My first 4 months as Dead Pixel Videographer
Hi, I’m Hannah, and for the past 4 months I’ve been settling into my new role as Dead Pixel’s in-house Videographer. A few solo shoots, 48 BBC food recipe videos, a 3 day commercial shoot, a trip to London and countless rolls of gaffer tape later, it’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot! Here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been up to since I started…
January is known for being a quiet time in the world of commercial filmmaking, with most of us taking a slow start to the year while we procrastinate taking the decs down and polish off the last of the Quality Street – but not the Dead Pixel gang! My first day in early Jan began with me being briefed on half a dozen upcoming projects, on which I’d be shooting, camera assisting and editing. Safe to say I jumped into the role headfirst.
The first of these projects was a 3-day commercial shoot at Dead Pixel Studios, where I took on the role of Camera Assistant; this involved helping Cal to rig & derig our RED Gemini camera for several different setups, swapping batteries and lenses, taping down wires and generally being on hand for whatever he needed. Having never shot on a RED camera before, this was a speed run in learning how the camera’s rigged and operated, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some nerves showing up on day 1 of the shoot. Luckily I’m a fast learner, and pick things up best when I have to think on my feet. This coupled with Cal’s patience and eagerness to share his knowledge made it the perfect lesson in camera assisting!
The following week it was time to pack my bags – no, they hadn’t sacked me, so I must’ve been doing something right – I was being sent down to the big smoke with our junior producer Jazz for my first solo shooting job, capturing the annual Creative Shootout event with Launch PR. I’m no stranger to flying solo with a camera - I’ve been around the world, from speedboats in Provence to Sicilian beaches, as a one woman videography team. But being only a few weeks in at a new company, shooting on brand new kit with event coverage and interviews to capture, this was a job I knew I wanted to get right.
Thanks to Jazz’s slick organisation skills and the helpful hands of the Launch PR team, the event went off without a hitch (besides the struggle walking from Euston station to our hotel with a camera, tripod, gimbal, lights & light stands in tow…). This was a big lesson for me in trusting my instincts and having the confidence to rig up unfamiliar kit, frame shots and capture fleeting moments on the fly without anyone to lean on for in-person assistance. Since then I’ve been out on more solo shoots, including the cutest shoot day EVER filming dogs with Pets at Home, and with the confidence I’ve gained and the support of our lovely team behind me, they’ve felt like an absolute breeze.
Some other fun moments since the start of my time at Dead Pixel include - shooting a one-take studio walkthrough shot to open our 2024 showreel, working with BBC Food to shoot and edit recipe videos for their website & instagram channels, and creating a networking initiative around International Womens’ Day with the other dead pixel girlies.
I pitched the idea for this to the team who supported me in every step, but also gave me the freedom to make the project my own, which felt super empowering. We set up an email redirect which launched on International Women's Day, for women at all stages of their careers to contact our female staff to connect, skill swap and share career advice. This was a particularly proud moment for me, because I’m a huge advocate of female role models in filmmaking and women supporting one another. Being able to create an environment for other women in our industry to do this felt really special, and having total freedom to write the script and shoot and edit the launch video myself made it even more exciting.
Needless to say I’ve done a lot of learning and creating in my first three months, which is exactly what I came to Dead Pixel to do. When it comes to the next four months and beyond, I’m looking forward to pushing myself further - getting to grips with bigger and better kit, shooting bigger and better projects, and having even bigger and better cuddles with Freddie and Chester. The sky’s the limit!
Hannah