A couple of weeks back I was delighted to be given my first proper editing job at Maverick TV. Whilst I have already been given the opportunity to cut some recce shoots, a couple of taster videos for development of a new programme and even a BAFTA entry video, these were all very short and heavily directed. This project, a set of videos to be shown at an awards night for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, was to be a week long edit with one day un-supervised and space to put my own stamp on things. I had time and opportunity to create a relationship with the director and thereby co-create in the way that all video should be. In my humble opinion, obviously.
In many ways this edit went very well; I was pleased with it, the director loved it and my work, the client was very impressed at every stage and lauded my work to my boss and various others higher up at Maverick and word generally got around that I was doing a great job. I started making notes for a blog about my thoughts and feelings on this edit but after various events decided that instead I should write about something different. Having spent a week and a weekend working on this corporate job, tweaking some astons and blurring some names in the following week, I finally exported everything for delivery, or in this case the handover of a hard drive in town on a Saturday. However, when Saturday morning arrived I found that I had an email and a text informing me of this email, which urgently expressed a need for me to contact the client as they weren’t happy with one clip. One clip that the director and I knew they probably wouldn’t use anyway. I consulted my boss (who was at a dress fitting for her sister’s wedding) to ask what she thought. I was pleased to find she felt it was entirely down to me. If I wanted to go in and finish the job on a weekend then I could, but I didn’t have to and she would be quite happy to phone the client and tell them they would have to wait til Monday. She did advise that having had such a positive response to my edit it would be a shame to not continue pleasing the client. This was the start of my career after all. So I went for a lovely breakfast at Yumm before spending just under an hour with the client fixing this small clip and re-exporting it. It also gave me the chance to be the perfectionist I am and fix a few other exports and graphics that hadn’t quite gone how I wanted them. I suppose the point to this blog is to say how appreciative clients (and bosses) can be of hard work. Every few minutes my client exclaimed how grateful she was that I had given up my weekend to fix this and how pleased she was with my efforts on the job already, plus she gave me two bottles of wine for my troubles. People won’t always be appreciative I know, but they can be and this should be a reason to strive to go above and beyond at every opportunity because it never goes unnoticed, and when people do make their appreciation known it travels faster than light and spreads further than you can measure.Mar 042012
When I got my job I was given a title above that of the person whom I was replacing; they had been a Facilities Runner and I am a Technical Assistant. This is because I had worked at Maverick TV on a couple of occasions on an ad hoc basis, assisting the technicians whenever they got really busy. Also, my predecessor did not want to go into the technical side of TV.
That aside I still do many of the runner duties, one of which is regularly offering Tea & Coffee to those in an edit. Many things are said constantly about work experience students or interns doing nothing but running around after their superiors making their Tea, how this generally is not regarded as good practice for either party, and that it won’t really benefit the intern at all. Whilst I agree with this generally I don’t believe that means you should never make the Tea. Here’s why. Over the past couple of months we have had 4 or so ongoing edits, all working on the same programme, all with a P/D and editor. I endeavour to go into the edit at roughly 11am and 3pm to offer Tea, Coffee or Squash and on various days I’ll take a selection of biscuits or replenish their sweet bowl (sweets for our suites), usually offering some light-hearted comment or enquiring as to their progress and wellbeing. In my opinion this most basic of interactions is crucial to anyone wanting to ‘make it’ in the TV industry, no matter what area of pre-, post- or production they want to make it in. Here’s why. Being friendly with people usually leads to some sort of friendship being forged. Whilst it is nice to be friends with people generally, in this industry (and others I am sure) relationships – especially friendships are crucial to getting work. If people don’t know about you, they can’t employ you. If they know who you are and what you are about you are already on their long list for any jobs they may be able to give in the area you want to be in. There are many ways to then make it onto the short list; being good at your job is one but another is to be friends with the person doing the hiring. Think about it, when you were at school or Uni and were assigned group work you would always instantly get into a group with your friends which your teacher would then split up and put you, inevitably, with either the class bully or village idiot. People like working with people they like being with. If you can socialise with people it (usually) makes it easier to work with them [note: this is not *always* the case]. Caveat aside, if you were in the position of getting a crew together for a short film or TV programme you would, I am sure, choose those you like socially over those you do not, assuming they were at least similarly qualified for the job. So if you are at least fairly adept at your job and you are friends with the producer/director/casting director/etc you are more likely to get yourself some work and, in this industry especially, every advantage is valuable. In my particular case, making the Tea also gives me an opportunity to wander into an edit and see what is going on. I have already entered bearing good news and gifts so they are usually happy to talk for a couple of minutes or let me see what they are up to. This is a great way to see how people in the job you want to be in do their job. Not only that but having shown some interest editors and P/Ds may be inclined to ask your opinion on something, or maybe ask for help; technical, editorial or otherwise. Some of this may come into your job description, most of it may not but it shows willing and enthusiasm. Just because it isn’t your job to do something doesn’t stop you having opinions and ideas. So, the moral of this blog is: be prepared to make Tea and Coffee for your seniors and make sure you use it as a way of interacting with them. Just don’t settle for a job where all you seem to do is make hot beverages for stuffy bosses.allow me give you a quick update on my life.
