BA (Hons) Film student Dan Bingham discusses his placement with Barnardo's and HMP Edinburgh.
What did your role entail? 
I was working directly with a client to create a short introductory video to the facilities in HMP Edinburgh’s visiting center, in order to put people going to visit loved ones in prison at ease. It involved a lot of studying of the process in order to write an appropriate script for the video which covered all of the required information. From that point on, it was much like directing a short film: I was simply working with actors and a cinematographers etc. in order to put the video together. The main difference was working around the prison security!
What did you gain from the experience?
I’d definitely be much more confident working with a client in the future. Most of the practical filmmaking skills were similar to those you develop making short films anyway but having never worked with a client in this way, it was strange to be making a film for someone other than myself. In the future, I’d definitely be less anxious about this process.
How has the placement affected you?
Going forward, I’d definitely be happy doing more commercial work. My end goal is in feature filmmaking, but I’d enjoy more work like this in the meantime.
Top tip?
Be yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something.