#creativeplatforms

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Digital copy of CV

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Hand-in

Here is my hand-in for Creative Platforms, I put all of the elements required into a folder and also a piece of paper with my website and blog urls on it. I am happy with what I handed in, I think the unit has helped me think about presenting myself and my work professionally and think that it will help me in my hopes of gaining employment soon.

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Editing Software Analysis

As an editor the programs I use most tend to be Avid Media Composer 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Both programs are widely used amongst the industry in production houses, as such I have dedicated time to learning both programs well in order to make myself as employable as possible as an editor. Avid Media Composer 7 is the main program taught on my course and it functions well as editing software. It lacks a level of user friendliness, it doesn’t encourage editing on the timeline and dragging and dropping in ways that other editing software’s do. Because of this it has a fairly particular workflow with more editing in the source monitor than the timeline. Working through this can be hard to get used to in the beginning, but after using it for a while and getting used to it it makes the edits and bins tidier and more organised. 

Avid’s reliance on transcoding can be an issue, it slows down the beginning of the editing process. IT does encourage subclipping, which is good way of going through your footage for the first time, deciding what is worth using and labelling it as so. However on large projects the transcoding can take up a lot of time that otherwise could be used more productively. The emphasis it brings on subclipping is a real positive, but the transcoding is a hassle.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC is a more user friendly and, at first, perhaps more intuitive program. Editing on the timeline isn’t so discouraged, the razor tool and others showing this. This can make it a quicker program to use, given the choice on a small project I would tend to use Premiere Pro for this reason. It also doesn’t require transcoding in the way Avid does, shortening greatly the time it takes to get into a project. This does mean it is easy to lose focus on subclipping in the program, it becomes less of a priority as you don’t have to worry about transcoding footage you won’t use.

The workflow is quite different to Avid in the regard, but the interface is largely the same, the bin system is replaced by a folder system that is identical, the monitors and timeline are in the same places. As such having used Avid first it was relatively easy to settle into Premiere Pro and how it worked. Several things are hidden away a bit, the effects panel is hidden behind a scroll which is annoying compared to Avid having it very clearly marked in the bin area.

However as I mentioned before I do find Premiere Pro a bit better for the projects I have worked on, short dramas and documentaries. On longer films I may find the workflow of Avid more fitting, but as it is I prefer Premiere Pro, however both are good pieces of software and I feel comfortable with either.

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Business Cards

Got my business cards in the post the other day from moo.com, happy with how they have come out. They look as I expected, the colours look really nice when printed out like this. Importantly the text is very clear and readable, the basic functions of a business card are working while it is also looking aesthetically pleasing.

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SWOT Analysis

Strengths: What are your advantages? I feel that I am someone who works well by alone or in a team, that I am well organised and hard-working.

What do you do well? I think I am creatively minded with a good level of technical ability, this lending itself well to the editing profession that I would like to enter.

Why did you decide to enter the field you will enter upon graduation? I have always liked film as a spectator and, through my course, I like to see it as a maker too. I think that I can do it well too and feel comfortable in the field.

What were the motivating factors and influences? A factor was my general like for creative work and the creative industries. The influence when watching Stanley Kubrick films that I realised I wanted to make films, his films inspired me to start looking into the industry and then applying for a course relevant to the industry.

Do these factors still represent some of your inherent strengths? I think that I am still a creative person, that this is still a good strength of mine and that it shows in the films that I am a part of.

What need do you expect to fill? I’m not sure if I will fill and immediate need, if there is a need for young editors that are willing to learn and are motivated to progress then I would fill that need.

What have been your most notable achievements? Making films that I have been proud of and receiving recognition from my peers on my course, it reaffirms that what you are doing is good and that I can go further with what I do.

To what do you attribute your success? I’m not sure I would say I am successful, I have made good films but to consider myself successful I would want to see more of an audience beyond people I know.

How do you measure your success? In part through how much I feel happy with the film, in another the reaction to my work and its reach.

What is your greatest asset? A complete willingness and motivation to work coupled with a want to succeed.

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Weaknesses:

What could be improved? I need to gain more experience outside of my university work, as with my current level of experience I am not very immediately employable.

What do you do badly? I often overthink projects I work on and tend to take that with me outside of work spaces, which can lead to unnecessary stress about things I can’t really do much about at the time.

What should you avoid? More practical on-set work, although competent in it I find myself much more comfortable and better at work such as editing, or producing through pre-production.

What are your professional weaknesses? Again, stressing over things that I don’t have much control over, e.g. a good actor not being able to do a film or an idea not coming to fruition due to external issues.

Opportunities:

Where are the promising prospects facing you? There is a screening at the BFI coming up for our course where a lot of industry people will be, this is a an exciting opportunity to network with people who may be able to offer me work experience or job chances.

What is the “state of the art” in your particular area of expertise? 4K video is becoming more of a thing within editing, earlier on this year I attended a talk by an Avid employee who went through the workflow involved in that kind of footage and he seemed to indicate that 4K was the way the industry was heading.

Are you doing everything you can to enhance your exposure to this area? Perhaps not, most of my time at the moment is focused on university work and after May I will be able to focus more time on work experience opportunities and looking for other projects to help or work on.

Would an MSc/MA or another graduate degree add to your advantage? No, the best thing for me to do is to go out and get more practical experience in the industry and on different projects.

How quickly are you likely to advance in your chosen career? The film industry is highly competitive so it is hard to say, I am hoping that within a year or two I am working in the industry but it is hard to predict that, with more experience that process could be sped up.

Threats:

What obstacles do you face? There are a lot of talented people wanting to enter the industry, competition and lack of experience on my side are the biggest obstacles.

Are the requirements for your desired job field changing? The industry expects you to be well versed in all levels on filmmaking, now more than ever. I think my course has covered me well here, as I know how to operate cameras and sound equipment and understand those roles.

Does changing technology threaten your prospective position? I don’t think so, in fact I think it is a positive, as more production houses move from editing on film to editing digital my usefulness increases, as I don’t know how to edit on film but am well versed in digital editing.

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CV changes over the year

Early on in the course I was given feedback on my CV and ways to improve it to make me more employable off the back of it. Below is an image of how my CV used to look and the feedback I was given on it.

There were quite a few areas of improvement, merging certain sections together, adding my logo and generally tightening it up in appearance and its headings. My new CV is displayed below. I took the feedback given and improved the look, formatting and content of it. One of the main things I changed was the fonts used, I used Futura for headers and Avenir for body text. The fonts compliment each other well and add nicely to the overall look of the CV.

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Showreel

After a few days work, my showreel is completed. I decided to edit it on Adobe Premiere Pro because Avid Media Composer wouldn’t import the music i wanted to use. I like the showreel overall, the only thing I think it lacks is projects outside the university. I have some potential upcoming commissioned work as an editor, so upon completion of that I can add that to show i can work to a clients set brief. In the future I will also add my final year documentary film ‘Journeyman’, which isn’t completed yet.

Showreel - Ben Yaman from Ben Yaman on Vimeo.