20days work experience

I had a tough time searching for a work placement in England so I decided to look abroad at the last minute and found ‘Future Services’ in Kuwait, and they were more than happy to allow me to earn my work experience at their company for 15 days.

During Easter break I travelled to Kuwait to work on a Health and Safety video for a company called ‘Future Services’.  Future services is a Logistics and Contracting company, who undertake contracts nationwide which handle a wide range of tasks such as, tents, catering, pre-fabricated housing/offices and sewage works.

I was placed in the company’s Health and Safety department in order to create a Health and Safety video for the company to be aware of, and follow, and when it came down to the editing of the video I also helped in the editing which is something I enjoy doing.

In the beginning I was introduced to the important colleagues of the company and was shown around the areas of where their construction takes place.  This was good to see as the reason why I was there was to create a Health and Safety video and where the contractors take place to build there are many dangerous objects laid around.  Every company has Health and Safety rules and ‘Future Services’ is no different.

After the introduction to the colleagues and company, I began to think about what I could film, also I thought about the angles, lighting, and sound.  I was quite excited to work in a professional company alongside with other professional individuals.

I went in to the placement at Future Services with strong skills of computer and camera knowledge, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro editing software’s and I personally feel that I came out with stronger skills and confidence with working in a team with professionals.

Creating and editing a Health and Safety video for a professional company and the feelings I had during my time in Kuwait was great as I got to experience a new country, new people, and a company which I would normally not apply to.

Since I am a student away from home which I could call my comfort zone, the manager of ‘Future Services’ always made sure I was comfortable, if I needed any help, and was just taken care of which was extremely kind.

Since I have been told to not show the video to outsiders as it is only for the company use as it showed private viewings that the American Army use, where they sit and eat etc I will explain as much as I possibly can to what the video consists of.

The filming took approximately 6 days there were many days of delays as the country was experiencing terrible sandstorms and since we were working in the desert it was quite dangerous so we had to take time off from work.  The video consists of me filming inside and outside the tents in the desert, which showed contractors doing their job, creating tents for the American Army, following the contractors around on the construction site and filming the equipment which they use such as Caterpillars, bulldozers and many more complicated and oversized equipments.

The editing for the video took another 6 days to complete.  The video was quite simple as it was just a normal Health and Safety video but I did make sure to show them what a Coventry Media Production second year student is capable of doing and I added in some special effects.

Overall, I worked a total of 15days and the first 3 days was an introducing me to the colleagues at the company, the colleagues who work in the desert, and I got to work closely with the Logistics and Contracting Manager who goes by the name of Mr Marwan Zaidan at ‘Future Services’ and enjoyed my time there and met some interesting people.  It is exciting to work in a team of professionals outside of University walls as you know that everyone is treated fairly and there is no nonsense of favouritism of friends like University has.  I have learnt a lot from this work experience and I enjoyed doing the extra work in the office and following Mr Marwan Zaidan.

The rest of the five days from my work experience were spent in Coventry when working with Johnny Rickards project which is called CVTV as the set designer.  I have gone to meetings and I have also gone to look for material which Johnny said he wanted a purple velvet material which is where the interviewee will walk out from.  It just gives it a more professional look, the set designers have also been told that some time in these few weeks we will be called to get the set painted and it is a huge set so we might even ask some more individuals to help to get it done to meet the deadline.

I do find that there is a big difference between working in a professional environment and an environment which is being led by a group of students.  I do feel that we are doing extremely well however recently it has been quite disappointing as the communication has not been so good and cancellations of interviews on the day are quite disappointing.

There were many different roles for this project which I could have chosen but I wanted to choose being a set designer because it is something which I have not really done and I wanted to try something new.

Even though I have my 20 days now of work experience I am enjoying the CVTV project and I would like and will continue to be part of it as it is something new and quite exciting for the final project.

 

Letter

The following is an image of my letter which I recieved from the Logistics Contracting Manager Mr Marwan Zaidan.  I have photo copied the letter.

Work Placement

After all the trouble and stress which I stumbled across in trying to find a work placement throughout Easter I finally did.  Since it was such last notice I found this placement abroad located in Kuwait in a company called ‘Future Services’.  I recently flew over and had an introduction of what I will be doing more in depth.  The role I have taken is emmensely important as it is something every individual willneed to master in any job they find.  I will be following the “Boss” as they call him here as he tells the individuals who work for him what to do.  If you think about it it is exactly like in BBC for example when you have the Director who informs everyone that works with him/her on what to do and help in creating everything.  Mr Marwan Zaidan has acknowledged the fact that I am a Media Production student wanting to learn how to keep confident, calm and focused even when certain arrangements are not working out as planned.  Mr Marwan has informed me that he will be allowing me to take charge to see my leadership skills so on and so forth.