since I last did anything to my website let alone wrote a post, I have busied myself with writing my dissertation; “How is the profession of Doctor represented in Embarrassing Bodies?” and editing a short documentary entitled the Art of the Unconventional: Tattoo. Both pieces together complete my final year of university which was rounded off a couple of weeks ago with #ExhibitThis2 so thats my uni ‘career’ as the call it finished, its over. finished with. over. finished and done with. it’s over, completely finished. (Fry and Laurie) so what next? as it stands I am currently in the process of telling everyone in the industry I know, and some I don’t, that I am available for work: anything in video post-production. at the same time I am editing a number of short pieces for a variety of people; some for friends, some as favours to those who helped me in some way, but all unpaid. so preparing to move into a new house in Birmingham with my girlfriend, my good friend James and his girlfriend, an exciting move that we have all been looking forward to for a long while. James has regular work with Global Radio and Sounds Fishy, his girlfriend has recently gained a job in marketing and my girlfriend was successful in being voted in as the next communications officer at BCUSU. I, however, currently have very little. MaverickTV still phone me from time to time to do the off day – sometimes a whole week, but generally I have no source of income. whilst I am searching for work in Birmingham there is very little TV work here and I am going to have to look for work further afield. This will almost definitely mean moving away from Birmingham. I therefore know not how long I can enjoy our new house. I am still hopeful for something in Birmingham. I have applied to a few things, some more likely than others and for a variety of reasons I would like to try and stay here for a while. but I have always said I will go where the work is; live anywhere in the world. I’m just not sure I want that change yet.Nov 262010
enter in my blog, plug it in and we begin,
read from top to toe, then comment on it please,
watch the way I write it; quite interesting,
wise and stimulatin’ when I caught within the swing.
climb into position get comfortable please,
live from where I write, I maximize it
sound of the tobynutter; prioritisin’ you may have noticed a distinct lack of activity both on my website and my blog. this is generally down to Uni work. now in my third year it is getting fairly busy and I just haven’t had the time to sit and either write something or work on the main site. in light of this, I have decided some prioritisin’ is desperately needed. I have many projects on the go; my dissertation (currently in the Literature Review stage), an essay on the music and narrative of the film Once, a 3 minute intro to a drama series, the previously mentioned Tattoo Documentary (which I will blog more about when I come back to it), a photography portfolio and (hopefully) some freelance work editing some music documentaries. all in all this is a lot to do, and for me website and blog maintenance is fairly time consuming and, at least for now, less important. this is why for the foreseeable future (at least until mid January) I don’t plan to do any blog posts or website improvement. I know I should get this thing properly up and running, especially the video and about me sections, but right this second I feel I can leave them, work on other things and then focus on them later. I have big ideas particularly for the videos page which may well mean I need to go and learn some more web speak. I will of course continue to tweet which will amount to mini-blogging about many of the aforementioned projects so you can keep up that way. also, look forward to some possible blog posts next year regarding some very helpful people in the media, Avid vs FCP editing, the personal difference between editing drama and documentary, 3D and some music. in the meantime may I be the first to wish you Merry Christmas?
Oct 222010
long time no blog. sorry, I have been meaning to get round to it, but I’ve been busy you see, starting a new and indeed final year as a University student. this time next year I hope to be blogging about the wonderful work I am doing at either the BBC, Maverick or a post production house in Manchester or London, but for the meantime that is all in the future. for now, I want to focus on the present.
