I have always been interested in film. While I enjoy other activities such as sports and socialising, most of my spare time is spent watching films.

Since graduating from De Montfort University with a BA (Hons) in Animation Design, I have been looking for work in the film industry. It was only recently that I realised I am part of the industry.

I have managed to gain experience in several areas since graduating. The first jobs I was able to get were as an editor for two separate companies, both of which required me to create promotional videos from footage recording by others.

My most recent work has been as a stills photographer/runner on two separate film shoots. The first took place in January 2012, when I was visiting London for a week, and was for a Sony Europe film shoot. The director and director of photography was Philip Bloom (http://www.philipbloom.net/), a leading expert on film making, especially with DSLR cameras. This was a great opportunity for me as I was able to observe a film shoot first hand. I took part in a variety of activities including loading and unloading equipment, setting up lighting equipment and general assisting of other crew members. I was also charged with capturing images that Philip Bloom would later use for his blog.

After this job and multiple networking events, I made the decision to move to London to be closer to the hub of the British film industry. Within the first couple of days of moving, I attended the ‘Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass 2012’ (http://www.guerillamasterclass.com/) hosted by Chris Jones (http://www.chrisjonesblog.com/). This event was incredibly inspirational and I met many talented people from all disciplines of the film industry. This event is where my next job came from.

At the Masterclass, I met Lucy Townsend who had written the script for a short film she was shooting two days later, ‘Twig’. She offered me the opportunity to be stills photographer during the shoot and I welcomed the chance. I travelled to Devon and captured images she is now using to advertise the project and gain an audience for future ventures. During the shoot, I was able to help out in a variety of ways. I helped set up camera and lighting equipment and was also in charge of the clapper board for most of the shoot. This required me to keep track of scenes (as we were not shooting in scene order) as well as slate and take numbers. It was a great experience and has further increased my passion to work in film.

I am currently working on a project with people I met at university and am planning to shoot within the coming months.

If you want to work in a certain area, I recommend you take as many classes as you can but most importantly, begin working on your own projects now!