I will also be creating and editing a Health and Safety video which is going to be exciting as I have been informed that I will be working in the desert which is giving me mixed feelings, but nevertheless I will no doubt persevere.  I am also a set designer in a project outside of University which is called CVTV and it is basically about interviewing real celebrities which is quite exciting and can be rewarding.

CVTV – Set Design

Ok so we had our meeting today with Johnny about the boards for the set.  The size of the boards look huge especially knowing that we will be painting the set.  Below are the images I took of the boards and you will be able to see the door size too.

What I would like to gain from the work placement

With my completely two different work placement I would like to gain more confidence and knowledge with the roles that I have taken on.  I do feel that there is so much I can do I just need to find the right place and the right time to show off my skills and my capability.  Even though I have not found a work placement in the country in a top notch or mediocre media company I have still been able to keep my media roots by creating and editing a Health and Safety video all on my own in a professional company in Kuwait in the desert which is going to be challenging but exciting.

Even though this work placement will not give me names of important individuals in Disney, The BBC, ITV and so on it is still giving me the opportunity to put my skills to practice and to gain more skills and confidence which to me is still a great experience.

 

S.W.O.T Analysis

Below is a link to my PDF file of my S.W.O.T Analysis.

S.W.O.T Analysis

 

Professional CV

KARINE HAMMOUD

58 Hanover Circle

Hayes

Middlesex

UB3 2TJ

Mobile: 07507361202

Email: karine-h@hotmail.co.uk

D.O.B: 14 August 1989

Career Objective:

I want to create my own name within the media world.

I am aiming to first and foremost focus on television production.  I would like to gain important contacts and be able to create a strong personality and name for myself in this tough but exciting industry.  My communication skills is great and I can work immaculately in a team.  As I am highly motivated I think that it gives me the ability to take control of my career, it helps me to fight for what I believe in and what makes me happy and that is creating and producing.  I have a good understanding of media however I aim to further my knowledge luckily this industry always has something new so this does encourage me to learn and improve more and become more creative.

Harrow Weald College – Harrow- Tel: 0208 909 6000

2006- 2007 – BTEC First in Media – Pass

English GCSE – (C)

2007 – 2009 – BTEC National Diploma – MMM

The King Fahed Academy –

2002- 2005 – GCSE – Arabic Language & Literature (B), Art & Design (C)

1997-2005 – GCSE’s 2 at grade “C”and above; including Arabic Language and Literature and Art and Design.

When entering Harrow College I have developed a numerous amount of skills:

• Confidence in taking part in a focus group and in presentations.
• Ability to plan my work and to be organised in completion of tasks.
• Learning how to deal with stress and any inconvenience that may occur.
• Learning to be independent and taking control or giving a helping hand when needed.

BA (Hons) Media Production – Coventry University               (current)

Professional Experience:

2010 – Magazine Quiz Show – Production for degree Coursework

Throughout this production I was the fashion presenter and also took on the role of researcher and I took this very seriously but also had fun with it.  I began to look at fashion magazines and shows and learn how the presenter advertises the new trend and with the research I was in a small group where I worked with other girls from my production and we were able to discuss what we had found and put our ideas together.  The production group were great we worked to create a high quality programme which lasted about 17 minutes and it turned out great.  Since I was also the researcher it allowed me to work closely with the producer which was great.  Working in this production did boost my confidence and it made me more eager to create more and more productions and take on more challenging roles.  I do love the entertainment industry and creating and entertainment production is my passion and I look forward to creating many more.

2010 – Quiz Show Production – Production for degree Coursework

I have also been involved in creating a short television quiz show and radio show.  For the production of the radio quiz show I was in a group of 4 however I did most of the work and did not mind as it was all good fun and it was something new to create a radio show I did get help from my team members and they too enjoyed the production.  You could say I was the producer and manager as I was put in charge and it was a mutual decision and our radio producer I have to say she was a total natural I am delighted that my gut feeling was right and the girls agreed with me.  Now for the television quiz show I was in a team of 16 other individuals it was a big team but so much fun and we were all professional and during this production I chose to be the PA as I communicate with everyone else and have a say with it all and I was working closely with the Director and Producer and also the set designer.  There was a lot to do taking care of all the paper work – scripts – running order and health and safety,  as well as taking care of the guests, budget, props, and equipment I also spoke to the 2 main men of the editing about what would look good and getting a feel and knowledge of what they are going to do and it went great.  This production was great for me as it really helped me move forward, boost my confidence level, improve my communication skills with members I have not worked or spoken to before and I learned new studio skills.  It was good to work under pressure in the short time we had and I made sure to meet all of my deadlines which I did successfully.

