Shift 4 are running Media Parent’s HOP’s Dream Shoot Guide on Thursday 13th February. It’s free to members and open to all, so join us for a spot of networking with Raw TV, October Films, Mentorn, Crackit, Pioneer, Alaska, Flame and Dragonfly to name but a few, and to pick up great tips for shoots - see below to get a ticket. Here Shift 4’s Amy Swan explains why the facilities hire company is keen to hear the experiences of HOPs, PMs and Self-Shooters and share its advice on how the production process could be made smoother and more cost effective.

Amy Swan moved from Series Producing to Marketing & Business Development for Shift 4 after she had her two children. Pictured here at the Media Parents CV surgery in November.

Perfect planning, ideal weather, faultless crew, exemplary kit, great lunch, well-timed schedule, nothing missed and all on budget. Does this sound like a shoot of yours?!

As well as sharing our tips and suggestions, we’ll open the floor for discussion with the Heads of Production, Production Managers and Self-Shooters attending, plus we’ll have a range of our cameras available for you to see and try.

Pulling everything together to make the dream shoot a reality isn’t an easy job. With so much to consider and a myriad of unpredictable factors, the most crucial stage of the production process can often turn into a nightmare, especially when it comes to the finances.

The Shift 4 team who are sponsoring the event : From L to R, Alex Trezies (MD), Amy Swan (Marketing and Business Development), Alex Thompson (MD)

Shift 4 have over 20 years of experience supporting clients’ creative aspirations, sharing technical knowledge and helping shoot plans come to fruition. Known as the ‘boutique’ kit hire company, our demos, training, crews and equipment have resulted in a solid reputation built on recommendation and long-lasting relationships. We can’t control the weather and we’re not great at catering but we do have masses of suggestions of ways shoots could work better and money could be saved. And for me, 10 years working in production prior to joining Shift 4 has shown me both sides of the fence, with a unique take on how efficiency and spending can be improved.

So if you want to know the benefits of involving a facilities company early in your production process, or strategies to get the best out of self-shooters and avoid bills for missing kit, or insider knowledge on cost-saving kit items then reserve your place at the event here :

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-hops-dream-shoot-guide-tickets-9417775821

The next Media Parents events will take place on Feb 13th in Central London. For networking, jobs and great events please join www.mediaparents.co.uk. Happy New Year!

There is still no excuse for starting a new year with a sloppy CV, and it’s not going to get you the job you want. Media Parents’ Amy Walker urges you to spring clean your credits – better still tailor a CV to the job you’re applying for, or the employer you’re writing to! Get a job with the top 3 CV tips from Media Parents, and links to tips from many of the employers who work with us. Sort it out and let us know how you get on!

Cver 70 freelancers attended the Media Parents CV Surgery and got some great advice.

top 3 CV tips to get you started:

1. The top third of the first page of your CV is the most important part – make it relevant! Employers see this on their screen, and if they don’t see anything relevant to the job in hand they may not scroll down. Tailoring your CV to the job application (relevant credits at the top) or to the company you are trying to impress will really help you.

2. Start with your name, job type and contact details – this can be just your phone number and email address. Label your CV file in the same way (name and job title) and also title your email address with your name and job title – you need to be easily found to get a job! If you want to start with a biog make this 3 sentences at the very most, including any awards. You need to get to your relevant credits quickly! No relevant credits? Don’t apply this time.

3. Your CV should be TWO pages ONLY, no matter how experienced you are. You need to show employers that you can select relevant material. Credits over 8 years old are largely irrelevant, so condense them or lose them.

Want more advice? There are tips here:

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2013/10/media-parents-cv-tips-from-the-cv-event/

and here

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2013/11/media-parents-at-bbc-cymru/

and here are some of the tips a freelancer got at one of our events

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2013/06/5-minutes-with-paul-leyshon-director-producer/

more here

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2011/11/media-parents-cv-event-london-gallery-and-tips/

and here

https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/10/media-parents-cv-event-wisdom-2/

That’s enough now!

The next Media Parents event will be in January 2015 please keep an eye on @mediparents and www.mediaparents.co.uk for details. For networking, jobs and great events please join www.mediaparents.co.uk Happy New Year!

The latest  show from Sixth Sense, Time For School, transmits in January: weekdays on CBeebies from Monday 6th January at 1630. The fly on the wall series, aimed at little ones and shot in two very different primary schools, follows two classes of Reception children throughout their first term at Big School.

Time for School by 6th Sense TXes from Jan 6th.

Time For School is an exciting and ground-breaking fly-on-the-wall pre-school series following the ups and downs of real Reception children as they enter big school for the first time – and embark upon the greatest adventures of their lives. Our cameras will capture every aspect, big and small, of this unfamiliar but fun journey, in an entertaining and heart-warming observational documentary style.

From first day nerves and finding where to hang their coat, to school lunches, lessons, play and PE, we’ll be there every step of the way as our young pupils embark upon their first term’s journey of discovery. From daily goings on to special celebrations (Diwali, Bonfire Night, Christmas), CBeebies’ viewers will be immersed into the everyday lives of our chosen children.

The series are shot on location at two contrasting schools. Mere Green Combined School is in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham and is a suburban single-form entry school reflective of those found up and down the country. The other site is a federation of schools in picturesque Northumberland. The handful of students at the tiny Holy Island School learn together in one classroom, with one teacher. When the tide allows, they cross from their island home to learn alongside the class of children at Lowick School on the mainland.

Time For School will be shot from September to December 2013 throughout the Autumn term and will begin transmitting in January 2014. It is a Sixth Sense Media Limited Production fro CBeebies. Executive Producers are Nick Wilson and MD of Sixth Sense, Sallyann Keizer.

For more info about Time For School take a look at the CBeebies website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/time-for-school

http://www.6sense.co.uk/Home.html

The next Media Parents events will be in 2014 please keep an eye on @mediparents and www.mediaparents.co.uk for details. For networking, jobs and great events please join www.mediaparents.co.uk