In August 2023, I was asked to help camera operate the stage left pit camera at the Robbie Williams Lujo Hotel concert in Bodrum, Turkey and the handheld thrust pit camera at the Robbie Williams Summer In The City festival concert in Bucharest, Romania. Throughout the show, I was responsible for operating a Sony HSC-300 with a monochrome HDVF-550 viewfinder, focusing on the pop star, some of his backing vocalists or band members during specific songs as well as people he interacted with in the crowd. This experience tested my live camera operation and listening skills as well as taught me what to watch out for during a festival artist changeover together with how essential a cable basher is while operating a handheld camera in a tight pit environment.
In September 2023, I was asked by Wreck Media to help capture the Paul Carrack concert at the Royal Albert Hall, a venue in which I wanted to film a project for the longest time. Throughout the day, I was responsible for making sure the wireless Blackmagic cameras with Teradek or Accsoon transmitters are sending the signal back to two ATEM Mini mixers in gallery as well as filmed the show using a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k combined with a 35mm-100mm lens and a mix of monopod together with handheld shots right in front stage. This experience taught me how to film a gig without getting in the way of people who paid for front row seats and highlighted the strength as well as weaknesses of the Teradek and Accsoon units.
In April 2023, I was asked to oversee the Bombay Sapphire Gin x Baz Luhrmann "Saw This Made This" exhibition press launch event which took place at the Design Museum in London. Throughout the event, I was responsible for operating one of three Sony cameras, run SDI cable runs as well as helping set up the vMix rig and make sure everything was running smoothly. This experience taught me how important a recce is for planning camera positions and allowed me to think creatively to sort any potential issues.
In September 2023, I was asked to come back and help stream the Burberry "Summer 2024" runway show which took place in London during London Fashion Week, featured famous guests such as: Jason Statham, Kylie Minogue, Bukayo Saka and even Jimmy Iovine as well as racked up over 160K views on the TikTok platform alone. Throughout the event, I was responsible for broadcasting to TikTok using vMix with main and backup feeds coming from the OB truck in tandem with the TikTok LIVE Studio software, looping the show a couple of times once the show had finished using a Blackmagic Hyperdeck Studio Pro as well as managing two spare vMix machines in case of any issues. This experience showed me the advantages and drawbacks of the TikTok LIVE Studio software as well as left me quite impressed overall by the features included in it.
In November 2023, I was asked to help film a set of interviews with the sponsors as well as winners of the Young Arrows Awards 2023 hosted by the British Arrows at the BFI in London. Throughout the event, I was responsible for operating my Sony FX6 camera, using a wireless Sony UTX-H2 microphone including a wired Sennheiser backup to capture audio and lit the space using two FalconEyes panels as well as a Zhiyun Molus G200, while exchanging CF Express Type A cards with a team of editors in the adjacent room. This experience put my lighting as well as organisational skills to the test as it was vital not to make a mistake when swapping cards, however, I took a precaution and recorded the full set of interviews in the second card slot just in case.
In September 2023, I was asked to help record two interview sessions, B-roll, GIFs and social media content with musicians as well as designers involved with creating the Player of the Match trophy sponsored by Mastercard for the Rugby World Cup 2023. Throughout the two day shoot, I was responsible for shooting B-roll using a Sony A7RIV, recording sound using a Sound Devices MixPre-6 II as well as up to 4 Sony UTX-B2 microphones, setting up lights including" the Aputure 600d, two Aputure MC's, two Nanlite Pavotube 30c's together with the FalconEyes RX-818 and setting up a wireless monitoring solution for the client and crew using the Accsoon CineView SE. This experience taught me how important it is to have backup equipment for things like microphones as well as how to think creatively to deliver last minute requests.
In August 2023, I was asked by Alex Live to help broadcast the first ever West Ham United Iron Cast Live reactions livestream to the Europa League draw, which took place at the London Stadium. Throughout the show, I was responsible for vision mixing three Sony FX6 cameras (two of which were operated) using an Blackmagic ATEM Extreme ISO, directing camera operators using talkback, calling out shots as well as helping rig, test and de-rig the whole setup. This experience taught me some of the drawbacks of the ATEM Extreme and tested my video trouble shooting skills.