 

2010 – CVTV – CVTV professional experience project

I was told about a project called CVTV and put myself to be part of the set design as this is a big deal as we are working with a previous student of Coventry who interviews celebrities and has given us a big opportunity to be apart of.  I realised that the group of set designers have not contacted one another or discussed anything so I took it upon myself to contact Johnny Rickard and ask him what he is looking for so we the set designers can get started.  Once I received his reply I immediately contacted the set designers and informed them of the e-mails being exchanged between Johnny and myself.  Since doing so the set has been going great and I continue to exchange e-mails with Johnny to make sure he is happy with everything and he is really pleased with my hard work and enthusiasm.  The aim of CVTV production is to produce a live show consisting of a large audience.

During Easter break I travelled to Kuwait to work on a Health and Safety video for a company called ‘Future Services’.  Future services is a Logistics and Contracting company, who undertake contracts nationwide which handle a wide range of tasks such as, tents, catering, pre-fabricated housing/offices and sewage works.

I was placed in the company’s Health and Safety department in order to create a Health and Safety video for the company to be aware of, and follow, and when it came down to the editing of the video I helped in the editing as I had informed them that editing is something I am good at and love to do.  However, I was told to not show the video to outsiders as it is only for company use as it showed private viewings of where the American Army stay, train, eat and so on.

Necessary Skills:

 

–          Experience with television and radio studio equipment – Studio experience – workshops with all camera equipment and training.

–          Experience with Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid and Final cut Pro  – Editing TV productions and documentaries using Mac and PC

–          Communication skills – Expressing critical opinions in written work as well as communicating in production work as PA

–          Able to work Camera Equipment – Practising with different camera equipment

–          Work well under pressure – Tight deadlines and busy schedules with productions and essays.

–          Organised and good time management – Always on time to group meetings and lectures and extremely organised.

–          Adaptable – able to adapt to new jobs and experiences.

–          Problem solving – Being involved in low budget productions with various cautions and time constraints.

–          Script writing and running order experience – Working as PA and researcher in productions.

–          Able to deal with clients, guests and presenters – Experience in all jobs – dealing with students in the school that my mother previously worked in and television production roles.

 

 

 

Software Experience	Level	Projects/work used for:
Adobe Photoshop	Advanced level	Media projects
Adobe Premier	Advanced level	Many music videos’s, film trailers and adverts.
Nero	Basic level	Burning project films to cd/dvd
Macromedia Dreamweaver	Intermediate Level	Project WebPages.
Macromedia Director	Intermediate Level	University Show reel
Macromedia Flash	Intermediate level	College projects.
Sony Vegas	Intermediate level	Editing of sounds for projects
Microsoft Package (incl. Excel, PowerPoint, Word.Avid Suite	Advanced levelBeginner Level	Educational purposes, and professional work projectsEducational purposes
Artistic Mediums	Level	Projects/work used for:
Script Writing	Advanced level	College project film synopsis and soon British film festivals.
Creative Writing	Advanced level	Film projects and for English.
Storyboards	Advanced level	Project animation films.

I have the ability to plan, organise and prioritise an event to a professional and satisfactory level.  My communication skills are very effective I am extremely polite and helpful to customers and can also build a good relationship with key contacts.  My skills have been tested in many ways and they have become stronger over the past four years as I have been taught in college and currently I am studying in Coventry University which is great as it is helping me to continue on with my previous skills and learn new software and brush up on my technical skills.  A number of skills which I have are Artistic and IT skills, communication and all at a confidence level. Many web design, filmmaking and multimedia packages are among my list such as;

Hobbies:

In my spare time I love to write and create songs that has always been my passion, I also enjoy watching films and new television.  I make sure I stay up-to-date with the media as it changes constantly.  I enjoy meeting new people as you can never have too many contacts I have even met a few soldiers who have previously and presently been taught by my mother in the MOD.  Since I was young I have always enjoyed writing my own piece of media, writing my own short plays, performing in front of hundreds of people and still to this day I continue to write.  The social networks which I use is Facebook and Twitter I look forward to creating my own personal YouTube account where I can show many individuals what I do in a professional manner.  The physical activities which I enjoy are swimming, football, badminton, tennis and I enjoy baking.

I have created many projects using the above software’s with advancements of Action-Script coding and the ability to present them at a good level of visual and professional quality.

References available upon request:

Proposal

Since I don’t have experience in any company and I am a student learning all the ins and outs of the industry I have decided to look for small companies and join them instead of a large company where there are so many individuals and I might not have the chance to learn certain aspects thoroughly.  During my spare time I will be collecting all my ideas together and importing them into my scrap book.  It has been a passion of mine to join Disney I have always loved everything they do and it would be a great honour to join them.

During the next few months I have involved myself in a project called The CVTV Project.  This project is being run by a previous student at Coventry University who is aiming to put a show reel together of his work in order to get into presenting.  He has asked the Media Production students to help him organise, design and put together an interview, where he is going to showcase his presenting skills.  He has asked us to take control of the lighting, sound and set design etc.  My role within this project is set designer I chose this role as it would be a great opportunity as the set is going to be a big part of the project and it will be shown throughout the interview(s).  Once completed, I will be able to include this in my own showreel/portfolio as an example of a successful project.

