Working as a Junior Researcher

Catalina Bingham graduated from FTV in 2012 and now works as a Junior Researcher on Who Do You Think You Are? In this guest post she describes her role so far.

As a junior researcher for Who Do You Think You Are?, every day is different. My three month placement at Wall to Wall really helped in giving me that extra bit of confidence when starting my job there as well as seeing familiar faces on my first day.

I spend most of my time around London archives looking up all matter of genealogical and historical sources. This means I’m constantly meeting new people and have to communicate between the archives and the rest of the production team. Gradually, as I’ve gotten more acquainted with our numerous episode storylines I am also now able to pursue research avenues that I think could possibly be a positive addition to the projects. Being so hands on with the research I am able to communicate my findings and suggestions to the rest of the team and it is always so rewarding to see a story develop into something exciting and in-depth.

I don’t only spend my days in dusty archives, but I have gone on recces all over the country in preparation for up and coming shoots. A few weeks ago I was in Dorset and Essex with my camera in hand! I speak to many experts and potential contributors which means I have to be on the ball when it comes to knowing my stuff and what our research has been so far. Like I said, every day is different and I’m glad I invested in a good pair of trainers as I’m always coming in and out of the office and at any moment could be sent off somewhere!

I love my job and have recently had my contract extended! Looking at becoming a researcher in charge of my own episode, but that’s a little way down the line. For now I’m excited about going on a 2-day shoot in London and meeting the celebrity I’ve spent weeks learning about his (or her!) family history! Great team and so far a wonderful experience!!

Why All FTV Students Should Use Twitter

A decade ago, neither Facebook nor Twitter existed. Much as I’m an advocate of sending postcards and making a good old-fashioned phone call once in a while, I can’t deny that they’re fantastic inventions for keeping in touch and sharing information with dozens of people. However their use also extends beyond being a social tool, and I cannot stress enough how crucial networking sites such as Twitter now are if you’re looking for work or experience in the media industry.

Case Study – Me

Like a lot of people in their 20s, I’d been on Facebook for several years by the time I was doing my MA. Twitter, however, seemed a bit pointless and I didn’t think I’d ever find myself signing up. This all changed after my placement, where the people I worked with were tweeting several times a day and I realised that there was actually more to it than everyone just saying what they’d had for breakfast. I duly created a profile and now I can’t imagine life without Twitter. So many opportunities have been opened purely because of people/companies I’ve followed and the vast majority of film and TV related jobs I’ve ever applied for have been advertised on Twitter.

The following are all genuine examples of how Twitter has opened up new possibilities for me:

• I found out about Birmingham Social Media Cafe @BirminghamSMC, a monthly networking event which I attended several times whilst job hunting. This subsequently led to a day’s work experience with one small production company and an offer of paid editing work from another company several months later.
• Discovered a great website called @historyinanhour, that I now contribute articles to.
• Was approached by a husband and wife filmmaking team about a new web series they were producing, asking if I wanted to be involved. They’d looked at my profile after I began following them and read that I was a Film and TV graduate ‘looking for work in Brum’. I subsequently got a credit as a Production Assistant.
• I researched local production companies that I never would have found out about otherwise who I then approached about work experience. Several speculative emails later this led to paid work as a freelance researcher.

Of course, all the above examples have depended a lot on luck and my own initiative: I read the right tweets at the right time, followed the right people and marketed myself successfully when networking and sending initial correspondence. But the fact is that without Twitter, my CV would be much less interesting.

In Conclusion…

Is there actually a good reason not to sign up to Twitter? It doesn’t have to take over your life and you don’t have to watch it constantly. The beauty of hashtags means you can direct your searches effectively and you can easily be pragmatic about who you choose to follow if predominantly using it as a job-hunting tool. Through the @FTV_Birmingham account I regularly retweet opportunities and there are dozens of companies for whom Twitter is now central to the recruitment process.

Just remember to keep it professional and that finding opportunities is only the first step – following them up is another blog post entirely!

