Roundup of Introduction to Film & TV Industry event.
On the 21st and 22nd April, we brought together women from the film and tv industry who are at the top of their game to share wisdom and tips to those who would like to pursue a career in this industry. Here are the top takeaways from the 2 days, taken from our live tweets on the day.
DAY 1
Introduction to Film and Postproduction Discussion
Two of our panel originally started in law! A career in TV & Film was never mentioned to them as an option. An emerging theme from the discussion is that time & experience helped our panel recognise their strengths & what they wanted to do.
“Everyone here is now a contact for all of you”. YES! Networking 💪 Reach out to production companies. And no need to leave #NorthernIreland now, either!
Screenskills & Skill Set are two training courses available on the island of Ireland. @NIScreen also has training opportunities- paying a living wage. “You have to be proactive. The opportunities aren’t going to come and find you.”
“Confidence can be the confidence to say when you don’t know something… Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know, but I want to learn’.”
“If you see a job advertisement that needs 10 skills, women will think ‘I’ve only 5’ and won’t apply. A man will think ‘I have 5 of those!’ and apply.” @paulacrick
“Be a self starter and take ownership of your own journey into this industry.” @CarlaStronge (who casted #DerryGirls!)
“You don’t know what you’re good at until you give it a go.” Words to live by from Catherine at @KippieCIC!
‘‘Being a #runner can get overlooked as an opportunity. It gives you the chance to observe *all* the roles, learn and see what appeals. A good runner is remembered, too’’
A question from the audience about sexism in the industry - “We’re at a crossroads, at a time of transition.” Things are changing- but we have to speak up, challenge bad behaviour and say what we need @CarlaStronge
Question from the audience- how do you have your individual voice heard and represent yourself?
@paulacrick you just get up every day and be present, be seen, be heard.
@CarlaStronge everyone has imposter syndrome- she still has to find her voice on a daily basis
A question from the audience about changing career later in life-
@paulacrick ‘consider yourself ageless. That’s an internal barrier you need to break down.’
Break those barriers!!!
Discussion now around how family friendly the film/ TV industry is, particularly for single mothers.
@CarlaStronge has mentioned job sharing now becoming more of an option, but really it’s a case of figuring out how to balance it in your own individual circumstances.
Lucy Bright – Music Supervisor
Back after some caffeinating and networking, we are now hearing from Lucy Bright about #MusicSupervision in TV & film.
This process can span 18 months to two years! It’s not just selecting the music but sorting licences, etc too.
Lucy has a degree in History of Art- on the face of it, doesn’t seem relevant but any arts subject will lend itself to a creative career.
Lucy highlights that every job, even if it isn’t the right one for you, teaches you something and helps forge relationships and connections that can help you move forward. #WomenInFilm #WomenBreakingBarriers
Music publishing and management is still quite a male- dominated part of the industry. Lucy says there is more gender balance now at entry level but that hasn’t worked it’s way upwards just yet.
We’re now watching some of an episode of #LifeAfterLife that Lucy worked on & that she’ll then talk us through. So brilliant to get this insight to what goes on behind the scenes! #WomenInFilm #WomenBreakingBarriers
A member of the audience has raised her fear of falling foul to copyright, even when using traditional songs or music. Lucy agrees it’s a minefield! As something can be deemed in the public realm, but a different arrangement can change that!
Really interesting discussion on music in another episode of #LifeAfterLife- a marching song was in the public realm but… illegal to sing it in Germany & Austria! Which could potentially jeopardise any release there. So Lucy found a similar sounding traditional song instead.
‘‘Networking is an organic process- be guided by what speaks to you and what feels natural to you. Don’t force it’’
Finishing that session with the news that no, you do not need to be musical to work in #MusicSupervision!
Carly Paradis – Composer / Musician
Back from lunch! We now have @carlyparadis joining us remotely to discuss composing for TV & film…
Carly starts with ‘musical sketches’- love that idea! She works to create/ reflect the mood of the episode. Ideally, you want to get in early in the process to avoid really tight deadlines!
Budgets, timing, schedule, booking musicians, songwriting…. Just some of the parts of the job being a composer in this industry!
It has been a “long road” for Carly’s career to get to where it is now. She has a film out tomorrow for which she has written two songs, plus a BAFTA nomination for Line Of Duty! Her parents sent her to piano- but she always wanted to create her own sounds.
Carly was in a band. This taught her about networking and building relationships (yes, this seems to be an important part of working in the industry!) as well as writing & performing music.
She went from saving money to fly to a @coldplay concert in New York to hand out demo CDs, to now being in Coldplay’s studio creating for companies like Netflix.
“Perseverance is the key to success.”
Carly trained as a teacher after university so she could generate an income while still working on music until she was able to make an income from that.
On the topic of working for free, Carly says of the short films she scored for free, she saw it as an investment- networking and building skills that would pay dividends down the line.
@paulacrick says working for free is “swings and roundabouts”- at entry level it enables networking plus gaining skills & experiences, then later on people often give their time for free to help people starting out.
So what’s the process? The composer works with the editor and director- they’ll watch the episode, discuss the mood etc. The work will be approved by production Execs. On movies, the composer just works with the editor and director.
