Epic 24 hours!

So I went to film at this gig that someone at the BBC hooked me up with. His bro wanted camera ops. Anyway...

It was a dubstep/jungle music gig in a warehouse in Dalston. I had many preconceptions about this, basically I was all thinking it would be drugs and violence. Couldn't be further from the truth on the latter, and saw none of the former, although suspect a lot of people were under an influence of some kind! Everyone was so friendly and chatted to me, I couldn't believe it.

Anyway; the premise. Go to some backstreet place, in a random not too posh place, in London, late at night, till 4am, to film a gig with someone I have never met, in a place I have never been, of a music genre I'd never really heard of and deffo not a fan of. For nothing.

2 months ago I would have never on earth considered this, yet I found myself getting on the the bus, tube, and rail replacement bus to Dalston. Transport this weekend was a f**king nightmare - more on that later.

So the gig was pretty packed eventually. Full of smokers, so I was coughing for a good while after. It was mental. But we filmed loads. I got completely squashed in crowds with a sizeable Sony camera, but I did ok. The guy who I was filming for, Jonathan (who bears quite a resemblance to James MacKenzie, scarily) said 'I like you, you're fearless! You just dive in there and get in people's faces!' This isn't normally what I am like, but I had a job to do and footage to get. So jumping up on stage, wading into dancing crowds etc, it all gets done!

Finally at 4am it finished, I had survived, all my stuff was intact, I was intact. Jon's phone died so he stuck his sim card in mine and we ordered a cab to his. He lives in Peckham - that place has a rep - so we arrived there at about 5am finally. Made sure we had footage, had a coffee, I had my pot noodle that I'd brought, and then we passed out on the sofa. Woke up a little later and grabbed an hour's sleep - in seperate beds I hasten to add!! Then it was up at 8am - I awoke first, had no idea where I was and how I would get home - we had all the kit to return, before Jon had to catch a Eurostar at midday to see his girlfriend in France! This was compounded by utter travel woes - all the tube lines we needed were closed! After several buses and some waiting around, we delivered the kit back to the owner. Jon was now panicking about getting to the Eurostar, so we found a bus to Kings X and got him there.

After I saw him through departures I had to deliver a light to someone in Acton! Cue a bus to Paddington cos the hammersmith&city and central lines were out, and then a very quick train to Acton Mainline. Delivering the light was dead easy and quick - guy's place was very near the station and easy to find. Then it was back to Paddington, Bakerloo line to Central line, and Central line to Gants Hill to get a bus back to where I live. Unfortunately the bus stops were closed cos of roadworks so a wasted trip! Back on the tube and off to South Woodford on the other branch. Finally managed to pick a bus up - it's now 4pm and I am beyond tired and wonder how I stay awake. Get home and collapse into bed. Sleep 11 hours broken sleep from 6pm, and am amazed I survived. Want to kick London Transport in the balls repeatedly.

I don't think this taught me much in terms of technical filming skills, but the confidence I gained from doing all this in deep London and not dying etc is incredible. The other guy who was filming was cool - good to make aquaintences, and Jonathan seems to be a solid guy. But what I really gained from this will stand me in good stead for anything. I realise now what a protected soft life I lead until now. That's over now I live here. It was a bloody tough 24 hours, but I do not regret it. Life experience!

Jules xx

They think it's all over...

...it is now.

The winter olympics are over for me and while I am as sad as expected I'm also incredibly glad and lucky I got the chance to be a part of it. I had such a great time, I learnt a lot and I met so many awesome people. From the edit shadowing with Euan to raving at 5am to soundman Pete's incidental cover tracks, from just making teas and coffees to being the only person in the BBC to notice someone was swearing live on air, it's been a wonderful experience and an educating one too. What have I got out of it? A little more technical knowledge, some more editing inspiration and tips on using Final Cut Pro, more knowledge about how live broadcasts, interactive and in particular the sound works, and some good advice from people on the industry in general. There's also some prospective volunteer camera work for the brother of one of the editors. I've learnt to handle nightshifts, and keep going even when I am exhausted, something I learnt at my old work and improved upon here. I've had a great laugh. I am missing it and the people so much right now and will miss them for some time more.

The best thing was at the end when the lady who runs the whole thing said I was definitely to keep in touch and she'd look at getting me on Winbledon and some more of the upcoming sports events. I just hope I can earn enough to stay in London until this happens!

