Week 2 (Part 4) - The Application Process

The interview went exceptionally well. I was told - especially by Dan Carter, my tutor - that Julia will put the interviewee through their paces and give them a real experience as to what interviews will be like in the industry. Now, I'm not saying Julia didn't make sure I was up to speed with the background of her and her company, but it was a very positive experience overall and went a lot better than I could have even hoped for.

Julia Thompson

She seemed very interested in me as a person and what I had to offer the company. As I had mentioned my YouTube channel in my cover email and also my CV, she wanted me to show her right there in the interview some of my best videos I had to offer on my channel. We discussed how I make the videos from pre-production to post-production, how I draw views and subscribers to my videos, what drove me to produce these videos in the first place. I mentioned how unless I am doing a collaboration video with another YouTuber, I would often be the one who produces the video from start to finish, including researching the video topic using proper sources, writing the script, getting public domain footage from NASA and other space agencies, producing my own CGI, and finally editing the video and rendering it. I talked about how I use a combination of social media as well as keywords on YouTube to draw in views. I get roughly 40,000 views a month using these methods. I also mentioned how I was already a big fan of space, and I had been making films as a hobby since I was a child. This YouTube project was an amalgamation of both of these interests, as well as something to show as a portfolio when I was applying to universities. But seeing as it has seen some success and continues to draw new subscribers every day, I have been carrying on with it even though I already have a place at uni now.

I explained to Julia that it was something I was considering going into after uni, as it is a gap in the market in my opinion. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason, I would still want to focus on being a producer in documentary filmmaking.

Julia seemed impressed with my ambitions, as well as what I'd already produced, and offered me the place to do work experience at Eastcoast Pictures. What was particularly exciting though, was that Julia said the main objective of my work placement would be to come up with and then pitch a new format of programme for BBC3, the TV channel which has recently switched to online only. The focus of the programme would be to make space interesting for the 16-25 year old bracket. She also suggested we look at pitching a programme for CBBC, the children's channel, on a similar topic. The episodes would have to be about 5-15 minutes in length, and for both formats would need to be an innovative way to capture the audience's interest in space.


I have been tasked this upcoming week - before my work placement starts - to come up with some ideas that I can bring to the table on my first day. Julia said that she would also give it some thought this week and we can have a brainstorming session at some point.

Overall I'm very excited to be working with Julia, this opportunity almost seems too good to be true. I will certainly give it my all to try and make a success out of it, and best case scenario would be BBC3 or CBBC taking us up on whatever format we come up with and running with it.


Reflections on Week 2

I am very pleased with how this week went overall. I feel like I was being proactive by changing my CV, applying to some companies and by getting an interview all in the same week. I feel like the tips I got from the CV workshop were invaluable to the success of the week, as it really helped focus my mind when I was writing up my application.

Condensing my CV to one page, and improving the layout and look made it much more attractive to the viewer, as well as helping the viewer pinpoint key information much quicker. I knew what to write in the profile section, and included only the most relevant work experience. In the cover letter/email I was able to highlight key points about me and what would set me apart from other candidates, and I feel like the help from the workshop really worked in this regard as I was quickly able to get an interview after applying.

I also mentioned how I was concerned about my body language in the interview, and because of this conscientious effort I feel like I gave across a much better impression than I would have done otherwise. This is still an area that needs improvement though, as I do find myself slipping into relaxed poses too easily and I don't want to give the wrong impression to the interviewer. I did however make good eye contact, and the overall flow of the interview went very well.