Over Easter I was supposed to be going to New York and I was extremely excited for it as I would be going to produce a media artefact with a different group of students.  However, sadly I will not be able to attend due to personal circumstances but I have been informed that a trip has been organised on my behalf to go to Dubai during Easter and I will be taking my camera, tripod and camera and will create my own media artefact, and hopefully it will turn out great.

This summer I am going to Lebanon and maybe even Cyprus and when going abroad I will make sure to plan and produce a variety of media items of my own personal work in order to add to my show reel of media artefacts.  I do believe that travelling helps to open your eyes and broaden the mind as you get to learn of new cultures, meet new people, and you leave your comfort zone and it helps to keep your work new and fresh which is great.  For the moment I have a normal high quality digital camera and I am trying to save for a HD camera to use.  I will be planning the pre-production of these mini projects closer to the date once I have sorted out the more important elements regarding my professional experience module.

Last term, during my formats module, I produced a radio based quiz show and it made me think that I could possibly look into radio as a career or maybe somewhere to start towards my profession within the media.  Creating the radio quiz show was a lot of fun and exciting.  I have recently been informed about a radio show which goes in every Tuesday at 6:00pm at University and once I get back to university I will most definitely check it out and if I enjoy it then I hope to join it.

I have been looking further into what I want to do once I graduate from University and the strategies I would need to employ to go about doing this.  My primary ambition is to go into the production of short, animated films (cartoons) and the Entertainment industry of film making.  I have always enjoyed writing my own stories and scripts and creating my own characters and being in control of what they look like, what their personality is etc.

I have done quite a lot of research into the field of Film.  During induction to the professional experience module we was told about a website called The skillset website.  Once I got home I went on-line and logged on to the website and saw a lot of information on film and they had a few other links too which I have saved.  Here is a link to the skillset website which I was on http://www.skillset.org/film/

During my first term when I was learning about Format Production it made me realise that I want to be a format producer on top of that I love Disney and began to think about creating films maybe for Disney.  My inspiration comes from ‘Snow white’, ‘Cinderella’ High School Musical’, and programmes like ‘Sonny with a chance’, ‘Wizards of Waverly place’ etc, so I am aiming to build a showreel of my ow artefacts.  All of my artefacts will will be in my scrapbook and I will begin from there and take some images of anything which inspires me and even do a little drawing.  Once completed I will collect everything I have created and edit them then distribute professionally across the internet and film festival.

I have recent found out about a professional film making session called ‘Call the shots’, and they are a film making organisation based in Coventry to my advantage.  They hold meetings every third Tuesday of the month, so I have set my mind to going as it would be a great opportunity along the experience and it is exciting to work and be a part of a professional film making crew and I will learn so much and I will make sure to blog and take images for my blog and personal portfolio.

CVTV Project – set design

Since signing my name on the list for set designer I have taken this role extremely serious.  Once seeing that none of the set designers have contacted each other and discussed anything I took it upon myself to lead the pack which I have done so proudly.  I began to contact Johnny via e-mail and we began talking about the project and what exactly he wants.  So I began to contact the rest of the set designers via FaceBook and I would post them copies of the e-mail exchanges between Johnny and myself and I would then wait upon their response.  Thankfully it didn’t take long for some to reply back and I would then send Johnny the copies from the set designers.

Below is a taste of what Johnny is looking for.

This above image is the logo of CVTV and this would be on the wall in the background of the studio’s plain wall.

Here is another image of what the studio will look like below.

As you can see the set design looks professional, elegant and fun and this is what Johnny wants.

CVTV Project

Once being informed about Johnny and his project I was instantly interested in the idea and signed up to be apart of Johnny Rickard’s show.  There was a meeting later that Thursday which I made sure to attend and this was Johnny informing us on what his aims were and what this project is really about.

Johnny wanted media students to help him film and edit a show which he has organised to carry out with the inclusion of celebrity guests as well as a live audience at the Herbert Art Gallery.  This is going to be apart of his show reel which he is going to send to UK TV companies and also give to his agent.  He does not have any experience
with the production side of media so he has left it up to us media producers to organise it for him which we are thrilled about as it is also work experience for us and helps us think and act professionally.

We have began to sort out production roles for each individual such as lighting coordinators and camera operators which were filled out quickly.  Yasmin has been in charge of sorting out our roles and any problems we might have as if we all e-mail Johnny he will receive numerous e-mails and it would be over whelming for him.  Personally, I am glad that Yasmin is in charge of things as I trust in her with this responsibility.  She has also set up a facebook group where everyone has been invited and everyone has informed her on the roles that they would like to do.  Below is a print screen of the facebook group created.