Dale Hood

Since 2013 I have worked closely alongside BAFTA nominee, John Hales, creating short films around our local community. We strived to give opportunities to young filmmakers, such as myself, including a chance to experience working on a professional film set with industry experts. Throughout my time working with John I have worked on a variety of projects working in a range of different roles. My time with John began after creating a short, stop-motion animation film of a remake of the Humpty Dumpty story where I participated in a local film festival competing against much older filmmakers. This resulted in being nominated for 11 awards and winning 9. Since then I have worked closely with John, working on projects including theatre promotions and short films, including a series of Zombie films working with cinematographer, Ernesto Hermann (Amy, 2015). My roles have included Assistant Camera, Production Assistant, Production Runner and Gaffer. I have also been taught by John how to write call sheets and the roles in which need to be carried out in pre-production. 

I have also gained valuable experience working in the corporate element of film. For two consecutive summers I worked for an e-learning company, Developing Experts, creating online science lessons for schools in the UK and overseas, such as Dubai and China. I worked primarily as a Production Assistant, with my role including camera operator, editor and making excellent cups of tea! My main work carried out included: marketing and promotional material, filming live experiments and filming and editing ‘talking heads’ films with experts in the science field, often on location in documentary style.

In the summer of 2018, I was cast as an extra in Danny Boyle’s Yesterday. I felt that this experience enabled a greater understanding of how a major film set works; observing the likes of the director, camera department and the production runners. I used this experience as a way of observing how professionals go about their job and how I can adapt myself for any future employment. I could see where the pressures were within the observed roles and felt I could understand how they adapted to such situations.

During my 3-years at Solent University I worked on a variety of different projects which I believe have supported my growth as a filmmaker and allowed me to discover my own style. As part of my final major project, I worked as the Director of Photography to create a 12-minute short film depicting the life of a recovering alcoholic. This project was highly commended for its cinematography and its handling of such a difficult subject matter. It has now gone on to have a successful festival run, and I have had my work be nominated for 3 cinematography awards. I was also fortunate enough to be introduced to training on a variety of different cameras and lighting equipment which I am now proficient in. 

I believe that it is important to further the diversity of the industry, particularly on less commonly discussed subject matters. Hence the creation of Play it by Ear, a short musical detailing the beginning of a career of an ambitious deaf singer with the dream of becoming a West End star. This film required excellent attention to detail to ensure it was factually correct. We achieved this through in-depth research and communication with someone who truly understood, resulting in casting a deaf actor to play the lead. I am also a strong believer in the importance of subtitles in the industry to create accessibility to all. 

Furthermore, I believe in the importance of improving the quality of life on our planet, as is Emmy award winner Michael Pitts (Blue Planet). I created a documentary about him, where her spoke of his experiences with Sir David Attenborough and filming underwater for Blue Planet II, amongst other BBC documentaries. However, this short documentary became an educational film talking about Michael’s passion for creating a cleaner ocean for our sea life.