Why Working for Free is Never ok...

Like many others in my industry, I have travelled a remarkable amount of milage through the back-alleys of free work - all in the name of progress. But as far as my experience bubble on LinkedIn could tell me I'm an 'All-Star', it quite frankly meant nothing for my bank balance and I even had to resort to the thing that I'd wanted to avoid at all costs, 'state benefits'.

I was upholding a zero-hour contract at a bar to pay my rent, alongside gaining relevant experience within the industry when there were no shifts left to take. I was working all hours of the day to make my mark on the industry and working all hours of the night to make up the money to live in London - and I'd often fall a little short, resorting to housing benefit to make up the difference.

It makes me feel almost ashamed to say that I was on benefits, but I realise now that this isn't my fault. If I was being paid my way, instead of agreeing to free work for companies that have a single production budget larger than my entire life's earnings - I wouldn't have touched them.

I think it is absolutely unacceptable for companies to palm work off on newly trained graduates or entry level professionals and freelancer, and NOT pay them. Does being young and enthusiastic somehow grant professional immunity to rent and bill payments?

At this point I want to encourage a round of applause for 'The Freelancer Club' who have stepped up to tackle the problem head on - despite the shit that comes with it from those grey-haired OxBridge graduates that once ran the business. This time we're stepping up the fight as freelancers are joining forces with grey-haired industry leaders that DO want change and young professionals to pave the way for this NEW, DIVERSE industry that everyone keeps talking about. With the BBC today announcing 5,000 9-week digital traineeships - surely NOW is the time to encourage change in the industry and train up a youth of professionals that will be valued for their talent, irrespective of their background and taught that 'The Only Way Is Pay'.

It comes at a price for the club, 'During the research period alone we've lost business as a direct result of our questioning' but I for one, am backing them all the way and I hope you will too. For all too long have we been silenced by the admins of various Facebook groups who say, 'it's how it was for all of us, so deal with it' or 'how do expect to get anywhere with that attitude?' when we're really not asking much - all we want is TO BE PAID. If this is the attitude we face at the top then it tells you everything you need to know about where the industry we all cherish - is doing things all wrong and is freezing out promising emerging talent with its inability to admit that change is necessary.

So join the movement, join the Freelancer Club and say #NoFreeWork - say that paying expenses only for Producer roles is WRONG and pledge to say that together we really can stop exploiting the talent that could transform the industry we know and love.

https://thefreelancerclub.co.uk/blog/post/no-free-work

https://www.change.org/p/freelancers-employers-stop-posting-and-applying-for-unpaid-freelance-work

MAKE SURE TO TWEET ME YOUR OWN STORIES OF FREE WORK & LET ME KNOW IF YOU PLEDGE!


And here's an interesting article about the argument surrounding internships too: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29996607 I'd love to see your tweets about how you feel about this!

Children on the Frontline

A debut for photojournalist Marcel Mettelsiefen and genuinely my favourite Channel4 documentary...ever. I'm not convinced why, but the pacing and structure, the engaging contributors, the setting of the story at the frontline in Aleppo, the constant jeopardy of gunfire and snipers and some wonderfully emotive original music from Andrew Phillips made it the most compelling factual programme I've viewed in a long time.

casarotto.co.uk

Mettelsiefen gained access to a family at the forefront of the Free Syrian Army's (FSA) fight. We were faced with the plight of 4 children, wise way beyond their years: 5yr old Sara, 8yr old Farah, 13yr old Helen and 14yr old Mohammed. All children of the commander of the FSA battalion at the front, Abu Ali Al-Saliba, now missing and presumed dead by the hands of IS militants.

www.stern.de

We also meet with a well-known face among the revolution, 13yr old Aboude, who spends his days rallying support, singing and encouraging others to victory with his pro-revolution posters. It's almost like some mocked up interview where it's been scripted by a 30yr old, but actually is completely devised by the brains of a 12yr old. It's astounding how much these children understand about their conflict, even more so, how aware they are of themselves. His mother even tells us how his parents tried to deter him from his work but how he cried for days and instead set to work making posters. Aboude is not blind to the dangers of his work either, he tells his mother that she should not be sad if he should die and sees his role as a duty. It's commendable, if not tragic that such a young boy should feel to hold the weight of the nation's hopes on his shoulders.