FTV Students Produce Short Film for the NBFA

Back in January, the NBFA approached us on Twitter asking if there was any possibility of some FTV students assisting them with a video to promote their Breaks-Away programme. Three of our students accepted the challenge and here is the finished video!

The NBFA are very pleased and we hope to work with them again in the future.

Arts & Science Festival 18-24 March

The University of Birmingham is holding its first ever Arts & Science Festival from 18-24 March and I’m proud to say that FTV is running a Documentary Screenings event as part of the programme!

This will be a showcase of work by recent alumni of the course, including six guided editing projects and two documentary features. We are on page 7 of the UoB Arts Science Festival (18-24 March) Programme and there are dozens of other fantastic events taking place across campus throughout the week.

Admission for the documentary screenings is free, but booking is advised. We will have a few drinks and nibbles so please drop me an email j.j.saunders@bham.ac.uk if you’d like to come along, so we can ensure there’s enough for everyone!

A Shame To Miss…

It’s Friday, which means the weekend is nearly here! If you’ve got a spare couple of hours on Sunday, why not book yourself in for ‘CINEMATIC “GRAND TOUR”: Venice and Rome with KINO10′, from 1pm to 3pm at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, right here on campus. 

Venice and Rome were the Grand Tour destinations of choice for aristocrats and wealthy British gentlemen from the 17th-19th century. Cultivate your mind, delight your senses and experience Italian culture, in our very own cinematic quest.

£5, booking essential. To book: 0121 414 2261 or education@barber.org.uk

Another date for your diaries is Monday 4 March, when Shooting People will be holding an event in Birmingham with Channel 4 to meet and engage the local filmmaking community with what the broadcaster has to offer. Register your interest here.

Finally, check out this Graduate Researcher Scheme from Shine TV and Princess Productions. Applications close in June.

If you have any events or opportunities you’d like to be featured in the next FTV blog, please email Jemma j.j.saunders@bham.ac.uk  

January Newsflash!

A belated Happy New Year!

January is flying by and things have been very busy here in FTV. Several students have already started their placements with media companies and independent filmmakers, whilst others are beginning to film their 5-minute films and research their audio-visual dissertations. 

Our Health and Safety training day had to be postponed on Friday due to the snowy weather, but we are hoping to rearrange this within the next few weeks. This Skillset accredited production safety course is an annual event for FTV students and is an excellent addition to CVs.

On Monday 11 February, we will be holding an Open Day for prospective applicants, so if you’re interested in finding out more about the course, or know someone who might be, then please get in touch! Dr James Walters will be giving an overview of the MA, then there’ll also be a talk about placements, a chance to see some previous students’ film projects, and the opportunity to chat to our technician, Oz, about the equipment we have here. Email j.j.saunders@bham.ac.uk for more information. Hope to see you there!

Click here to see our Open Day Poster Jan 2013

UPDATE – JANUARY FILM EVENT

The Departure Lounge presents Liverpool based writer / director, Martin Wallace, and his debut feature film, SMALL CREATURES. Thursday January 31 at 8.30pm at MAC Cinema, Birmingham 

“Coggie and Macca are friends with Ste, an aggressive gang leader in the making and aspiring alpha male. Liverpool based Martin Wallace’s debut feature, a low budget drama of tearaway early teens, is “shot with a poetic eye that makes the familiar appear new” (Time Out)” 

Martin Wallace, en route to the Berlin Film Festival Talent Campus, will introduce the film and do a Q&A after the screening. More info here – http://www.macarts.co.uk/event/departure-lounge-small-creatures-qanda–tbc

Congratulations Class of 2012!

Massive congratulations to all the Film and Television: Research and Production students who graduated this morning!

Our most recent alumni are already pursuing successful careers in the media, working for companies including Maverick, North One and Ember Television, to name  but a few. Have a fantastic day celebrating your graduation everyone, and best of luck for the future!

Back: Lizzie, Lubna, Catalina, Scott, Sam
Front: Anna