In February 2023, I was asked to come back and help stream the Burberry "Autumn Winter 2023" runway show which took place in London during London Fashion Week. Throughout the event, I was responsible for broadcasting to TikTok using vMix with main and backup feeds coming from the OB truck as well as managing a spare vMix machine in case of any issues. This experience showcased some resolved bugs with the TikTok platform and highlighted audio drawbacks of the Datapath capture cards.
In 2022, I was asked to stream multiple live auctions at Christie’s HQ in London, however, one of the highlights of the year was the very special charity auction celebrating 60 Years of James Bond that raised a total £6,103,500 through special lots such as: No Time To Die Aston Martin replica DB5 stunt car, Swarovski crystal-mounted Fabergé from the film Octopussy (1983), The World Is Not Enough Q jet boat and many more. Throughout the broadcast I was responsible for mixing in the current bid lower third title and streaming the event to YouTube, Facebook as well as the Brightcove platform. This experience taught me how important a stable backup option is for these type of events as well as how unpredictable server outages can be on even the most stable platforms.
In July 2022, thanks to James Lockheart I had the opportunity to help record a couple episodes of Sky's 17th season of "A League of Their Own" at Elstree Studios, hosted by Romesh Ranganathan joined by team captains Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards as well as celebrity guests. Throughout the recording days, I was responsible for rigging and setting up multiple GoPro cameras which were used during the physical challenges constructed for the panelists. This experience brushed up my GoPro operation knowledge as well as allowed me to be creative while rigging them in unusual places for some interesting angles and at the same time remaining inconspicuous for the rest of the studio cameras.
At the start of 2022, I was asked by JakeVision to join their production as one of seven hot head operators for the 5th season of Love Island Poland, which took place in Spain. Throughout the project, I was responsible for helping set up 64 Panasonic AW-UE150 4K PTZ cameras around the villa, operate them using the AW-RP150 Touchscreen Remote Controller during various 8-10h shifts which included set pieces with the host Karolina Gilon, games and reality situations all through the day. This experience taught me a lot about how these TV shows are put together, how important team work is during those sort of projects and allowed me to perfect my hot head camera operation skills.
In September 2022, I rushed to Buckingham Palace after hearing the news and finishing a long day at work capturing a Women’s Charity Walk for the Wates Construction company. I met up with the BBC News crew and helped them setup their equipment, tents and ladders during the sudden mad rush in the torrential weather despite not being on duty. After doing so and as I had my Sony A7III with me, I decided to take some photographs of the crowd that gathered around the Mall as well as at the gates to the palace to capture this historic event together with the people’s reaction to the UK's longest-serving monarch.
Thank you Your Majesty and in your own words: "Grief is the price we pay for love."
Goodnight Ma’am.
In September 2022, I was asked to help broadcast the Burberry "Spring Summer 2023" runway show which took place in London after being postponed for a week due to the sad passing of the Queen. Throughout the show, I was responsible for vision mixing, queuing talent and livestreaming to the TikTok platform using vMix, which featured pre-show interviews hosted by Bree Runway with guests such as: Jourdan Dunn, Maya Jama, Burberry Ambassador Bright Vachirawit and many others as they arrived at the venue. This experience taught me how to clearly communicate with the presenter as they are about to go live and allowed me to practice my vMix skills.
During London Fashion week in September 2022, I was asked to help Karma livestream the Erdem "Spring Summer 2023" runway show which was held outside the British Museum in London. Throughout the event, I was responsible for setting up the streaming stations, broadcasting to YouTube, TikTok as well as Instagram, using vMix together with OBS for specific platforms and mixing graphics. This experience taught me how tricky streaming to Instagram can be and allowed me to think creatively in order to split the signals for each social media network.
In August 2022, I was asked to help stream the Hennessy x Zhou Guanyu „Savour The Moment” commercial shoot which took place at Sugar Studios in London. Throughout the day, I was responsible for live streaming the main Arri Alexa Mini LF camera feed as well as my own Sony A7iii camera angle of the studio space to the client using a combination of Wirecast and Zoom. This experience taught me what to watch out for with audio on these type of shoots as well as allowed me to perfect my streaming setup.