express.co.uk

The three girls of Abu and Hala spend their days tidying up houses that have been bombed by the Aasad regime where the youngest girl Sara, finds sporadic refuge in the toys of the children that had lived there prior. But older sister Helen is quick to remind her of her moral values 'it's wrong to take other people's belongings' and returns them to their rightful place. It's moving to see such clarity of goodness and judgement amidst a conflict that knows nothing of the kind. 

14yr old Mohammed also shares philosophies way beyond the childish woes we hear so often at home, as he states, 'What ever happens to the men, to my father, will happen to us as well'. Helen shares 'we will live and die with our dad...why should we leave him'. These children hold within them the hope for a better world and the loyalty and resilience of the people behind the revolution.

miscethoughts.blogspot.com

www.stern.de

Similarly we see how they still try to have a childhood, as Helen teaches her siblings as they cannot attend school, so that they have a hope in their futures. She also asks Sara to tell her about her dreams... she is encouraged to play and to dream, rather than to grow up too fast. “I just want my siblings to be happy…to feel the spirit of childhood, the spirit of play,” she says. Although we do see a moment, a flicker of doubt in their hope, when Farah describes how one man lost his head when a bomb exploded as he lit it. As she nods to tell us she saw the man after he had died we can only imagine the feelings she must have experienced. The hope falters further when we hear a shell explosion nearby, 'that was close by' she says rising from her seat. We see an instant change in behaviour that crushes our maternal empathy so much that it turns to dust. I cannot imagine what their mother must feel each day as her children play on a balcony targeted by snipers.

channel4.com

It was wonderfully shot, focussing on the children of the conflict gave a more honest account than I am used to. Adults reason, they cover up, they have agendas, children simply have their desire to be children and their very natural and inhibited responses to the questions they are asked. We cannot tear our eyes away from their fight, from their fear, cannot help but honour their resilience and cannot help but feel as though we have lost something when the programme ends without hearing the rest of their story.

I cannot stress how great I thought this film was. A really great achievement for Mettelsiefen and if this standard is anything to go by, I can't wait to see his next work.

For more visit:
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jan/23/children-on-the-frontline-syria-review
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/children-of-the-frontline

'American Interior' - Gruff Rhys

Whilst suffering the norovirus over Christmas (brilliant) moving from my mum's sofa was not an option. So I decided to pull out a pre-Christmas purchase from HMV and boy am I glad I did.

guardian.com

'American Interior' is a multi-media idea that follows the journey of two men: John Evans as he sets off in 1792 from Wales to America, and his great great grandson Gruff Rhys who embarks on a series of investigative concerts to discover what really happened when his ancestor set out to find a long lost Welsh tribe - The Madogwys - on whom the hopes of the nation rested.

brooklynvegan.com

Gruff is wonderfully original with his ideas, taking along with him a puppet version of John Evans, a powerpoint presentation, a camera and of course, his music. It isn't about pushing his music, or about his show, or even just about his journey, it follows a very interesting journey of a man of the 18th century and we meet some intriguing living characters along the way. Who knew so many people spoke or had an interest in the Welsh culture over in the US? And perhaps most magically, in a tale shown only in black and white, we as an audience remain to see through to a truly colourful existence through endearing comedy and storytelling.

american-interior.com

As well as being a celebration of the path of the Missouri river and America's native history, Gruff manages to capture a love for the Welsh language and stimulate a feeling of pride for legend-loving Wales, that it has this story to share. As John Evans set out to find this long-lost Welsh tribe, he encountered many great things along his journey. He was the first man to map (most of) the Missouri river, which was the basis of the map drawn by Lewis and Clark, which continues to be the map we go by today. He wrestled with river reptiles and hunted bison with the Omaha tribe. He defected to the Spanish and was tasked with bargaining and mediating with the natives to claim territory, annexing North Dakota from the British. For a poor boyo from the valley (and boyo he was, at just 17 when he set off), it's not a bad adventure! The Great Plains and Nebraskan mountains of his trip may not have held the beckoning call of the Snowdonian summit, but John Evans really did make the US his home, living out his life until his death in St Louis. And as Gruff follows in his footsteps on his concert tour, we are delighted to meet existing members of tribes like those he may have met, such as the Mandan tribe.

