at about 3pm after getting picked up at 1pm. Agata had brought the camera with her so we could film the pine forests. The weather was amazing so we got some nice stuff, unfortunately the battery hadn’t been charged so we didn’t have very long. We got back to the house all aching and tired so we sat on the terrace and caught up with everyone. Had some dinner and then me and Jake thought the best thing to do was go and play football with everyone else as we knew this would be the last chance before we left due to the heavy work load we had the next 2 days.

Wednesday 11th May

Today was edit central, I really blitzed the edit for the MaxiCat, getting it pretty much complete while Jake did the same for the Beauty of Tenerife video. It was hard work sitting in the sun all day, especially with everyone wanting to see how it was going. We managed to keep our heads down though and showed the rough cuts in the meeting later that day. Emma and Faye went bck out on the MaxiCat to try and get an interview, however, the woman they wanted had a day off so they couldn’t get it.

In the meeting everyone gave some positive constructive feedback about both videos, they told me that the music needed changing and that they thought more shots of the boat and animals were needed. Jakes had forgotten to add the horse ranch footage so everyone said cut out some of the Masca stuff as there was a lot of rocks.

Thursday 12th May

Our last day! Today was just like Wednesday except we also had to pack and leave at 7pm for the airport. Me and Jake woke up early and got cracking with the edits. We spent most of the day on our own trying to nail it with enough time to pack. I found some stock footage of dolphins and whales that the AWF said I could use. They were underwater shots, which really added another level to the MaxiCat video while Jake worked on his promotional video of the island.

Jake and Emma then went off and recorded an interview for my video as they didn’t managed to get one yesterday. I was skeptical but Jakes voice really worked and they got some of the important details down really well like animals you can see, the port that the boat leaves from as well as mentioning the crew and the sort of trips the boat offers. It would have been better to get a member of staff on film saying it but due to the temperamental weather and bad timing with the staff we didn’t managed to get that.

I spent the rest of the day colour correcting the video to give it a nice cinematic feel so it looked professional and polished. I’m still waiting on feedback from Ed, but he doesn’t get back till next Monday. Hopefully it’ll be good!

Captains Log – AWF Tenerife Placement – Week Three

Thursday 28th April

Today, rather than getting up at the crack of dawn for another trip to the volcano we got up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus down to Los Gigantes, where the Son Caliu is docked. We had to catch the 9.30 bus to Los Cristianos and then get another bus to Los Gigantes. Little did we know that this trip would take the best part of 2 hours so by the time we got there we had very little time to film before the boat left. We got some shots as it pulled away and then a few more of the port.  We had some lunch as we waited for it to return but it turned out that it was on a longer trip today and wasn’t going to return before 5, our last bust that would get us home on time was at 4.30 so we couldn’t stay.

Still, it was a nice day out and we learned our way around the town for future reference.

That evening we shared our time lapse footage from Wednesday and got some really nice feedback from the group.

Friday 29th April

Today we finally got round to doing our sunrise time lapse. We left as planned at 5.30am and got to the site at 6.30. The weather seemed pretty good for it at the start but it wasn’t long before a lot of cloud formed and covered where the sun was going to rise. It was also very windy and very cold. We had to stand very close to the camera’s in order to prevent them being blown over, it was bad enough that they were swaying all over the place regardless of where we stood. As the sun began to rise we noticed that our camera was pointing in the wrong direction and was a little out of focus. We couldn’t tell to begin with if it was in focus or not as the sky was pitch black and wasn’t able to move to check due to the wind. We changed the settings and moved the camera but, because of the cloud, the sun was taking ages to come up. We soon ran out of time and had to head back before the sun even managed to rise above the clouds.

On the way back we suggested to Jake that we actually fake a sun rise and pick one of our sun sets and reverse it in the edit so it looks like it’s a sun rise. Nobody would ever know.

We spent the rest of the day editing and chilling out in the sun.

Weekend

We took this weekend off to chill out and enjoy a lie in as we’d had a pretty busy week and wasn’t going to get another weekend like that before we left.

Monday 2nd May

Ed had arrived on sunday and requested a meeting with Jake to discuss other places to film. In the meantime me, Faye and Emma had been asked to take some new people out on the boats and train them up in what to do. This was a nice break away from filming and gave me a chance to work some more on the boats with the people. Once again we finished early as the boat only did one trip so we went and got some lunch before waiting for our lift home.

We met up with Jake when we got back and he filled us in with his meeting and told us that we all had a meeting with Ed at 9am tomorrow morning.

Tuesday 3rd May

Today we didn’t do a whole lot other than have a meeting with Ed at 9am. We told us what he had discussed with Jake and we arranged some places to visit where he wanted us to film. Some places were Candalaria, a town with a rather remarkable cathedral that was home to a Black Madonna. He also wanted Taganana, a small fishing village at the north of the Island and the Laurel Forests.

Laural Forest

Taganana

Wednesday 4th May

Today we got up ready for a day of filming, unfortunately we didn’t anticipate the weather being dreadful, again. It was grey and it was boring, which made for some pretty lacklustre footage. We started off by going to where Ed had said there would be fishing boats all day. There were no boats here at all, not even tourists wandering around. We instead said we’d come back to this place and instead headed off to a horse ranch that Faye and Emma had visited previously on a trip.

The weather was still pretty grey but you couldn’t tell that much, we got some nice footage of the horses at close up and some high shots from up a cliff looking down. It was a pretty amazing place, built into the side of a cliff and they were still digging away to make it bigger for more horses. We got some nice footage of the horses, dogs, chickens and ponies before heading off back to the house.

Horse Close Up