At the start of 2022, I had the opportunity to direct, film, edit and grade a music video for Kuba Zaborski's comeback single "Niepotrzebny" ("Unnecessary"). The shoot took place in Warsaw and throughout the project, I was responsible for getting all the kit together, dressing the set, setting up the camera as well as lighting, operating the motorised Slide Kamera HST-2 slider and bringing in Marcin Jach who helped out massively during the filming process. Initially, I was supposed to edit the Blackmagic Pocket 6K footage and let Marcin colour grade it, however in the end, due to some stabilisation issues we would end up with two separate cuts which would result in two versions of the video being published on YouTube a week apart: the original (Marcin's version) and Niepotrzebny 2.0 (my edit and grade). This experience gave me the chance to practice my Blackmagic knowledge together with my electronic slider operation skills and taught me how essential communication really is when working remotely as well as the fact that getting a better slider in perfect working condition can avoid a lot of hassle of stabilisation in the subsequent post production process.
In January 2022, I was asked to help stream the first ever Formula E TikTok live of the Free Practice session in Diriyah commentated by John “JoRoSaR” Sargent from the London headquarters. Throughout the broadcast, I was responsible for cutting NDI feeds from various car and helmet cameras as well as pre-made graphics for each driver using vMix. This experience taught me how to stream vertically in vMix and use the BirdDog 4K Quad as well as tested how well I can adapt a project while under time pressures.
In November 2022, I was asked by BCG to help capture shots from the Poland 2.0 event which took place at the Royal Institution in London. Throughout the event, I was responsible for taking photos of specific people at the conference and uploading them on a regular basis for social media posting. This experience taught me how to deal with low light at a venue as well as how to discuss what type of shots need to be captured prior to the event.
I was asked to help edit the “Capital Jingle Bell Ball 2021” show highlights using Adobe Premiere Pro 2021, which would be broadcast on Sky Showcase and Sky Max at 10pm on 11th and 12th December. During the lead up to the big festival weekend, I was responsible for creating a streamlined template project for the show which could have all assets dropped in easily for a speedy turnaround. Throughout the show, I would be based at the O2 along with other fellow editors and assigned to editing performances for various social media platforms and the Sky broadcast, refined the template project in case of any last minute changes and created backup assets as well as links in case any of the content would be running late of any reason. This was a great learning experience that taught me how essential good organisation really is during these fast paced and unpredictable shows, tested my management as well as editing skills and gained me another broadcast credit.
In July 2021, I had the opportunity to be a part of an extremely secret, special and international project for Marvel: the Future Revolution symphonic concert performed by the Beethoven Academy Orchestra together with the Polish Radio Choir which was directed by Kamil Pohl and DOP'd by Piotr Odziemek at the Polish Radio Concert Hall in Warsaw. The production involved over 170 people including 40 musicians, 10 camera operators, 16 cameras (Sony FX 3's, 6's and 9's) and was a collaborative effort by people from around the world including: Brazil, Japan, Korea, Poland and the USA. Throughout the pre-recorded show, I was responsible for 3x Sony FX3s as well as 2x GoPro Hero 9s and a GoPro Fusion while capturing plenty of B-Roll shots of the orchestra. This experience taught me the importance of pre-production for these type of projects and improved my understanding of the current line of the Sony FX cameras.
In June 2021, I was asked by Étienne Lacoste to help him create a product video of his new Omnia lamp capable of wireless charging smartphones at its base. After watching countless YouTube tutorials for this type of shoot over the 2020 pandemic lockdown and finding out more about the product, I set out to create a shot list for the 30s commercial and finally invested in my own lighting kit. Throughout the shoot I used a marble table, acrylic transparent sheet, a white backdrop, my Sony A7iii, two Falconeyes lights and the Luxceo RGB wand. The process took 4h to shoot including set up and a couple of hours to edit using FCPX. I’m glad Étienne was very happy with the results and the whole experience taught me what to watch out for in the future like focusing on more varying shots of the product’s features.
In May 2021, I was asked to shoot BTS footage for some of the finalists of the Papaya Young Directors 2021 competition during their final submission projects. I joined Mori Thomson for his second day of filming of a music video in High Wycombe and focused on capturing video as well as a couple photos of the essential moments of his shoot using my Sony A7iii. We also managed to film a quick interview where Mori answered a couple questions about the competition, his project and general experience of the whole process which would later be used by Papaya for their sizzle reel. This experience taught me a couple of techniques how not to get in the way for the main production as well as how essential ND filters are for filming during a clear sunny day.
