Going it Alone
It’s been almost five months since I graduated from university, and although my answer to the commonly asked question ‘what are you doing now then?’ was a good one, I think I’ve just about milked dry the response ‘well, I’ve just left university…’.
It’s an awful dilemma to be in. I have no job, I want to break into an industry alongside thousands of others who are just as qualified as me, and my student discount has run out. OhmyGodwhatdoIdo?!
Good question. I had several options.
1. Get a job in a call centre/pub/etc where I would end up enjoying the money and get comfy.
2. Sign on.
3. Try and find production work at whatever pay and however few and far between.
So I decided to pursue the third option, and for the past two months I have been registered as self-employed! I like to call myself a ‘Freelance Media Production Professional’, which is a ridiculously fancy way of calling myself a runner.
However, registering as self-employed was the easy part; gaining work and a client list has proven to be more than a challenge. Thankfully, I have managed to find myself enough work to keep me going, although my parents are still waiting for their first payment of my board!
The work I have completed has varied massively, something that I have really enjoyed as it has opened my eyes to the different approaches necessary for particular roles. I have been doing a fair amount of work for a PR company that I mentioned in my previous post, Wolfstar, which has ranged from editing pre-recorded footage, creating videos consisting entirely of kinetic typography and pictures, to filming an award ceremony for Unilever down in London!
Another job I have recently completed was for the events company Hairy Lemon based in Leeds, who needed a video loop of kinetic typography that was to be projected onto backdrop for a fashion show in Sheffield.
However, one of the most insightful jobs I have worked on was fulfilling the role of a runner on a SafeStyle UK commercial shoot for Mezzo Films. I spent three days at the South Manchester Studios, and one day on location at a house in Bingley. The time spent on the shoots helped me better understand the different roles of each crew member, and how important it is to respect each individuals role to ensure the day runs smoothly. I loved being the runner on the shoot, as the jobs were easy to carry out, and gave me time to talk to the different members of the crew. Not only did this build up my knowledge for different roles of the production crew, but it was a great chance to network throughout the day. Oh, and I realise how much a nice cup of tea is appreciated!
Hopefully, I will be able to take on enough work in the future to continue being freelance, which will then, fingers crossed, lead to a full time job at a production company. In the meantime, I’m thinking of taking on a part-time night job to keep the pennies coming in so I can continue working freelance!
Filed under: TV Graduate | 1 Comment
Tags: Camera Operator, Cameraman, crumpton, Editor, Freelance, Hairy Lemon, Kinetic Typography, leeds, matthew, media, Mezzo Films, production, Runner, South Manchester Studios, Wolfstar
keep going mat its tough out there