londoncitynights.com

I feel that without even meaning to, Gruff has emanated a great celebratory feeling of discovery, of language and of culture. The Mandan tribe has only one fluent speaker left of the Mandan language and we meet a young man trying to learn as much as is possible before it is lost forever. With that man, dies the language and with only 500,000 Welsh speakers left in Wales, Gruff feels the threat is not only applicable to the tribe. (As a twice removed descendant of Wales I would absolutely love to learn the Welsh language, particularly if Gruff is teaching it - the next album maybe?)

It's a feel good film, one that doesn't proclaim to be anything more than it is, but that leaves you feeling as though it's a whole lot more. It's enchanting because it feels as though we are discovering the story with Gruff as he shares scrawled lyrics of half-finished songs with audiences along the way. It's a charming film with an equally grounding soundtrack, one that you can almost hear echoing around the black & white valleys of the Missouri river. It's exploratory spirit left me truly inflated with the big dreams of ordinary men.

undertheradarmag.com

And what's more, is that although I've told you half the findings, there is so much more to see and to explore and to learn!

An album, a hardback, a paperback and e-book, an app, a film - is this quite literally the best multi-platform/multi-media idea I've seen yet? Probably yes! (I think Sky Arts have missed the boat on this one) And one you should most definitely read, watch, listen to or respond to in any way that satisfies Gruff's next original idea. 

For more info on all these, head here: http://american-interior.com/film/

And be sure to look out for Gruff's valentine's day release 'Married 2 Me'!!!

Waiting for 'Superman'

Director Davis Guggenheim has been endlessly praised for his 2010 title 'Waiting for 'Superman'. The title swept the awards ceremonies clean, picking up 14 awards amongst 25 nominations. I feel however, I should have learned by now, not to trust awards when it comes to choosing documentaries to watch.

flaglerlive.com

Waiting for 'Superman' is of course a documentary that will have captured the hearts of American film festival judges, not just for bureaucratic reasons, but because they can relate to the story within the film. For us, as an audience (an overseas audience at that), it is less of a documentary, more of a visual proposal, a presentation of far too many statistics for any one person to take in first time round. Perhaps the most fitting award nomination the film received then is this one (IMDB):

Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2010

Nominated EDA Special Mention Award

Movie You Wanted to Love, But Just Couldn't

http://www.dvdbeaver.com

Mainly I wanted to challenge the unnecessary inclusion of archive of 'The Simpsons', and 'School of Rock' that seemed to attempt to break up the endless narration that never actually arrived at a solid conclusion. Surely it's just a waste of money. Then I remembered Guggenheim made 'An Inconvenient Truth' and probably still has the money to spend on idle content. If the point was to highlight that bad education had become so much a part of the US education infrastructure that it was even embedded within popular culture, then ok, I get the link. But Guggenheim instead could have spent the time and money showing us real representations of the issues. I wanted to hear personal accounts, testimonies, not just watch yet another persons fictional interpretation of the system. Is that what the issue is, fictional?

http://www.dvdbeaver.com

It just didn't move me to want to make a difference, nor did it make me feel as though there was a way I could help at all. Although Guggenheim's graphical finale supports that no big changes have ever started in the White House, they have started with people, started with you... I felt there was nothing willing me to support the cause, nothing compelling me to do so.

The film consisted of far too many accounts of failure, far too many interviews, far too much description and narration and nowhere near enough visual evidence. I read somewhere that a good documentary will have the power to persuade you of it's cause by images alone, and 'Waiting for Superman' just didn't. I felt, nothing.