Great question from the audience- do time pressures affect creativity? Carly says no… it can light a fire under you but leads to a lot of late nights!
How to deal with the busy- ness? Carly says make sure to check in with yourself and check how your physical and mental health are doing. And get support!!!
‘‘You can’t take rejection personally! If your cue doesn’t fit with the mood of the piece, it can be cut. The main objective is to enhance and reflect the mood of the film/ episode, and if your music doesn’t do this, it can go.’’
Dream big, follow your path, and listen to your gut!
DAY 2
Vesselina Georgieva – VFX Supervisor
Vasselina Georgieva , VFX supervisor on over 10 big action films is the first speaker for day two of our Women in Film event.
'I don't normally get to work with women' - Vasselina Georgieva is talking about the fantastic opportunities available for women in #vfx and production
Vasselina Georgieva explains how a film goes from script to screen 🎬 location is key. Vasselina is talking about how location scouting works and the importance of timing of filming for continuity
Vasselina Georgieva talks all things preproduction in film 📽 and all the steps that need to happen before the camera even rolls
Vasselina Georgieva explains how the canal scene for Hitman's Bodyguard was filmed utilising boat mounted cameras and green screens
Vasselina discusses postproduction including concept & design, tracking, layout and more. A scene with soldiers in front of Buckingham Palace was actually filmed in front of a green screen in Bulgaria!
Vesselina Georgieva discusses the work of compositors in rendering the scene. Much cheaper to use visual effects to create crowds and armies.
Vesselina Georgieva trained as a fine artist before moving into film work. Her 1st visual effects job was cleaning wires from the final frames! She is now a major VFX supervisor 👏 Vesselina says her job is never boring.
Vesselina Georgieva says that at this stage of her career the work finds her #success #womeninfilm she manages the stress of deadlines and director demands "with a smile".
Excellent question from the audience- what was her favourite film to work on? Hitman's Bodyguard due to the interesting visual effects 🎦
Compositors are being actively sought. Check out the free learning edition of Nuke software to get started #BehindTheScenes
Audience member thanks Vesselina Georgieva for helping to make women visible in film ❤
Vesselina Georgieva discusses the challenges of working 12-16 hours on film and having 2 children. She worked with a woman director for the first time two years ago
"Once you are part of it, it holds you for the rest of your life" Vesselina Georgieva on working in film 🎬
Paula Crickard thanks Vesselina Georgieva for her excellent talk 👏👏 and for taking the time to inspire us this morning
Vanessa Taylor – Colourist
Vanessa Taylor presents on the role of colourists in film 📽 the work can be stressful but exciting! Vanessa started as a runner and worked her way up 👏
Colour gives the director the ability to enhance the narrative in films, eg Baz Lurman's Romeo + Juliet and Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. The colourist is often the last person to touch the images of the film before it goes to cinema 🎞
Vanessa Taylor, DI Colourist on over 30 films describes the job of a colourist to our audience. How do you make sure the colour captured on different types of camera displays the same on different screens? Vanessa discusses the tech used
Part of the Colourist's job is to manage challenges created by changing light conditions during filming. The resulting consistency is vital to keep the audience emersed in the story
Vanessa Taylor talks about the importance of using the best camera for skin tone. Skin is made up of many layers of pigment, has a degree of luminosity and transparency, HDR filming captures more of this diverse detail
Vanessa Taylor talks to us about the importance of client services to the Colourist's job
‘‘Manage expectations; Be diplomatic and sensitive; Work effectively under pressure; Manage the vibe and... Enjoy sitting in the dark for 12 hours a day!’’
Vanessa Taylor started as a runner and has now worked as a DI colourist on over 30 films including the Great Gatsby 🎞
Vanessa Taylor talks about how enjoyable the work of a colourist is and that it is OK to say no. Making sure you are not overworked protects the quality of your work 📽
Paula Crickard and Vanessa Taylor talk about the importance of protecting privacy on set and not discussing what you see #BehindTheScenes it's important to manage relationships
🎞
Vanessa Taylor says there is still the idea that a man is a safe pair of hands and women can lose out on work due to this and are more compelled to travel for work. The #MeToo movement has started the process of correcting this
Paula Crickard thanks Vanessa Taylor for her excellent workshop 👏👏👏
Paula Crickard – Producer and Postproduction Supervisor
Paula Crickard from @nuboyana takes us #BehindTheScenes and shows us how to animate digital assets, a process known as previs
Paula Crickard explains that previs is an advanced story boarding technique. FYI: Special effects happen on set and visual effects are added off set
Unreal Engine is free software and is a powerful tool. You can start practicing for your career on film today 📽 Paula Crickard explains how unreal engine is used to create environments to be used on LED screens for filming backgrounds 🍿
Vanessa Taylor is holding a workshop on colouring using pics taken at today's event. Really enjoying the hands-on learning
Vanessa Taylor is using Resolve to edit these images. You can download and use Resolve for free.
It's a wrap folks! 🎬
Introduction to Film & TV Industry event has just finished. Big thank you to all of our speakers, organisers and audience.
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