My First 3 Months as a Junior Producer
Hi, I’m Jazz and I’ve been with Dead Pixel Films as a Junior Producer for 3 months now and what an absolute RIDE it has been so far. My time has already consisted of a range of wildly different shoots including one trip abroad whilst also learning a whole new batch of skills (just when I thought I was getting comfortable) - I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Austria - August 2023
I have always had a constant need to be busy or else I’ll start climbing the walls.
But, when my first two days here consisted of a shoot with BBC Food, I knew I had met my match. This was confirmed a few days later when my second week was a week-long shoot, for a car brand, in the Austrian Alps… no, I am not complaining. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a graft - 4am starts, stopping traffic in thunderstorms for hours and alarmingly frequent trips into the boot of the car. It was still one of the highlights of my year and my career.
When first starting at Dead Pixel the Imposter Syndrome was real - I had only ever worked for nutrition brands so even though food and fitness shoots were my bag, I knew I was stepping into another world working with an agency that hit such a broad range of industries. However, after pulling off my first big UK shoot alongside Cal for a tyre brand, I knew I would be okay. Consisting of 5 days, 11 locations across the Lakes, Manchester and Liverpool and a whole range of props - I realised that it doesn’t matter what the product is, I have the skills and the opportunity to learn from the best producers to get things moving seamlessly. A highlight for me would be the client’s reactions upon seeing the locations that I knew I had scoped myself. It’s always reassuring when you get those sorts of responses, especially with such a niche and weather dependent brief. I also had a lot of learning curves on this shoot, including the effort needed to close open roads in such a remote location. But for the roads that we didn’t have time to close, some early starts, high-vis vests and a smile can go a long way to control traffic and allow us to capture that perfect shot. I am also now a tyre expert - who knew there were so many rim sizes?
Dead Pixel Studios - BBC Food
Once conquering the Imposter Syndrome, I was also able to start developing new skills. Something I love about this team is that we all muck in for the end result no matter what, even when that means we are all wearing multiple hats. As someone that must be constantly entertained, this way of working is one of the main reasons I love working here as no two days are the same.
One day I’ll be scrubbing a BBQ ready for a BBC shoot, the next day I’ll be painting flats for a noodle commercial, and other days I am let loose in Homesense as CEO of props. I love the range and the ability to be creative, dressing sets, styling shots and always feeling comfortable that I can voice my thoughts and they will be listened to and considered.
Austria - August 2023
Having the opportunity to work with and learn from such creative and talented people, who know the industry so well, has been another true highlight for me. I am only a couple of years into my career in production and so it has been really important to me that I have people that can educate me whilst also encouraging my independence and trusting my abilities, which is something I have found at Dead Pixel tenfold. The range of opportunities that have been presented to me in such a short space of time is thrilling, especially shooting abroad for the first time. This was something entirely out of my comfort zone and new to me.
Watching Kieran in action, passing things to me that I never would have considered (did you know that in the Alps we can’t use our normal walkie talkies, they have to be set to a specific wavelength??). It made me realise I still have a lot to learn, but I am certainly in the best place to do it.
Dead Pixel Studio shooting for Batchelors noodles.
I feel so lucky to be here, in our brand new studio as we all work together to make it a powerhouse for video production, to be working alongside such a talented team of editors, producers and videographers. And also to spend most of my days snuggling with our office dogs.
The opportunities and learning potential is relentless in the best way, shooting with huge brands such as BBC and Goodyear - I can’t wait to see where the next few months go.
Maybe Cal will let me write another blog?