"As a recent graduate, especially as one looking to break into the media industry, the prospect of finding a ‘real job’ is always daunting. The competition alone is enough to put you off for good. This is why work experience placements are a perfect way into the game; they offer a taster of the company, they allow you to explore the industry to see if it’s right for you, and importantly they add greater depth to your CV.

Having already done my fair share of internships I feel that I can say with some authority that Spectrecom offers a great work placement. During my time here I have worked on some great shoots, such as a viral film for Guinness and the Six Nations rugby tournament. Not only have I been able to work in production on the organisational side of projects, but I have also assisted in studio work and in post-production. Importantly, there has been a great emphasis on allowing me to make the most of my time here by giving me a full and rounded experience with an insight into different departments. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Spectrecom and I have appreciated the effort that has been put into showing me the work and life of a production company. Everyone who works here has been incredibly friendly and welcoming, so much so that after just two weeks at Spectrecom I will be sad to leave."

By Katie Billows

Film production is the mythical dollar-imbibed landscape which most authors either shy away from or find intolerably meddlesome, but when your adapted novels have scooped more in way of awards than James Cameron’s bribe-squad, it’s probably high time you used that gold-dust to tease an original screenplay into being made.

This is why Cormac Mcarthy, author of such Hollywood-adapted novels as No Country for Old Men and ‘The Road’, has surprised his agent by submitting not the first draft of his next novel, but a screenplay.  Currently named ‘The Counsellor’, the story takes place in the contemporary Southwest U.S, and differs from the writer’s previous works by featuring two female lead characters.

Given the creative bankruptcy of feature-filmmaking in Hollywood of late, perhaps McCarthy will be able to give television production a run, once ‘The Counsellor’ bites the dust. Alan Ball did the very same thing upon the success of American Beauty, and, thanks to his moxy and HBO’s cashish, we got Six Feet Under. Enough said.

Keep your eyes peeled for future developments on The Counsellor. The likelihood is that McCarthy will have no problems shopping it around the salivating suits of tinsel town.

Selling cars in sexy video productions is easy; selling safety is often a little harder as although of paramount importance, the concept of airbags isn’t usually as interesting as big engines and beautiful lines careering around incredible roads.

Mercedes have had a crack at creating a safety conscious video production for their latest B-Class advert though, and the results look pretty fantastic. Airbags have been keeping us safe in cars for 30 years. In the clip we see drivers removed from their cars floating around the highways finally ending up in a car-free head on collision.

It’s an incredible well-conceived advert and very sleek, featuring a post-production tweak that has been deployed excellently in the past when it comes to many films especially sporting ones, digitally enhanced skateboarding videos spring to mind.

If you want to make a fantastic video production for your brand why not get in touch.

The evolution of video production is bound with that of the internet, and both are the subject of wild debate across the globe of late. Still the most popular, effective and versatile tool used to reach out to other users, the internet has democratised the way in which we think, speak and act. Now, the time has come. US Congress will decide upon two pieces of legislation which, experts say, not only have a large potential to cripple the internet, but do not even protect the entertainment industry from the targets of the legislation in the first place.

Piracy is most certainly a grave, global problem for filmmakers and musicians alike, and nobody is questioning the need to tackle it. But one can’t help but feel a niggling sense of frustration at the thought of censoring the internet to achieve this end. This would surely descend into collective wroth if the internet is to be contorted beyond recognition, only to find that piracy is still rife within its waters.  

Video producers around the world have been flexing their creative muscle in protest, along with noble blackout gestures from sites like Wikipedia and Wired. The below video is the best of the bunch, and I feel it only appropriate to end by citing a founding father of the country which is the nebula of this world-wide debate right now, because these bills could prove to be just as corrosive to the constitution as they are to the internet.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."– Benjamin Franklin

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Television production in America can often be said to be pushing the perpetual envelope of creativity ten times the number of its feature-length cousins, and Game of Thrones is yet another whetstone which allows the spearhead of this televisual renaissance -  HBO - to remain sharp. With this in mind, it is no surprise that the show is gathering a following quicker than a herd of rabid wildlings. It is even less surprising that the most talented of the ensemble cast, playing the most multifaceted character of the show, has won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor.

Peter Dinklage, AKA Tyrion son of Tywin AKA The silver-tongued imp of House Lannister, will now be able to feng-shui his mantle piece using both Emmy and Golden Globe. If you haven’t watched season one of Game of Thrones yet, stock up before season two drops. If ever you hear that archaic argument that the books are invariably better than their audio-visual adaptions, then A Song of Ice and Fire is a handy one to pull from your tunic-pocket.

Peter Dinklage, as humble and altruistic as ever in his acceptance speech, also used the platform to draw necessary attention to a senselessly capricious attack on Martin Henderson, a fellow actor and dwarf. Hear him roar here…

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