Michelle Rhee - nytimes.com

It may have taken us through some of the attempts to alter the US education system with some nice archive of Michelle Rhee in her battles against angry parents. But I had no real emotional attachment to any of our featured children that allowed me to really feel for them at their acceptance/rejections into better schools at the ever anticipated 'lottery'.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com

The film wasn't completely elusive, it had some great graphical elements and held at least one memorable moment with young Anthony who is already planning for the future of his children as his own is still being decided. But I don't think that Guggenheim completely succeeded in humanising the statistics flooding out of the academic sinkholes of the US.

graphical elements - http://www.dvdbeaver.com

Many say it's well made, others say it's an important documentary to watch, some say it compels change... I disagree. I think to compel an audience to act, they need to SEE real people's experiences, not just HEAR them. In this I don't think Guggenheim did as well as he could. It's a commentary, not a documentary. On the subject of commentary, for a film about children, I also wanted to hear a lot more from them than I did. For a film about education, I wanted to see a lot more REAL on-location footage in classrooms, like the shot of Anthony holding his hand up, rather than just that single token shot. That single shot, did not lay down a narrative of reality for me, the visuals were not enough to convince me. But that's just me. Who knows, you might think differently. 

Waiting for Superman is available on Amazon for the modest UK price of £2.86 so why not decide for yourself! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-For-Superman-Davis-Guggenheim/dp/B004OBZLO6

'Eye to the Viewfinder' - One to Watch

tees.ac.uk

I first saw Paige’s film ‘Eye to the Viewfinder’ advertised as part of the Imperial War Museum’s short film festival. Unfortunately I’d missed the showing due to filming my own short documentary but managed to track Paige down, who very kindly allowed me to watch it.

And from that, Paige is definitely one to watch for the future. She had some really good interviews with a range of good contributors, including Paul Clark, a photographer with the army film unit during WW2. The colour temperature was a little different on Mick Howard's interview but I don’t think we can fault her for that amongst such a piece. The sound was flawless so I think that pulls it back.

visitmiddlesbrough.com

The strongest part of the film was when our contributors shared their combat stories, and the archive was selected to match. It added a sense of danger, of conflict and a greater appreciation for the photos and videos produced. It was a great insight into the work of the army, and its photographers. Archive was well sourced, showing a range of conflicts from Ardoyne to Iraq and I found myself lost in the photographs.

Truth be told, the narrative lacked a bit of story development at the beginning, as in, at that point I wasn’t sure what the film was trying to tell me, but by the middle I was captivated by the experiences of those on screen, particularly Stuart McKenzie and Mick Howard. Paige obviously has an eye for a story and a keen enthusiasm for sharing it with the world. What was great is that we learned about our contributors as photographers rather than as soldiers, who have to compete with the world’s media in getting their shots to the front page. The film values them, and rightly so!

Overall, a great addition to the short film festival and perhaps an even better addition to the IWM army archive? Paige I wish you luck with the rest of the film’s journey and look forward to your next film! 

Religion is People

It seems for most of us, it's harder to have faith in people than it is to assume the worst. I must be a bit of a weird one in that I am often blown away by human actions for good reasons, far more often than I am by bad.

Ok, so he wasn't dressed like this - but still

For example, I think I found Santa! My partner and I were on the overground on our way to support a friend at his comedy gig, and a child was tired and crying. It didn't matter what her dad tried to do to make her stop, she kept crying. A man sat nearby had clearly just been Christmas shopping and was laden with gifts. He reached into his bag and pulled out a teddy bear. He gave it to the dad to calm the child down and lo and behold, it worked.

The tube stopped a few stops down the line and the father and daughter turned to get off the train. The dad reached out to the man to give him back his teddy bear and the man simply said, 'no, don't worry, keep it'. What a lovely man! It was certainly an easy way to cheer up an entire carriage. As I looked around everyone in the train was smiling having just witnessed a very natural and spontaneous act of kindness. It was definitely Santa in disguise!

