Susannah Jones

Susannah is an ITV Studio Technician, originally from Haywards Heath, who graduated from Screen and Film School Brighton in 2019.

After graduating in 2019, Susannah worked as a freelance spark for the summer on a variety of projects including music videos, short film and commercials. She gained valuable experience and contacts over those few months and enjoyed the variety of working freelance.

In September 2019, she successfully applied to work as a Studio Technician for ITV Daytime. The role consists of a mix of camera, jib, lighting and sound assisting in the studios across the four daytime shows: Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women.

This presented a great opportunity to gain skills in other areas, combining the variety of freelancing with the stability of a full-time job role as part of a crew. From December 2020, Susannah began more specialist training as a jib assistant.

What were the most valuable skills you gained at Screen and Film School?

“Film school allowed me to try out a variety of roles, which gave me a better understanding of the structure and role everyone has to play in Film and TV Production. For example, whilst I knew I didn’t want to be a director or writer, those assignments allowed me a better understanding of a crew relationship and story development, for narrative film in particular.

Also, the career development support and guidance in second and third year was brilliant. The tutors and course explained the wide variety of job roles available and how you could plan a path to your goal, with fantastic 1-1 sessions too.”

What advice would you offer current students at Screen and Film School?

“My advice for those who want to start out as freelancers would be to build a good CV and showreel during your third year and gain extra work experience outside of film school where possible. That way, when you graduate you are ready to get out there with a few starting contacts.

If you’re aiming for a staff role or permanent position, also try gaining some work experience on independent projects first. My short time freelancing and doing some unpaid work really helped my application to ITV.

However, when it comes to unpaid work make sure you’re careful considering the pros and cons. If you’re not gaining good experience, know when to walk away.

Finally, don’t give up if you meet some rejection! There are times when freelancing where you might not have anything booked and I applied to a lot of jobs before gaining an interview. Perseverance pays off.”

 

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN THE UK FILM AND TV INDUSTRY, TAKE A LOOK AT SCREEN AND FILM SCHOOL’S COURSE FINDER PAGE.