I have been following many creatives, film, art directors, stylists, producers and musicians’ careers and became fascinated with how stories were told visually. I love seeing the concepts and then the process from start to finish. It was cool to see people putting pieces together to tell one large story. I knew that this was way more my vibe. I knew I wanted to pull, build, and collaborate. I love fashion, music, and literature and these 3 things made up my interest in music video production which led me to choose to do my placement at Greatcoat films. The opportunity allowed me to push my creative abilities and also expand my knowledge in production and directing and solidify my career aspirations.
Placement in a pandemic: (1)
Coronavirus restrictions affected the way we could be creative and communicate which meant a majority of my placement was remote and relied heavily on digital communication. Despite having restrictions it enabled me to almost start from scratch and understand the real fundamentals of production and creating music videos - no process was skipped. Using social media to my advantage and the tools provided by the company helped me to focus on finding strong references, communicating a narrative and dissecting briefs, creating treatments and refining ideas.
Processes: (2)
I first started off listening to songs and brainstorming initial ideas that I took from the vibe of the song, the lyrics that led me on to find visual inspiration that I attached to the brief and the song. redrafted, and redrafted and redrafted a lot! There’s always room for improvement and notes! Ideas turned into treatment decks, that turned into phone calls that turned into practising how to say that pitch out loud. I was also briefed on different shots, lighting, casting, locations and budgeting. Every day was a different pre-production process that let me apply that to different areas of the treatment.
Set life: (3)
Onset experience allowed me to understand the ins and outs of the production game. It was a healthy balance, when it came to seeing how tasks were delegated and scenes were managed and observing real-time problems like running behind schedule or when lighting setups weren’t working or when styling choices weren’t cleared and the different approach had to be taken. I was able to stay in this constant state of high alert that matched the energy on set, to think on my toes but also observe and soak in what everyone was doing. It’s an exciting process. It was cool to see all the relevant materials, props, and set design come together and see how the outcome was pushed to reach that end goal of the day and see everyone no matter how small the role was in it together to achieve the same goal.
Support: (4)
Greatcoat already have an incredible production structure in place and I got to walk in and benefit from the tools and team that were already there. I soaked in every conversation I had with everyone. I felt as though there were no boundaries, I was able to speak to different people with different background experiences and knowledge. They were open when it came to providing me with help and advice. Kareem Adeshina (placement manager) was very transparent with the way production worked. From a production intern like myself to the first assistant director, everyone was sharing the same information to understand which allowed me to pull in the same direction as the team. I spoke to the director, commissioner, first assistant director, art director, directors rep and managing director. Listening to everyone's version and routes to how they got into the industry was refreshing. The team provided me with constant insight and advice that helped develop my knowledge towards directing which allowed me to reach my full potential with this placement.
Challenges: (5)
I had to navigate my confidence, overcome imposter syndrome and build my knowledge through the upcoming weeks of my placement. It was daunting at first, overwhelming, to say the least, being able to connect with directors and director reps for example but at the same time feeling like I didn’t deserve to be in this position to even interact with them. As I moved forward through my placement I prepared questions to ask certain people or set personal goals for myself that slowly helped me break out of this shy corner I mentally boxed myself in.
Placement tips: (6)
- Use a spreadsheet to organise the list of companies/ people you would like to intern with. Colour coding works for keeping track of who you have or haven’t contacted yet, this also makes it easier when following up also.
- Keep emailing! Don’t feel discouraged when companies aren’t responding, they probably haven’t seen it so just try again. It’s important to identify your intentions with the company or person you want to follow your placement. Clarity and communication are important so both parties understand what you want to potentially achieve and learn from that placement. Ask a lot of questions, it's the best way to get the most out of the experience! - No question is a bad question
- Document what you do. Don't forget to ask the company for permission to share on your own platforms as the projects you work on may not be publicly available yet.
Help in finding and securing placements
We were given an opportunity to undertake a 5-week placement during our second year of studying. The unit was called ‘Situating your practise’ where you could obtain 20 credits contributing to your unit grades that was accompanied with a 1,800 word report. Mada Alicja Pucilowska (Placement Officer) guided us and supported us with resources and monitored our work placement unit.
Once you’re a student at UAL follow @Connect2Network
Run by Creative Shift, they regularly share placements (sometimes called internships) on their account. Creative Shift run lots of projects that will give you inspiration for making money doing what you love during and after study.
