Jake Music Video Production - Industry Guest Speaker

Be human. Talk to People. Stay Focused. Stay Passionate.

One of the most inspiring things about having industry guests deliver sessions at Dv8 is to see just how passionately they speak about their craftsmanship after they’ve spent years creating content / products and mastering their skills. This was absolutely the case for Jake, a Video Production & Motion Designer who gave his time to share his experience and industry tips with our Introduction to Music, Media & Digital students. 

View The RedRed Video’s website and Jake’s portfolio here.

Jake's Top Tips for Succeeding in the TV and Film Industry

  • Actors are great but they cost a lot of money – do you have enough budget? 
  • You may have a lot of films / work but not all of it needs to be in your portfolio. Cherry pick your best work. Quality over quantity. 
  • When you’re just starting out, be diverse with your work. Produce content for all kinds of genres and styles. 
  • When a client comes to you and doesn’t have a clear vision of what they want to make, use it as a chance to experiment; actors, lighting, location, SFX, etc..
  • Offer your experience to clients. You have first hand experience of what tends to work and doesn’t. 
  • Take time out to storyboard and draft out concepts. You can always pull these out to show to clients.
  • It’s great to have an online presence but just be aware that you will need to put time aside into managing these. If you have too many it can take up a lot of your time. Someone could leave you a negative review if you don’t respond to their query quickly enough.
  • Be human and talk to people – not a corporate robot! Discuss ideas over a coffee, not just via phone and email.
Jake Music Video Production - Industry Guest Speaker
  • If you’re shooting film in a public location, make sure that you get the proper permission to do so. If you turn up with your clients and equipment and get asked to move, it’s going to be embarrassing and look highly unprofessional.
  • If you are passionate about the services you offer and work you produce, then every day you will network with people naturally. 
  • Don’t be afraid to be pedantic. If you’re at a set and you’ve got loads of equipment, don’t be in a rush to leave. Ensure you pack down properly and have all of your kit. You’ll be annoyed at yourself if you lose a thousand pound piece of equipment!
  • Back up all of your work after shooting. And then back it up again on another device. You can never be too safe.
  • Remember that when working with bands, they aren’t trained actors. They’re performers. Standing in front of a camera might not be natural to them. Take your time with them. If they’re looking tired or getting a bit agitate, take a break, help them to refocus and relax. 
  • Remember that videos are forever so make sure you put in 110% effort and take your time to get everything right. 
  • Have good communication with your client leading up to the shoot. Make sure they know the schedule and running order of the day.
  • One man film crew: low budget, full control but more responsibility, light and manoeuvrable.
  • Larger crew: Bigger budgets, more outgoings, spread the workload among a team – manage that team, bigger vision and more time required. 
  • Equipment hire costs can be expensive so budget correctly. 

THE MINDSET

Strong Ideas / Clear Goals

Plan Well

Execute Even Better

Stay Focused

Stay Passionate

We want to say a big thank you to Jake for giving up his time to inspire the next generation of film makers and creatives!

If any of our students or aspiring film makers want to check out Jake’s presentation with some really useful information that he delivered, he’s kindly shared it here. 

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