I'm James and I recently completed a 10-week internship at Made Better Media. During my time here I acquired a range of new skills and experiences, from editing promotional clips for social media to assisting on location shoots around Brighton. Here are some lessons I learnt from my time on the sets of ‘Turn Around’ by Phats and Small, and ‘Brighton is Falling’ by Tenderhooks.

1. Always keep a watchful eye out for things that might lead to continuity errors later on. We could have saved ourselves quite a bit of time on the Phats and Small shoot if we’d paid more attention to the front window of Rare Kind records, the principal location. In one shot a Phats and Small record can clearly be seen behind the model with the A-board. In the next shot, though, the record has changed! It’s a crucial visual reference and a rather charming easter egg, so it was important we get it right. The Phats and Small record was added in post-production.

2. Unless you’re sticking to a very strict storyboard, always get some different shots for variation.

3. The general public can be very unpredictable, especially when they think you’re trying to sell them something. When filming in public I often had to stand on street corners asking people not to walk in front of the camera. At least one time in three, they rushed past without meeting my eye and found themselves in the middle of a film set!

4. As a runner I found it better to not try and second-guess what people would need, or where they would decide to go. A few times I ended up having to hide behind a bus shelter or a car so I didn't end up in shot.

5. Don’t let your own mistakes get to you, everything has a reasonable explanation or solution, including your own fallibility.