My First Year in Film/TV: What has happened since Worzel Gummidge?

Happy career-change-iversary to me! It's been a whole year since my first job as a Runner in the world of Film and Television and let me tell you it's been a ride. I can't quite believe how quickly it has gone, and how much I have learned along the way. If you've read my post Coffees, Car Crashes, and Unexpected Kindness: A Short Round up of my First Paid TV Role (shannondevine.co.uk), you will be aware that during my first TV job I was involved in a road traffic collision which turned my life upside down and left me without a car and out of work due to my injuries but the unexpected kindness of the crew meant I could return for the final few days before wrap and finish the job I had started- but what has happened since?

Well, I was without a car for 2 months! There is (or was) a national shortage of new and used cars and garages kept telling me they were struggling to come by stock and the prices were pretty extortionate so finding one I thought was worth buying proved rather difficult. I didn't want to waste fuel looking at cars I didn't feel 100% happy with as we were also experiencing a fuel crisis (I couldn't make it up if I tried) but I finally I got my hands on a little i20 in October and the relief that came with having some independence back was better than I imagined. A massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I was able to work a few care hours, get a little trickle of income again, and was able to focus my attention on other things in my life like moving out of my family home and in with partner after spending 3 years long distance.

At the end of November, I worked my first admin role as a Covid Assistant for C4's Jon and Lucy's Christmas Sleepover. I had to organise the testing schedule and get all the PCR tests ordered and delivered in time for filming. It was this job that taught me to not expect everything to run smoothly. We could not have had more problems with Covid testing as midway through our testing cycle the government changed the guidance on travel meaning labs became overrun with tests to process. I developed confidence liaising with companies and spent a lot of time on the phone negotiating prices and chasing up results. This was also the first job where I had the opportunity to stay away from home while we were filming. It was nice to be staying in a hotel so close to the production and really helped with productivity on the day knowing I didn't have to drive all the way home and back in between shifts. I'd definitely recommend accepting a room where being put up by the production company is an option!

Christmas came and went and at the beginning of January I jumped on an indie feature film called EMBERS by Mini Productions. This job was a mix of Production work as well as running in the AD department. It was lovely to be able to work across both departments as I had not yet decided which route I wanted to pursue further. It was here that I started to come to the conclusion that working my way through the Production department would be better suited to me, though being on the floor is such a thrill and I love it to no end I just do not see myself ever wanting to become a 1st AD. It was great working with a team I knew again, learning new skills and developing my confidence working in London.

After networking with crew, I was sure I had secured a job to start in March but unfortunately this never came to fruition and the job search started all over again. I spent a lot of time between April and June applying to every job I could feasibly get to and was successfully taken on to two Fact-Ent productions, C4's Worst House on the Street and BBC's Sort Your Life Out. I worked four days locally for WHOTS and thoroughly enjoyed exploring a new genre and getting to know the team and family, learning new random skills like how to apply wallpaper and completing general running duties. I held back time for more dates but sadly the production kept being pushed back and I was no longer needed at future locations. I then got accepted for two days on SYLO but again this production had to be pushed as the family caught Covid and we are still awaiting the new dates. I was mildly frustrated at the time as I had turned down other roles while waiting for confirmation but I guess that's the nature of being freelance - no job is secure!

Currently I am awaiting a response from a year-long contract with Sky (fingers crossed!) and for a couple of shorter runner roles to get back to me. I had originally hoped when I started this post that I would have more credits under my belt by now but life just hasn't worked out that way. My confidence on set has grown exponentially and I have a much improved understanding of how the industry works compared to where I was at a year ago and that's good enough progress for me! I'm continuing the job search in the hopes that I can build up my CV and hopefully, in a few months time, I can start thinking about moving up the career ladder and progressing my skills in this industry. Onwards and upwards!

SD x