Alan Turing

I find it quite hard to explain even to my partner how much people inspire me. I honestly think they are amazing. Having just seen 'The Imitation Game' and seeing how much Alan Turing achieved, even though he found it hard to make friends and was labelled an odd ball, really got to me. As I tried to explain why I have so much faith in people, I found I couldn't even finish my sentence. I was crying. And that is why I cannot explain why people amaze me so much, because it is so overpowering that there just aren't words to express it. 

Others say such faith is naive, but I disagree. I think it's wonderful. I don't follow a religion but if I had to choose one, my religion would be people. Call it what you like, but take some time to look around this Christmas. There are lots of horrible things happening in the world but people, even amidst a world of suffering, can be wonderful. For example, my 88yr old grandmother had her purse stolen from her bag this week, and the thief ran off with an old lady's pension money she was hoping to spend on looking nice at her grandson's wedding. At this point, yes, people suck. Then comes a young policeman who's duty was to take down what happened. He didn't stop there though. He walked arm in arm with my grandmother to the post office to cancel her card before ensuring that an elderly lady was escorted home in a police car in case she was shaken up by what had happened. That last bit, is not in his job description, but he did it anyway, because he really cared about my grandmother getting home safe. At this point, people are great!

So, like I say, look around this Christmas, maybe you'll find yourself being wonderful too!

Merry Christmas!

World Press Exhibition

Peter Holgersson, Sweden

The female form has always been the subject of many photographers, artists and film-makers. Yet this exhibition, truly showed how it's no longer just about the bodily form, but about what women represent. In this exhibition, they shone through as representations of anything and everything.

Markus Schreiber, Germany

We had women as objects of sexual desire in the Legends Football League which shows women playing football in lingerie (which has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of). We had women as the victims of abuse in a series of photographs of a young girl, her child and her partner. We also had women as symbols of remarkable strength and willpower, particularly in the heptathlon photos of Nadja Casadei who was diagnosed with cancer yet still kept up her vigorous training programme whilst undergoing chemotherapy. And there was one image of a woman with such sadness in her eyes it brought tears to mine, as she'd waited and waited whilst access to see Nelson Mandela's casket was closed.

Fred Ramos, El Salvador

It wasn't just women though, it was great representation of humanity as a whole, bad and good. The photos leaked creativity and insight into stories from across the world, which obviously got my documentary blood pumping. There were some images that really stood out to me as I walked around the Royal Festival Hall.

One was this one, the clothes of victims of homicide showing us just how futile attempts to discover who those who once wore these clothes might be. It showed also just how unremarkable we are as humans as we disappear into the ground and leave nothing behind.

Taslima Akhter, Bangladesh

Another, was the image of the collapsed Rana Plaza building with two people, a male and a female, embracing one another as they are photographed dead amongst the rubble. No-one knows what the relationship between the two people was, but I think it shows a lot about human strength and hope, amidst a disaster that shows humanity's flaws simultaneously.

Danila Tkachenko, Russia

The next group of images really spoke to me as someone who enjoys her own company perhaps a little too much. There was a group of photos showing three men who have secluded themselves from the world and where they live. I'd be interested to know what people's reactions were to the images as to me, I felt a real sense of envy and appreciation for their freedom but I know others might have walked past and coined them 'weirdos' and that's that.

Robin Hammond, New Zealand

 The next image that stood out to me, were the images of men chained to posts and walls, forced to live outside or in the darkness of shacks with locks on, in various African countries. When I wandered nearer to read the description of why they were chained up, was met with the explanation that they were suffering from mental illness or disability and were treated this way in order to heal them. I was appalled and at the same time intrigued as to how very different cultures and understanding can be across the globe.

Peter Van Agtmael, USA

The final images that stuck out were those of Bobby Henline. As he walked down the street our photographer captured the very moment that those around him realized his disfigurement. I feel as though in this picture, each face tells a story. You can almost hear the thoughts in their heads. A frizzy haired mother looking on at him confused, a distracted father and daughter, an older brother oblivious to Bobby's presence who looks ahead to his next antic, a younger brother looking both in wonder and in fear at this bold man walking down the street. Bobby, knowing people will stare and trying to continue to walk boldly with his head held high. It really captures a story in just one second.

