Work Experience at Liquona
What a week’s work experience at Liquona is really like – by someone who experienced it first hand
Having finished my second year at University studying film and television production, I was keen to gain media industry experience. The video production industry is a notoriously competitive field, therefore a work experience placement is a helpful step on the ladder towards full time employment and a great thing to put on your CV.
I began my search for a work placement in the summer of 2015. During my second year of university I had gained a bit of work experience at various places, and had gained an insight into the process of how media companies operate.
I had made films for a few clients throughout the course of the year, creating things from the absurd to educational for a variety of clients, getting stuck in where I could and I grew to realise that a production company was where I wanted to be.
Searching through a range of different companies for placements, I came across Liquona. I scanned their website and seconds into watching their showreel, I was hooked, this was the company for me. The content was beautiful, professional, and exciting. After an encouraging chat with Krystal, a production coordinator at Liquona, I could feel that their passion for video was incredible, and after applying, I was granted a week’s placement in August.
This was my first work experience placement within the industry, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I felt instantly relaxed upon walking into the building (a beautiful converted chapel, not a building one would associate with a production company). I was welcomed by the team and was given a grand tour of the office.
The team provided me with various tasks to complete throughout my placement; general office tasks, animation and editing tasks, and promotion of their social media pages were all on the agenda. My first mission involved getting my head around photoshop. I was tasked with creating a moving parallax image using a behind the scenes still from a past shoot. I’m not the most competent photoshop user, yet with the guidance of Dan, an animator, I surpassed my own expectations.
I was also given access to their footage from previous shoots and I was tasked to create short behind the scenes film from an international charity shoot. I sat with editors Alice and Nick on numerous occasions, and bombarded them with questions, and was able to take away hints and tips before starting my edit.
During the week I was also able to sit in on production meetings, helping out with new projects, creating and researching and range of ideas for new and upcoming films. Sharing an office with such a small team, I was able to peer over the shoulders of/chat to animators, editors and producers to get a glimpse of life in a production company. This, to me, was the most beneficial outcome and shadowing the team was the perfect introduction to a variety of areas in a professional media production company.
I have been lucky to have been exposed to a busy, challenging working environment and there was a constant flow of information buzzing around me. Attending different meetings and being involved in the production process gave me a real sense on how media companies run. Being apart of the team for a week really gave me a sense of work after university and inspired me to make a start in the industry. I would recommend a work placement at Liquona to anyone!
Max