In May 2021, in collaboration with BeHookd I was asked to produce and run Aston Merrygold's mini concert livestream from Base Studios in London. Before the shoot I was responsible for doing a venue recce, booking crew as well as hiring all necessary equipment. Throughout the show, I was responsible for streaming to YouTube, vision mixing graphics with three cameras (Sony FX6, A7Siii and A7iii) including a live grade as well as signing off camera and lighting before the show. This experience taught me more about wireless video, camera outputs as well as how essential a good crew is to a project like this and I cannot thank my team enough: Patrick Fitzgerald, Gerard Puigmal and Alex Crane.
Thanks to Giulia Gandini's recommendation, I was asked to help film a wreath laying ceremony for the UN's highlight video celebrating the 2021 Peacekeepers Day. Together with Gerard Puigmal, we shot footage which included ministers, military as well as police representatives, UN veterans, five defence attaches and others who all came to pay their respects at the Cenotaph in London. With the roads blocked off by police, we used the Sony FX6, Sony A7Siii together with the Sony A7iii to cover the ceremony from various angles before moving to the UN Green to film another wreath laying this time by pupils from an all-boys as well as all-girls schools. Finally, I recorded a voice over segment with the video's producer David Wardrop which would be used in the final edit. This experience taught me the importance of shot planning before the event and that a fast hard drive for copying footage off of these new cameras is essential due to their file sizes.
In November 2020, in collaboration with BeHookd I was asked to organise and run Bulgari's Arkadia SS21 livestream event which introduced their new accessories collection to the press and influencers. After setting up my equipment at the London flagship store on New Bond Street, I was responsible for coordinating camera ops: James Lockhart and Reece Evans, vision mixing, playing out appropriate graphical assets, audio mixing as well as managing the Zoom call. This experience taught me the importance of preproduction for those type of events as well as highlighted the small audio setting quirks in Wirecast which I will look out for in the future.
In November 2020, myself and Zuzanna Świerkosz were asked to help create promotional content for Basia's new single “With You”. During the project we were responsible for editing short promo videos for social media as well as managed to get Creative Commission's Instagram account to featured the song on their New Music Friday posts and stories.
Subsequently, we were asked to create more social media promotional content for Basia’s next upcoming single called "Oceans". Throughout this project, I was responsible for preparing Instagram Stories, posts as well as player style video that incorporated the song's artwork. This experience taught me how to work with custom one-off fonts and taught me what type of videos perform well on social media.
In early December 2020, I helped create a virtual escape room experience for Klarna's top business clients. Throughout the day, various teams would connect to a Zoom call and were tasked with assisting Liv as voices in her head to collect 3 Christmas presents across 3 rooms in a 30 minute time limit. In order to achieve this, I created a single SDI cable solution where our actress Olivia could move around freely, without any fears of signal dropout and combined it with a robust wireless audio system that allowed her to speak clearly in the Zoom call as well as hear everyone without feedback or delay. This experience taught me a lot about the HDMI output limitations and compatibility issues on the new GoPro Hero cameras (6 and later).
In September 2020, I was tasked with streaming the Longplayer Assembly 2020 which brought together 24 leading thinkers including: Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno and Jacqueline Springer in a live non-stop 12-hour conversation relay to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jem Finer’s Longplayer project: a continuous piece of music commissioned by Artangel that began playing at the turn of the millennium, with a duration of 1000 years. For this setup, all participants congregated in Zoom while I used 4 separate laptops treating each one of them as a camera source, which fed into a Roland V1-SDI vision mixer and ended up in Wirecast where I overlaid graphics together with credits. A separate audio feed out of the vision mixer was also used to broadcast to Resonance FM alongside the YouTube stream. This experience taught me a lot about hardware as well as software limitations and tested my skills to create a bespoke streaming solution.
In July 2020, I was asked to help out during the Suzuki Presents @ The Drive In cinema which took place in London's Blackheath Common. Throughout the couple days I was responsible for setting up and operating two Sony cameras, a PMW-300K1 hard wired using SDI which captured a wide shot of the stage as well as a Z280 fitted with a wireless Domo DTC HD Broadcast RF transmitter for showing competition winners and other audience interactions on screen. This experience taught me more about wireless video and tested my camera skill for the first time after lockdown. The event was later featured in the August 2020 edition of TPI magazine.
