Envy Post Production Placement

Before I completed my second year at John Moores, client services manager Tom Morgan came to the University to give a talk about work experience at ENVY Post Production. As Post Production is a career I am interested in, I decided to apply online via their website.

Between 6^th to 17^thAugust 2018 I worked as a Runner in the Holden House office; the 4^th building ENVY operates from which has over 25 offline suites and audio facilities. During the applicant process prior to the placement, I was informed a lot of the work would be heavily based in hospitality with the runner team.

Over the last eleven years, ENVY Post Production established themselves as one of the top award winning post production houses in the United Kingdom. ENVY specialise in Offline, Online, Grade, VFX and Sound and the company value their effective workflow from the beginning of a production right through to the finished product. Working on long-form and broadcast projects for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, they produce popular shows such as Top Gear, Naked Attraction, Gogglebox and The Chase.

I arrived at Holden House on my first day at 10am, was greeted by the receptionist and taken to the runner team. I was asked me which areas of Post Production I was interested in which included Offline, Online, VFX, Audio and Grading. In doing this the company would have a better idea of what I wanted to observe at my time at ENVY and what would be the most beneficial. I decided to choose all areas as I wanted to understand each of the various processes that go into a project.

To become a runner, one of the key aspects is being good at hospitality as an essential part of the role is to serve people food/drinks and to maintain cleanliness ensuring the building always looks presentable for clients. My duties at ENVY involved serving drinks to various editing suites and learning how to ‘clear’ a suite afterwards without disturbing any of the workflow. Runners are also required to visit each suite approximately every two hours to carry out a ‘sweep’ to ensure the suites were not getting cluttered with used mugs, plates and glasses.

I enjoyed this role as it was relatively easy but gave me the opportunity to talk to employees while they worked on various projects due to be broadcast.

Despite having already relocated from my home in South Wales to Liverpool, being in London for two weeks was an entirely different and eye opening experience with the city’s culture and living expenses. Fortunately, funding is available at John Moores to reimburse accommodation and travelling costs and in staying at the University of London’s College Hall, there were no additional daily travelling costs as it was simply a ten-minute walk to ENVY’s offices.

The Media Production course prepared me a lot in terms of what to expect while at ENVY. I already had a level of confidence in my knowledge of the various technology that ENVY used, the process behind making a media product and how to work effectively in a team. Understanding this beforehand, allowed me to settle in to the office environment quite easily. The knowledge gained from the course also gave me the ability to network and create connections with media professionals, to help find work when I finish my degree.

Overall, my placement at ENVY was definitely a worthwhile experience, providing me with the insight of an award winning post production company and all the processes required for each show. From a personal level, I tend to be quite reserved around new people and in new places, therefore being away from the comforts of my family and friends resulted in me having to readjust. This helped improve my social skills and confidence in working with industry professionals while gaining  additional related work experience which I am also able to reflect on for my final year assessment.