Initially trained at the BBC where I worked as a Production Assistant, I have been involved in specialised training for the film and television industry for over forty years, running over a hundred training courses for most of the major television companies in the UK as well as courses for the Independent Television Association, the National Film and Television School, the Royal College of Art and other colleges and academies. I have also run courses for the Galway Film Commission in Ireland, the Gaelic Training Trust, the Northern Ireland Film Council and the Munich School of Television and Film in Germany.
My own residential courses have attracted applicants from all the main television companies, independent and corporate production companies as well as students from overseas.
My training has been approved by Skillset, the industry training organisation and my contribution to television training in the UK was recognised in 1996 by National Training Awards at both regional and national level.
My two books: The Continuity Supervisor and The Television PA’s Handbook have been standard textbooks for the industry.
With the rapid technological changes of the past few years I no longer run courses in the work of the Gallery PA/Script Supervisor in the control room of a television studio. I have, however, recently run a training course in shot-calling for the Script Supervisors working on ‘Eastenders’.
I provide intensive one-to-one, one day courses either via Zoom or face to face, tailored to your needs and on a mutually convenient date. The training covers all aspects of continuity when working in film and television.
- background to single camera shooting
- what is continuity?
- observation
- knowing shot size
- shot descriptions
- conventions of single-camera shooting
- setting up for a shoot
- layout of scripts
- script breakdowns
- timing
- what to look for and how to note it down
- the relationship between action and dialogue
- tramline or coverage notes
- information for the camera department
- information for the editor
- logging shots for factual TV programmes
If required, I am happy to extend the course for half a day in order to cover camera scripting, camera cards, timing and shot calling when working on TV drama in a multi-camera switched studio gallery.