***NOW AVAILABLE***
Available on all major streaming platforms with all proceeds donated to: https://www.siepomaga.pl/hot16challenge
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London calling!
Back in June 2020 during the first worldwide lockdown, I created a charity rap which was part of the #hot16challenge2 campaign which raised money for the Polish NHS to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the song became shared, viewed and enjoyed outside of my immediate friends and family racking up over 8,5 thousand views on Facebook and 2,2 thousand on YouTube.
This sparked some media interested with both a RMF FM website article together with an interview for a UK radio station called PRS 24, which also featured the song on its Top 30 list and crowned it #1. Due to popular demand the song was later released on all major streaming services including Apple Music, Spotify and many others.
By November, the music video appeared as part of a virtual exhibition called Kolekcja w Kwarantannie (Collection in Quarantine) and was accompanied by a short interview with myself conducted by Agnieszka Marczak, which at the same time contributed to a research study carried out by Krakow's Ethnographical Museum since March 2020.
The showcase focused on stories about things that accompanied us during the pandemic and was hosted by the museum while being funded by the National Culture Centre as part of the Kultura w Sieci (Culture on the Web) programme.
Official #hot16challenge2 charity link: https://www.siepomaga.pl/hot16challenge
Rap Genius Poland oversaw the fundraiser and logged each donation, nomination as well as recorded bars: https://genius.com/19762593
Beat borrowed from Mad Dogg Entertainment on YouTube. Thanks again Alex…! 🙌
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, I decided to try out and hone my presenter skills by starting am Instagram Live show called Meet My Friends. Every weekday at 18:00 BST, I would go live with one of my talented friends in order to help them network and discuss everything quarantine from how it affects them to what they do to pass the time as well as catch up with them in the process. Throughout the 6 weeks and 30 episodes, I learned how much planning and production is required for such a show as well as perfected my hosting skills which later resulted in paid presenter work.
All episodes available at: https://www.instagram.com/meetmy.friends/
In June 2019, I was asked by director Alexandros Tsilifonis to create a behind-the-scenes type video for his short film Spiral. Using my Sony A7iii, I followed the crew throughout their preparations and eventual shoot while capturing B-roll as well as interviewed cast members together with key production individuals in order to explain how the film was created. The series of videos I created, helped promote the film after it's release in October 2019 and taught me what kind of moments to look out for in similar type projects in the future as well as allowed me to polish my interviewing, producing and camera operating skills.
Back in June 2019, I was asked to help out with filming during the second night of Westlife's 3 day residency at the O2 Arena in London. Along with my A7iii I was responsible for capturing a general view of the stag together with some crowd reaction shots as well as setting up the Go Pro. This experience taught me a lot about shooting in S-Log 2 as well as familiarised me with the workflow of a big music production show.
I was asked to document the Visions festival which took place in Wroclaw, Poland. Throughout the day I used my Sony A7iii to film various stages around the city before getting on a boat and capturing most of my footage during the sets of OBWN, NOMAD, EXTE and PHAM. This experience taught me how to shoot with the Sony throughout the day and adjust its settings accordingly as well as what to watch out for when traveling internationally with kit.
Back in 2018, me and my friends attended Ed Sheeran’s show in Warsaw where I continued my personal project video series of fan's POV front row experience. Learning from my previous Robbie Williams and Taylor Swift films, I knew what shots I needed to look out for, however, I still kept my eyes open for any interesting moments despite the extremely heavy rain. All of my footage was shot on an iPhone 6, which I subsequently edited in FCPX and released the video on the Ed Sheeran Poland Facebook page as well as my social media channels on the 12th August 2019, 1 year after the show.
Back in 2018, I captured my friend's journey to the front row during Taylor Swift's second concert at Wembley Stadium. Building on my Robbie Williams Prague video, I decided to embark on a personal project and create a series of videos from a concert-goers perspective in order to show the excitement, dedication and madness of the front row experience. All of my footage was shot on an iPhone 6 which was edited in FCPX and despite this being a recap of the previous chapter in her career I thought it would be important to share it with the rest of her fans instead of keeping it archived on a hard drive somewhere. I released the video on my social media channels on the 23rd June 2019, exactly 1 year after the show.