Carla Kogelman, The Netherlands

Goran Tomasevic, Serbia

There are so many more that really spoke to me. There were pictures of two blonde girls who had complete freedom and made me wanted to run faster than ever back to my home-town and back to my childhood. There was an image of a swimmer doing backstroke where I couldn't quite decide which part of the body was which and that strangely made it more beautiful. There were the blind albino boys in the school in West Benghal and the diver surrounded by a dark sea abyss of nothingness that was both beautiful and disconcerting simultaneously. There were pictures of the Boston marathon bombs, of wrestlers and their mothers, of organized murders in Mexico, of families taking cover on the ground of Nairobi's Westgate Mall during the massacre and incredible shots of Syrian rebel fighters taking cover from Syrian army amid debris. The images really were incredible and showed the full range of human experience. I could spend hours staring into the eyes of these timeless pictured moments.

The exhibition could really do with some video coverage, asking the viewers which photos stood out, which told a story, what they thought of certain photos. It could make a great video by engaging audience members with the photography and really making them think, just as the photographers intended.


There are so many images I couldn't include in this blog that completely broaden your perspective on life so explore them all for yourself. If you missed the exhibition at the Royal festival Hall, then visit: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2014

The Baby Born in a Concentration Camp

Eva Clarke - Born in Mauthausen Concentration Camp

On Wednesday 26th November I had the honour of listening to Eva Clarke, who shared with me, and a room filled with fellow Regional Ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust, her truly unbelievable survival story. Unfortunately her mother Anka Bergman passed away last year but there is still a way we can hear from her for ourselves.

In 2013 the BBC made a short documentary film about their incredible story where Anka gets to tell us for herself, how she survived. I never fail to be blown away by the humble and tender nature of holocaust survivors, having been through and seen so much of humanity's darkest hours. Anka turned up on her cousins doorstep after the war, babe in arms and desperate. The film is a wonderful testament to Anka and those who took her in as she can no longer hold back the tears at how grateful she is for their kindness.

It does have its short falls. There is a lack of original archive. The image of young Anka is used too often and the story is driven by interviews rather than interviews being added to help contextualize the piece or add to it's impact. The film looks to have had a tight turn around and for that reason, I find it hard to fault the rest of the film. It would have been nice to see the two contributors together though. They are talking about a story that concerns them both, and concerns their love and respect for each other, but we don't get to see them together beyond the opening shot. That would have added to the film I think. 

Anka Bergman - gave birth unaided whilst weighing approx 5 stone

Documentary aside, Anka is an incredible woman. To have given birth twice within the 4yrs she suffered under Nazi persecution, and to have survived Theresienstadt, Auschwitz AND Mauthausen, whilst barely 5 stone and giving birth unaided to a 3 pound baby. It really was a miracle that both Anka and Eva survived to tell us the tale for themselves, and tell it together.

Eva Clarke, is a really wonderful lady too. She sat among the circle of Regional Ambassadors with the Holocaust Educational trust to listen to our plans for 2015: the 70th anniversary year of the liberation of so many camps, including the infamous Auschwitz. Eva shared that she was almost moved to tears as we, who are all under the age of 26, shared our plans for preserving her mother's memory and so many others. We share a very close relationship with survivors of the holocaust and 2015 is our chance to show them all how grateful we are that they share their stories with us and how committed we are to ensuring that they are not forgotten. Documentaries like this one, can only help us in our aims to embrace 'Keeping the Memory Alive' (the theme of this year's holocaust memorial day - which coincidentally is the week of Eva's 70th birthday and the 70th anniversary year of the liberation), as we try to increase the resources available and ensure that in the coming years, as the survivor community lessens, that their stories and lessons are carried forward.

You can watch the film here:  

If you are interested in hearing more holocaust survivor testimonies, please watch my film 'After Auschwitz' here: https://vimeo.com/101650543

And please visit: http://collections.ushmm.org/search/