currently, the present has a lot in store for me (get your head around that!). there is a lot to do in the final year of Media & Communications at BCU and it’s these projects that I wish to blog about now. first and foremost; The Final Production. in the final year we are assessed mostly on a final production and a final dissertation [I suppose thats why they call them finals?]. as a TV specialist I, obviously, am going to be involved in making a TV production. as a group the TV specialists met up at the end of last semester to sound out their ideas to both the lecturers and to each other, very informally, just so we could see what ideas were floating around and what we might want to work on. there were a lot of great ideas, some big, some smaller, one huge and good luck to all those involved, but one really stood out for me. firstly all three lecturers (all ex BBC/endamol producers, exec producers and so on with huge amounts of experience) praised this idea for it’s simplicity, it’s subject matter and it’s interest – a fine accolade before it has even got off the ground. secondly, and most importantly, it sounded fun. I have always said there is no point doing a job if you don’t find it either fun or interesting or challenging in a way you would enjoy, so potential enjoyment was just as important as potential brilliance in my mind. the idea is to make a documentary about a tattoo artist in Newcastle who has been tattooing for something like 50 years, has won awards and is now going through the process of handing the business on to his daughter, who is learning by using his mate as a sketchpad. ok, so I’m not the best at pitching, but I’m sure you can see where we’re coming from. we now have a producer; Vassi, whose idea has inspired us and will also be our production manager, a director; Philippa, who has a lovely northern Irish accent and will charm even the hardest of geordie tattooists, and a camerawoman; Kate, who I have worked with before on the promo video for the Media school at BCU. I will edit the programme as well as taking charge for the sound recording and helping Kate with lighting the more creative shots. I aim to get the others involved in blogging about how the project is going, but for now following my twitter and this blog should do it. I may even create a category for this project… as I mentioned before the second thing we are assessed on is the dissertation. most people dread their dissertation – most of my friends hate the idea, but I have found a subject matter and a research area that I can really get into and, once again, enjoy. my research question, having now been accepted, is “How is the Profession of Doctor represented in Embarrassing Bodies?” with any luck my research will allow me to interview some of the programme makers at Maverick TV, who have kindly allowed me some of their programme footage to use in my research, alongside looking at why people watch it. more to come on this story as I have a tutorial on it this week. another big part of the third year is professional placement. this is something I have done fairly well with over the years, but I am yet to work in a proper post production facility, save for the BBC one in Birmingham. if I am to work for someone like Evolutions or the Farm or similar it would be good to get some sort of work experience there methinks. I probably should get on and sort that out rather than writing a blog.Jul 102010
so, did you enjoy the football? no me neither – aside from only partially caring, I was on placement at the BBC
this particular placement was with BBC Vision Post Production in Birmingham and was gained mostly through reputation and contact. as some of you may know I had a placement on an observational documentary (yet to be aired) back in September 2009. they liked me so much on that programme that they gave me some paid work as a runner on their last few major shoots. which was nice. not only that but I spoke to Shirley O’Mara, head of Post Productions in BBC Brum, explaining that I would love to come and get some experience in the post productions area. after my placement, my name was banded around BBC Birmingham until I was invited to a talent evening where simply by speaking to Shirley again (and having a lovely tutor mentioning my appetite for a placement) I managed to get 2 weeks work experience starting June. unlike other placements I have had the pleasure of doing, this was a lot more experience based, with less emphasis on the work. I was able to help out a little – some digitising here, a bit of transferring there, helping sort out play-outs etc – but I had little chance to show off just how proficient I could be, how helpful I was and how quick I am to learn. this isn’t to say that the placement wasn’t a success, far from it. as I said, there was a lot of experience involved and I was able to learn a heck of a lot from some brilliant people. I was allowed to sit in on a variety of different edits and post processes (dub mixing, grading, finishing, etc) on a variety of different programmes. there are some people who are really good at teaching – they just impart knowledge like it was breathing. I am a firm believer that the staff of BCU Media have this ability but I was overjoyed to find that people like Ben Peissell can talk to you for half an hour without actually demonstrating anything and yet teach me so much I’m sure I’ve forgotten half of it. Another guy, a director named Dan, gave me some great advice on what paths to take, and how to achieve what I really want to as an editor. I also received some great advice on editing certain programmes and learnt how things are done technically at BBC Birmingham. I also spent time walking around the main concourse and office area on my way to the canteen and back, in the hope that someone might notice me or even recognise me. you may, quite rightly, think this to be a self promoting, vain attempt to gain recognition, but for a second year Uni student on placement at possibly the largest single media company in the world, I mean, wouldn’t you?>>>UPDATE<<< the aforementioned programme, the obs doc I was working on last September, finally has an air daite! Gears & Tears will finally be shown Mondays, 10.30pm on BBC1, starting next Monday, 2nd August. it runs for 6 episodes and I shall be credited in the last 2! check out their (very sparse) page here
Jun 272010
(originally posted on sunday, april 25th 2010)
did you read your contract well? line after line. some say you’ll never turn water into wine.