Now I have a lot of mundane stuff to sort out - laundry etc - I have to finally decide on what skis I want, and buy them - and I have a lot of e-mails to send. I also need to apply to BBC Salford Quay...

Cheers,
Jules - missing work and people like hell :( xx

Work again!

Only 3 nights left - gutted. I'm loving my time there. Everyone's a bit subdued and stuff now cos we're half way through and all sleep deprived and stuff, but they all remain great people and I'm going to really miss working with them. I had to go for a walk last night as was getting pretty depressed stuck in there. I went up to see a mate who was free for once (early finish for her team) and had a chat to her, so felt better! Overall it's great. Oh and I made the engineer jump again, by accident! Oops!

Work

Work has been awesome. Everyone is lovely, really friend, we have a right laugh, and best of all, they encourage shadowing. I have been shadowing editors and learning about other roles too. It's been fantastic! Last night they even let me use one of the editing computers when the editor was done! I think they did it just to keep my quiet. It's not all good; I am too over-enthusiastic and stuff. I am also suffering from depression; the nightshifts and stuff are sending me haywire. I have 3 nights off now, but I want to go back now! Can't wait. Sod OFF depression, this should be the time of my life!

Day 2

It was quieter than usual tonight. Even so, we had an overlap feed, where the feed is too long for a tape so we set another tape going to record the same feed just before the first tape runs out. Requires you to be on the ball, which I wasn't. The first one I missed by 2 seconds or so, the second one by half an hour... tonight shall be better!!
I am getting on well though, we had some good banter last night and everyone is lovely still, and I have been having great chats with an editor who said I might be able to get some editing in on his FCP when he's not using it, and he was really interested in what I'd done.
Tonight wasn't so good due to the fact my back kicked off really badly and it was in agony, so I couldn't walk about etc. Then the canteen food or whatever decided to give me a dodgy stomach. The pain and dodgy stomach resulted in me throwing up outside at 4am, and feeling like absolute s**t! After a painkiller and some rest and a drink of milk, I started feeling better at 5am. Shadowed some editing as nothing was going on, which was ace, and Colm the director said I could go home early. As it was before 6:30am I got a cab home which was great.
Just woken up in the dark which was horrible, and really depressing. Hopefully I will feel better later on tonight! At least I've slept more.

Jules xx

First day... night... something...

First shift went great, except for my cab being late - just a misunderstanding. I'm very glad we're allowed cabs in the evening as I don't think anyone likes walking a while to a train station in the dark and pouring rain, and I can't drive yet, or afford a car!!

So, I arrived, got shown everything, and was straight into work. I have to record all the live feeds for legal purposes (e.g. if someone rang up and said someone swore on air but they actually didn't, we would have the recording to prove it.) It has a special term but I can't remember it for the life of me, one of those mental blocks I think!)

Everyone I work with is lovely and always up for a good chat unless they're ultra-busy. There's loads of us in the Broadcast Interactive area, there's everyone at the gallery monitoring/controlling the live feeds, there's a graphics guy who makes all the fancy titles e.g. Moguls skiing coming up, there's a sound control booth, there's a whole bank of screens in the back where all the shots/footage is logged, and there are three Final Cut Pro editing computers for editing video packages for web and broadcast, of highlights etc. They are in there for fast turnaround purposes.
There is also me, recording all the live feeds and making everyone drinks, and also handing the meal vouchers out!
There are a lot of us in there and it's very busy, and very occasionally we get in each other's way but everyone is fine. The only cross words that were had were with the one FCP editing machine (incidentally, the one fancy hired one!) that repeatedly crashed from about 4am, delaying the video packages for the website and generally being very very shite!!

I slept in the day time, woke up at 5:30pm convinced it was Monday morning, and finish my shift and start my next shit on the same day!! Mind-f**kery abound, but I am loving the work so far, great atmosphere and can't wait for tonight!!

Jules xx

3 days to go...

...till ultimate sleep fuckery. I'm on the 11pm-7am shift which means I have to invert my sleeping completely if I want to be awale in the daylight. As if I don't have enough sleep troubles already! But I don't really care... I can't WAIT to get working! It doesn't seem real, to be honest. But come 9pm, I will be heading off to the train station to go into work, probably very nervous and very excited! Winter Olympics: Bring It On!!

Jules xx :D :D :D :D