As my placement was located in Swindon, (three hours train journey away from my home in London), I stayed in a hotel to make it easier to get to Sandstorm. Unfortunately, today I got very lost on the way there, as I was given the wrong instructions tho where it was. Subsequently I was an hour late, which I worried would make me seem unprofessional. However the staff were all friendly and understanding of my lateness.
I firstly met with the receptionist, Jenny, who introduced me to the editor, Peter and the creative director, Rob. They informed me that they were working on a video for Toyota, but had a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), meaning that I mustn't share any of the details of what the video entailed. They explained how they were given the brief from the client and then tried to incorporate the company's own ideas on how to make it more interesting. From the information they were given, they decided on what to include and what to leave out. They decided on using a stop-motion, animation technique. I found this surprising, because from my research it seemed like the videos they made were all film based. However it was great to see the production and development of an animation video, because it fits into my interests as I will be taking an animation module next year.
Several members of the Sandstorm team were preparing for a filming shoot in Italy over the next few days. I also found this exciting, that a role in corporate video production would give the opportunity to travel. As someone who loves travelling, I didn't that I could potentially have this opportunity through being a video editor. I was told that these shoots abroad aren't entirely glamorous, as they tend to be planned quite last minute. Due to the fact that the shoots are only a few days, most of the time is spent working, not doing tourist activities. Personally, I wouldn't complain about this, as I believe it must be more fun to do the same job in another (warmer) country, than the usual mundane, setting in England.
I was then given a tour of the entire building, from Jason. I was firstly shown the Makeup Room, where the stars of the videos will be prepared for shooting. I was then directed to the VIP Lounge, in which the staff are able to relax, watch TV, and eat lunch. Jason also showed me the two filming studios - one with an infinity curve and one with a green screen. Moreover he showed me the audio room, which had a small recording booth, a computer with Adobe Audition editing, a sofa an a large projection screen (which made it look like a small cinema). The audio quality was in the most high definition, like a giant Beats headphone. Finally, I was redirected to the editing rooms. Overall, I thought the building was very comfortable, in a way that inspired creativity. In my experience, I have become so accustomed to the grey walls of our own editing rooms and university, that I thought that all media studios would be quite dull. However it was pleasing to know that in the real world it's quite the opposite, and seems like a place that I'd be happy to work in.
For the rest of the day I was shadowing the editor, Peter, in his activities. He continued to work on the animated video for Toyota. He explained how sometimes himself and Rob end up doing the voiceovers for the videos they produce. This is because after extensive editing of other voices, they have gained the ability to know how to do it properly themselves. I watched over Rob and Peter as they reviewed the footage they had thus far. Although the video appeared to be finished, they said there was still a few bits and pieces that needed to be adjusted. One of the main points was that Toyota had requested they change some of the dialogue and the annunciations in the voiceover. Subsequently, I helped Peter as he re-recorded some of the lines. I worked as an assistant, operating the Adobe Audition software, as Peter narrated the dialogue in the recording booth.
It was then time for a short lunch break at 13:00. For the rest of the afternoon, I shadowed Peter as he continued working on the project. He worked on synchronising the new audio recording to the existing video. There were now a few parts of the video that were not in time, therefore Peter had to re-adjust them. He used Adobe After Effects in a far more advanced way to only the basics that I've learned. Peter introduced me to a few new skills such as using Null Objects to make different pieces on screen, and using Nests to animate only small sections at a time. He worked on the project until I left at 18:00. This shows how tricky it can be to work on such small parts of a project.
Throughout the day, I had Peter answer the various interview questions I had prepared:
What prior experience did you have before gaining your role?
Mostly freelance work. University was also a good opportunity for me to do my own work, because after that making I was just making videos for others. You don't really need a degree as such, it's more about the experience you have. I got this job straight after leaving uni.
What is the best thing about your role?
The variety of work, you get to play with fun toys, like cool cameras and lights and sets and great things that are somehow artistic and exciting. Sometimes the variety of work can be difficult because you're jumping between things, but I wouldn't wanna just sit doing the same job everyday. It's a bit like getting a new job every couple of weeks. Some people just work on one thing, I know this guy that's been editing Graham Norton for 10 years, but that would annoy me.
You do get to travel a bit, and meet lots of new people.
It's like your hobby that you're doing all the time, which does mean you don't get as much free time, but it's exciting.
What is the most challenging thing about your role?
dealing with clients that don't know what they want, or think they know what they want and then they change it. it's much easier to deal with a client that knows what they want because then you can make them something with confidence.
Early on I would say the hardest thing was getting given jobs that I didn't know how I would do; or that I thought I knew how to do but I didn't know how long they would take. So you just work your ass off until you got it done. But you just learn how to budget your time accordingly, ideally you don't worry about the time you just get it done. I'm not so great at doing first cuts, because I tend to fiddle with it a lot.
What does your day usually entail?
I usually work sat at a desk, and this can be for 10 or more hours, or can be overnight. Therefore I think it's important to exercise outside of work.
Do you get to work on production or just office based work?
I tend to get involved in all aspects including pre-production, camera operating, and producing. Although I don't enjoy producing as much, I'd prefer to have someone else do the organising for me.
Within small companies, the roles aren't constrained; you have the ability to move between roles and get involved in different things.
Do you usually work alone or part of a team (or both)? How do you find this?
Sometimes I can have assistant editors, who place draft timelines and draft colour grading. Then as the main editor I will make the final touches. My role also means I work a lot alongside the creative director to make sure that everything is on track.
How do you add your own creative flare as an editor, or must you follow a strict brief?
Clients will often give us a storyboard to follow, so it's hard to find your own style specifically. However, sometimes you can add own style, it all depends on how much or little instructions the client has given.
What advice would you give to me?
Learn to do more employable stuff with After Effects in order to stand out, and make the stuff you do usable to employers. Practice more animation styles that can be used in commercials and corporate videos. For instance, I learned how to do CGI and infographic as they're more usable than character animation. It's also useful to know how to create dynamic titles on After Effects
You can follow the tutorials that are on websites such as creativecow.com and videocopilot.com. I think that Studio Ghibli also have some free resources available on their website.
You should also specialise your content, for example, separate your animation from photography.
Make sure that your CV isn't vague; some people say that they can use all adobe suite but it's better to specify what you can do.
Advice from Jason: It's important to make yourself unique