I recently got into Same Time Tomorrow by Nathaniel Green. not a new album by any means – I was given it by a friend when I was in the sixth form – but I’d just let it sit in my iTunes and come up on shuffle every so often, I had never really listened to the album in full.
I hadn’t had a good start to the day and was in a bad mood which I decided needed changing, so I decided to sit back, read a book and enjoy some relaxed tunes. I wanted something summery and was in the mood for a good album, and based on what I had previously heard come up on shuffle I thought I should give it a listen. what not only pleased my ears but filled my mind with joy was something very much like what I wish I could write myself, if only I could put my feelings down in words and music. in words that I’m sure have been overused to the extent of cliche: the lyrics, the songs indeed the entire album spoke to me.
alongside the images of Discworld that played out in my head (The Light Fantastic, I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld) danced fantasies of a music career that will never be, childhood memories both real and constructed, and a rose tinted, slightly bohemian outlook on my life as it is right now. I was reminiscing, fantasising about a life different to my own and looking forward to the future all at once. short of being euphoric, I was in essence changing my mood.
I wouldn’t class it as lyrical genius. it certainly wasn’t the articulate poetry of Dan le Sac for example. instead it just seemed to fit my outlook on life in a similar way that early Blink-182 songs fit my early teens (this of course could be simply because I was a big fan seeing as it was the music that got me into music but I stand by my point). having listened to some of the songs before I was even able to sing along to some of the more memorable tunes in my head, not quite being in the mood or indeed place to sing aloud.
unfortunately, in researching Nathaniel Green for this blog I have found that they are to split, having come so close to success and brilliance they are calling it a day with a free download album from their website. this also means that Spotify only has and will ever have their first EP and that purchasing the wonderful album of which you have been reading about will be expensive if not impossible. if you should bump into me in your travels I will be more than willing to give you a listen.
Nathaniel Green is a relaxed mix of acoustic rock and modern folks sounds. according to me anyway. and it’s not like I really know what I’m talking about. I would compare them to The Coral, Frank Turner, Badly Drawn Boy, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly and many others but say that their own unique, reminiscent feeling to their music puts them above all of these artists. but don’t bother taking my word for it, check them out on Myspace, Amazon, Spotify and of course their own website.
besides, you may not like the awesome quality of music I do 
Jun 272010
(originally posted on friday, march 26th 2010)
join me again next week on this episode of “Let’s make no sense” when I will be waxing an owl.
glad I got that one out of the way, I was racking my brains as to how to start this, having never really written a blog before.
I have finally done it; I have made myself a website – and it wasn’t too difficult; it only took a couple of days work. thanks must go to FullCreamMilk for his invaluable help in building this site. also to my mother who has funded it =]
this website is and will remain very much a work in progress. having undertaken only one module in web design in the first year I am still learning a lot about building websites and so you will hopefully see this website slowly but surely and pretty much constantly improving as I learn new tricks and add more stuff. essentially I aim to use this website as a resource to showcase my work, both professional and the stuff i do for kicks.
I shall explain in a little more detail what this website will include. tobynutter will be a sort of about page, with information about me, what I do, what I have done and a CV. I shall also possibly put something explaining the website there. all in due course. video really is what it says on the tin: my videos page. currently I showcase everything (that I have got round to uploading) on my YouTube page, so you can go look there. I may in future embed some video into the site, but whilst most of my work is already uploaded in a pretty useable and highish quality format I may as well simply use their wonderful service. similarly for pictures I use Flickr to upload most of my more professionally taken photos and will therefore merely link you up to my photostreams, as I update them. which doesn’t happen often. again, as I improve the site I may well load some pictures directly onto the site.
talking of improvements and learning, as I write I am also trying to figure out how to put a form at the bottom of this page allowing people to comment on my blogposts. we we’re probably taught how to do this by TooDamnNinja in our web lessons last year, but I’ve forgotten and I can’t find the notes right now. having spent a while looking at how to do this, methinks I shall make this feature sometime later. email or tweet me if you want to comment for the time being.
anyways, back to explaining. as it says at the top of this page I love music. all of it. with a few exceptions in the gangsta rap and poppy-crap genres of music. I play guitar and drums and have a really really basic knowledge of piano and listen to music of all sorts all of the time. for this reason I have included a music page where I shall post various things about music. maybe this will be a good reason to sign up to last.fm but for now it will probably just include Spotifyplaylists and random blogs about what I have been listening to of late. lastly words is, for those of you who aren’t as quick as the brown fox who likes to leap over logs, where my blog shall reside, alongside some twitterings and anything else I feel like putting up here.
well, it is my website 8-]
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