During the 2017 Prague show, I was tasked with filming an official fan video for "The Heavy Entertainment Show" tour by Robbie Williams. Equipped with just my iPhone 6, I documented my whole journey to Prague, camping outside the venue and the madness of reserving a prime spot by the front row barriers. After securing a good spot, I met up with James from Hangman who handed me one of their GoPro's as due to strict security rules I was not able to bring it in myself. Filming with two cameras at once was quite challenging, however, I managed to capture some amazing footage and later edited it myself before handing it over to Hangman. Unfortunately, due to some shows being subsequently cancelled a bigger project was put on hold and so was the fan video, however, after sharing the video with Robbie’s bandmates as well as his father on Twitter and getting in touch with management directly the video ended up being shared on the official Robbie Williams Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channel exactly 1 year after the show.
In early September 2017, I was offered to cover the role of AV Specialist at Burberry HQ in London and my contract has been periodically renewed each month. Throughout my placement, I was responsible for taking care of the event spaces which involved running in-house company events like: product presentations, onboardings as well as international video conferences. In addition, I was occasionally required to travel to the flagship Regents Street store to help set up additional equipment, run events using the already implemented hardware or film short internal videos. Furthermore, I worked on the Burberry September 2017 as well as February 2018 runway show livestreams which were beamed simultaneously to 350 stores around the world. The experience taught me how to run various events on my own, trained me how to use a Barco FSN-150 vision mixer, Yamaha LS9-32 digital mixing console and Panasonic AW-HE130 HD Integrated PTZ cameras as well as showed me first-hand how a luxury fashion brand operates.
I was chosen to help film the band Django Django performing at the reopening of Printworks London. During the show, I was responsible for a Sony FS7 camera located on a balcony at the back of the venue, filming a wide shot of the stage and adjusting the aperture in case of any lighting changes which usually occurred in-between songs as the audience got lit up. Despite this being quite a simple job, it was an eye-opening experience that taught me the inner workings of a live music event.
During the shoot for My Time directed by Giulia Gandini and starring Clara Read, I assumed the role of production assistant. My duties consisted of helping out the crew in various departments from taking care of child actors and their parents throughout the shoot to helping out with the lighting and camera equipment as well as resetting the school rooms to their original state at the end of the day. This experience taught me how to manage this type of production and how to deal with extreme heat during a shoot.
Thanks to working with the extremely talented director/producer Giulia Gandini on a shoot back in January, I was invited to help out on a fashion shoot called Fe 203 that took place in Belt Craft Studios in London and was directed by another great director Alexandros Tsilifonis. My duties ranged from simple runner jobs and making sure everyone on set has everything they need to moving props in order to create three separate settings as well as helping out the lighting department with the lighting setup and operation during takes. This experience taught me a bit more about lighting techniques and allowed me to work with some really great and creative people which I hope to collaborate with again in the future.
In December 2018, I was contracted to record and stream Springback Magazine Live which would be broadcast to Facebook together with the local Bio Paradis cinema in Reykjavik, Iceland as part of the ICE HOT Dance Platform 2018. Together with Enya Belak-Gupta - the director of the show, Aadhar Gupta - the stream’s multimedia content manager and a local sound engineer we managed to successfully stream the show despite this broadcast being our most ambitious one to date. Throughout the 2h programme I cut between: three cameras (a Sony EX1, Samsung NX1 as well as a Canon 5D Mk III), 13 videos as well as multiple guest titles. This experience taught me what to look out for while cutting shots, how to give proper instructions to camera operators for them to appropriately frame shots as well as how to keep a cool head and meet a deadline despite last minute requests.
Once again, I was invited back by the organisers of PLUGin Polish Tech Day to livestream and capture the 2018 edition of their event which took place at Google HQ in London. During the conference I was responsible for livestreaming to Facebook Live, while my colleague Gerard Puigmal captured interviews and specific shots requested by the client for a short recap video which I would then edit. This experience improved my skills in using Wirecast as this was my first solo project running a two camera stream setup (Sony EX1 and Sony A6500).
I was asked to fly out to Germany for the second edition of Science: Polish Perspectives Berlin. During the two day conference I was responsible for livestream keynote lectures to Facebook, filming speaker presentations which would later appear on YouTube as well as capture general shots of the event together with a couple of interviews using the Sony EX1 camera for a short recap video from the conference. This experience put my data as well as time management skills to the test, however ultimately, I was able to quickly edit each presentation as soon as it concluded before sending it to YouTube, which allowed me to capture all of the required material in time.
