The NextShoot work experience programme

In the spring of 2015 I did an internship at NextShoot. During my time in London I had not only learned everything about filmmaking but also met a lot of kind people. The employees are truly people who work from a passion, and want to transfer their knowledge to you. In the 6 months I was at NextShoot I had the opportunity to do my own little projects, as well as helping on bigger projects like the Bloomberg Documentary. My personal highlight was the shoot we had at the West London Film Studios for Haydn's Wish.

After I finished college I started working as a Freelancer and I now have international clients like Air France/KLM, Swatch and Oticon Medical. My work is diverse, one week I'm directing a corporate film about custom made nitrogen packages and the other week I'm in North-Ireland to film for a Dutch travel agency. All thanks to Dominic and Mike who gave me the opportunity to learn the insights of filmmaking as well as running a business.

Nicole van den Berg

What was invaluable about my time at NextShoot was getting to work with both large and small camera crews and essentially getting to take on the role as a camera trainee. This was great in that it clarified my desire for a career focus in the camera department. It was also great in this aspect as I got to work with a crew of a very high level of professionalism and efficiency, in lots of salubrious settings. It was so rewarding to see the finished videos a few months later and see how highly accomplished and refined what I worked on was in the end product.

What am I up to now? I have recently graduated and currently working as a freelance Videographer and Camera Operator while also still freelance running while I build up my Videography portfolio.

Charlotte Hurst

My work experience at NextShoot was the perfect combination of instructive and fun. I joined shoots as a runner, helped with pre-production, including briefs and storyboards and was assigned an editing project to deliver during my time at the company. I also managed their social media channels, which fit well with my Marketing degree. Dominic, the MD, was an excellent and patient mentor, always happy to give me feedback and additional insight into business decisions and projects. The entire team was very welcoming and open-minded, almost like a family away from home.

Now I'm the Head of Marketing at a video game studio. Everything I learned about video production at NextShoot has been a bonus skill throughout my marketing career when leading the creation of game trailers and social media assets. I'm very grateful for the opportunity NextShoot gave me and will always remember it fondly.

Sofie Marien

Undertaking a 3-month work placement with NextShoot was a truly inspiring experience. As a film student I was excited but intimidated by the film industry, with so many areas to gain expertise in.

Ultimately, during my placement, I was exposed to multiple disciplines across the corporate video production scape, including the creative, organisational and technical. Amidst the difficulties of shooting within guidelines concerning Covid-19, I was still able to work with industry professionals as a runner at a shoot conducted at the National Gallery and learn about cinematography at the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, which were both wonderful opportunities to explore the mechanics behind film production.

Due to travel limitations, I had to return to Harare, Zimbabwe, however the learning didn't stop. As I was unable to attend shoots, I was granted the opportunity to delve into the management and administration side of a production company. Learning about client interaction and evaluating the SEO value of content helped me gain considerable insight into the growing importance in the online presence of a business. I was also given the opportunity to create a blog assessing how various companies have adapted to video-based advertising in order to adjust to the new order of 2020.

As turbulent as this year was, I am very grateful to Dom, Mike and their team for their consistent support, encouragement and accommodation. The knowledge I have gained from this experience is invaluable and I highly recommend this programme for anybody wishing to gain work experience within the video production industry.

Summer Gamble

As part of my course in Film Production and Theatre at Brunel University, I was required to complete ten days of work experience and was really pleased to be offered a placement by NextShoot. I acted as a runner on a variety of shoots, including an interview with designer Jason Bruges in his studio, with YouTube gaming influencer Vikkstar123, at a corporate event for a financial advisory firm, and with leading property consultancy CBRE.  As a runner, it can be hard initially to find ways to make a contribution, but everyone was really friendly and I soon discovered that main thing was to make myself as useful as possible. My roles included making tea (obviously), assisting the camera team with the set-up of the equipment, chaperoning actors, completing release forms, organising lunch and helping with the collection and delivery of kit.

The shoots were all quite different in nature and gave me the chance to witness first-hand the way in which the team organised each filming day and to get closer to the equipment that was used. I especially enjoyed the interviews. I was keen to see how these were framed and lit by the DoP, but it was also interesting to see how the director managed the interview process to capture the best material for each project.  Filming days - at 10 to 11 hours - can be grueling, but I always felt really satisfied at the end of the day after completing a successful shoot and working with a group of professionals who were happy to support me at this early stage of my career.  My placement with NextShoot really helped me to understand more about cameras and working on location. I also got great insights into how a corporate video production company in London is run, and above all this period really helped me to make decisions about the direction of my career.

Daniela Lucaci

I had an opportunity to work with Next Shoot on key days of filming with the National gallery. I usually work on bigger film projects (Tv and Movies) with big crews, but working with a smaller, more intimate crew allowed me to ask questions and be a lot more hands-on in the production process.

This gave me a better understanding of the project from its start time until the time I was able to help out. I am grateful for this opportunity Dominic and Mike set up for me and I can't wait to help out on other projects.

Lyle Bennett

What it will entail?

Working across disciplines, including pre-production, script development and post-production
Practical experience on location shoots as well as in office
Working with a professional team of producers, directors, DoPs and film crew
A 2 to 12 week placement, depending on your circumstances
On non-shoot days, typical office hours are 10-6pm with lunch hour

Payment

There is no National Minimum Wage payment for these placements, and so they are only suitable for students required to undertake a placement as part of a further education or higher education course ( see UK government regulations. ). However, we will cover travel expenses for these students within London Zones 1-6, up to £50 per week. Applications from overseas students, typically for long internships, will only be considered if the student's placement is required as part of a further education or higher education course. Such placements are normally wholly/ partly covered by a grant.