ALICE WASS
Exploring Media

Hatikvah Films are a small film company, therefore on my placement I was certainly thrown in at the deep end, being given a lot of responsibility for work that was vital. Initially, I found it terrifying, especially as my first task was to find and gain clearance for images to be used in an upcoming documentary, because if I made a mistake, it could cause legal issues. However, I was shown the best way to check for clearance, and to search for images. I spent time reading scripts and letting my creativity flow searching for interesting visuals to send the video editor. Working alongside the video editor was an important role over my two weeks, as whenever he needed content, I found it and sent it across to him.

 

Another key role I had at Hatikvah was taking over and rebranding all their social media. This was a long job as it involved creating a social media strategy, something I had not done before, and learning to take on their tone of voice to keep all the posts consistent and to brand. This involved a lot of research and communicating with their previous social media intern. This role expanded to creating content for their social media. This included a YouTube channel trailer video, and Thumbnails for a new TV series on YouTube; making banners for their Vimeo pages; and creating launch websites for two new documentaries. These played to my skills in video and photo editing and were tasks I enjoyed, as they let me be creative. It was nice to have my own project and they were very happy with my work, and I was offered a paid role to continue running their social media. Sadly, had to decline this as I am unable to include it alongside my current commitments at university.

 

One of the tasks I struggled more with under time pressure was writing blurbs for upcoming films. I found it easier being visually creative, this surprised me because I have produced written work for Source News and blogging. This is a skill I will develop in the future. Other opportunities I was given included recreating DVD and CD covers for documentaries they no longer had the files for, and translating these covers into German. Luckily my qualification in Photoshop enabled me to recreate the images from scratch and my work was highly praised. I was introduced to Final Cut Pro, an editing software, and subtitled a documentary in German. This was a nerve-wracking task as it was unfamiliar software, however, after learning the best methods I was successful in completing the task.

 

The two weeks were extremely busy and I had to learn to be flexible and adaptable. I managed to jump between tasks, whenever a new priority emerged. Being at Hatikvah gave me a wide range of skills, and has demonstrated I can use my current skills to benefit companies. My confidence in my abilities has massively increased, and I feel I understand the professional environment better. At Hatikvah I was educated about the documentary film industry and have gained good insight into it. I think film might not be my preferred area of interest as I find I like working on a variety of projects instead of one that continues over a long time. I will continue aim towards getting into the radio or TV industry. I had a wonderful experience at Hatikvah and was invited to return and work there whenever I wish.