I have recently participated in some 'extra work' on a local film production - Pendragon. This film is about a tank crew in World War 1 that gets stranded on the battlefield. The film is by 'Where Poppies Grow Ltd' and is currently being filmed in Cumbria. This was my first role on a professional film set outside of the University.

I went in for headshots and costume dressing prior to this, where I got to meet the producers and directors and some of the other cast. On the shoot day I got to experience what it is like on a film production as cast, which was useful as it was very professional - so I got to witness what my film sets should be like. My extra role was 'truck driver'. This involved me 'driving the truck' (which was being pulled along by a van) and then opening the door for an actor in a stretcher to be carried off.
​
While working on this set I developed my knowledge of industry terminology and the process of a film set. I gained valuable experience from working as an extra and I will try to go back to Pendragon or any other film set to further develop my understanding of how a film set works, and hopefully create connections that I can use in the future.

Link to teaser trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAykGsHmPpI

I was forwarded a potential job opportunity by one of my course mates. This job was for an 'Emerging Producer' at a company called 'Creative Spaces'. This job is a part time role (17.5 hours per week) fixed term for 12 months. 

This job would be a great opportunity for me as I will be able to further develop my skills as a producer in a professional environment and I will have many opportunities to create connections in the industry. I will also be able to effectively undertake this role as well as complete my University Course.
​
​Link to the job: ​https://thestove.org/emerging-producer/

Between February and April 2022, I was a producer on a Short film called ‘Cross the Line’. This was a University project and was my first major role as a producer. I was in charge of overseeing the entire production, creating schedules, call sheets, risk assessments, finding and getting permission for locations, casting, creating and sourcing props, making set plans, sourcing costumes and getting equipment in order to film.

I enjoyed this project thoroughly as I got to experience the roles and responsibilities of a film producer and I had the opportunity to develop my role as a producer, which is what I would like to do in the future.

This project was a success as I managed to produce a high quality film with my crew and now I have a much better understanding of the role of producer and how to effectively organise a film shoot from start to finish.

From this project, I found out that the role of producer is well suited to me due to my naturally organised nature and thorough planning and preparation I am able to do, which allowed the project to run smoothly.

Link to the Film:  
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ar619_bBlIxSoW5FJn0oyA9SjcH-?e=cl82Yr

A Production Process I made:
​Matthew Athroll Critical Evaluation + Producer Process.pdf

I have recently been involved in making a documentary about Young Carers in the Cumbrian area. The aim of this project was to explain what a Young Carer is and promote the issues that Young Carers face in everyday life and the sacrifices they have had to make. We have been tasked with making a video that will be shown to county councils and in schools, to help raise awareness about Young Carers.

We had our first meeting on the 22nd November 2021 at the Harraby Community Centre. In this session, we met all of the Young Carers who were going to be involved in the project, as well as their parents. Throughout the session we discussed what the aims of the project were and then my crew and I pitched initial ideas for the video we had developed on how we could pursue the project. We then received feedback from the Young Carers and their parents on our ideas, so that the next time we met, we had more refined ideas.

For our second meeting, my crew and I and the Young carers went bowling. The aim of this meeting was to build upon the foundation we had made in our initial meeting and to develop our relationship and trust with the carers, so that when we would ask about their lives as young carers for the video, they would be comfortable sharing. This meeting was a success as I feel that we made progress with developing trust from the young carers and we learned more about them.

Over the past couple of weeks, my crew and I have offered 'Film Making Workshops' for the young carers. This allowed us to run the sessions to allow the young carers an opportunity to try something new and to teach the young carers new skills that they can hopefully use in the future. In these workshops we have taught them how to: Film on their phones to a film making standard, use the rule of thirds in their pictures / videos, the effect of lighting, perspectives and the different types of shots (for example: wides, mid shots, close ups, over the shoulder). These will all be useful for the project as they will be filming home videos for us to use in the final video, also these workshops have desensitised the carers to being on and around cameras.

This project has been very worthwhile so far as I have gotten to experience a project with multiple clients and a strict deadline. This has developed my time management skills and my ability to work with clients at a high level. The project has also been worthwhile as we have been given the opportunity to raise awareness towards a real issue in Cumbria and in turn the success of the project can get the carers, and any other carers, the help they may need.

On this project I have undertaken more of a producer role because I have been planning the workshops and developing the ideas on schedule, along with the crew. I have also been a point of contact to relay information to the crew and arrange dates where we are able to work with the carers.

We will begin filming the final video within the next couple of months.

On the 6th December 2021, my course and I were tasked with producing a Christmas celebration video for the University of Cumbria. We had access to the Chapel at the University of Cumbria, Fusehill Campus, where we were able to create the set. On this project, our crew set all the equipment up such as: Cameras, Lights, Microphones and we were the ones in charge on the set. The Christmas Celebration consisted of: An introduction, Carol Songs from a choir, Speeches and a Blessing from the Chaplain of the University. This project was displayed on the University of Cumbria's newsletter.

Link to the project: https://youtu.be/mNEOsRrqYaA

On this production I was a camera operator and also had some producer responsibilities. I drew out set plans for the crew, marked camera / light positions and made the running order for the production. I also gave each camera operator a shot list in case they forgot what shots they needed for the different sections. I enjoyed the producer side of the role more than the camera operator side, so I think that I am going to pursue this more on future projects and try get a role as a sole producer.

This project was a success as my crew and I managed to produce a high quality video for the University and I got more experience on a professional set with clients. I also got to experience more than one role in this project, which means my understanding of a film set has improved significantly.

On the 16th November 2021, I was a crew member for a 'Carbon Zero Conference' at the Rheged Centre, Penrith. This conference had full attendance in the venue and was also streamed online on YouTube.

I helped with set design, setting up cameras, setting up and testing sound equipment. When the conference was taking place, I was a camera operator who was instructed to capture the 'wide shot' of the venue. This was my first time working on a professional production with an external client.

Link to the Conference: ​https://youtu.be/VVf0VOEhC_s

​

This project was a success for my development as the crew and I successfully documented the whole conference to a high quality, which our client was very happy with. From this project I learned how to effectively work as part of a crew to meet strict deadlines and how to manage time efficiently as we only had 1 hour 30 for our set up and pack downs. I also learned a lot of industry terminology on this project, this was very beneficial because I am someone who has little background in the media industry, so I have little to no knowledge of the terminology that should be used.
I also developed my teamwork and communication skills as while the conference was taking place, the crew and I had headsets in which we were able to communicate. Therefore, I was instructed on shots that the director wanted and was able to communicate to the director if any issues occurred.

One of the only negatives of this production was that I was in a minimal role. Therefore, I did not achieve the level of development that I would have liked to have gained from working on this project. Also, I found out that I do not particularly like being a camera operator and would like to be in a more pre-production based role, as I enjoy that side of production more and feel that it is better suited to my skills.

In future projects, I am going to try to push myself into a role that is out of my comfort zone.