A month later, I was once again asked to document and stream the Science: Polish Perspective conference this time taking place in Oxford. For this event, I focused on livestreaming presentations to Facebook using two cameras (Sony EX1 and Canon XC10) while Jackie Read helped capture other material such as interviews, GVs and BTS shots throughout the two day conference inteded for a subsequent promo video. This experience taught me how to be a project leader, what to look out for in the future while in this role as well as allowed me to figure out a way to wirelessly receive keynote presentations as a source for the stream.
During the shoot for The Last Bite, directed by Sebastiano Pupino, I was responsible for backing up the footage and keeping track of cards used during the production. Furthermore, I helped out the camera department by setting up the Sony FS7 camera, changing lenses and carrying out general tasks as a production assistant like making sure the crew is hydrated. Some of the footage we shot for the film was also used in the music video Dreams of Ghosts by Felix Mercer. This experience taught me how to work in extreme heat as well as trained my skills as a DIT and camera assistant.
During the three week shoot of "Killer Weekend", a dark comedy directed by Ben Kent, starring Mark Heap and Sean Verey, I was a trainee in the camera department lead by DOP Ewan Mulligan. My main responsibility was to assist the 2nd AC by making sure all the batteries were charged, the director’s monitor was set up correctly as well as ensuring that the floor bag together with the Magliner were tidy and fully supplied. This experience taught me how to work with the RED Weapon 6K camera, how to efficiently change lenses and supplemented my on-set vocabulary.
The "Live Life, Give Life" charity shoot ran for 4 days at The Worx studios in London and was focused around organ donation awareness. As I have worked with most of the crew before, we continued to have a good working dynamic and managed to get the camera ready with minimal delays for various setups that included: 3 camera interviews, a music session and various short videos that featured children. This experience taught me more complex Teradek setups, how to use a Sony A7S as well as honed my camera trainee skills like cable bashing and battery management in a studio environment.
By recommendation I was asked to edit a trailer for Calais Children: A Case To Answer. With only one day to complete the task, I met up with the director in order to create a rough idea for the project and later polished the cut at home while liaising through email and Dropbox. Subsequently, I was also asked to prepare a French, Italian, Spanish and German version of the film with new VO tracks and subtitles. This experience tested my skills and taught me how to work under extreme time constraints as well as polished my editing skills.
I was asked to help cover the 10th Congress of Polish Student Societies in Cambridge as an extra camera operator. The event aims to bring together Polish students to discuss current matters pertinent to Polish politics, business, economics, culture and education. During this two-day function I filmed numerous debate panels as well as interviews and GVs together with Michał Baranowski who was the main videographer. The material was later edited and posted on the organiser's YouTube channel called: Cambridge Polish Studies.
Just before the release of Ed Sheeran's third album "Divide", I decided to recut the "Shape of You" music video to the song "Don't" as in my opinion it suited the song much better. I managed to mix it with the Beats by Dre commercial and the final result can be seen on YouTube.
In January, I helped out on set of a short film directed by Branco Tomovic called ‘RED’. On set I assisted the 1st AD by calling actors to set, looked after extras, updated key personnel on timings as well as progress throughout the day. Moreover, I undertook the usual runner duties in order to keep the costs down due to a small budget. This experience put my organisational and interpersonal skills to the test and taught me how a small production can keep to high standards if everyone has the same level of dedication.
During my master's degree at Goldsmiths University I was part of group responsible for making a short film called Gadget. Set in a dystopian future, the film tells a story of a young man, who while being alienated by technology tries to find true love in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. During this project, I assumed the role of video editor and helped piece the story together in Avid Media Composer 8.4. Throughout the process I learned how the story can be manipulated through the edit, which ultimately allowed me to enhanced the film with a much deeper and thought provoking ending.
This experience improved my theoretical as well as practical editing skills and allowed me to establish a good working relationship with my fellow team members.
Back in 2014, I helped out on filming a show called Language is a Virus from Outer Space at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It was a musical, spoken word, film, dance, performance and art project that was based on the work of the American writer William S Burroughs in celebration of his would-be 100th birthday. The recording of the show was intended for creating a commercial DVD and taught me how a big stage production is assembled.
