Class of 2012, Michael Hankinson | Camera Operator

Michael Hankinson_2012GradHi LSM!  It’s been almost 2 years since I last posted on the alumni network and since then a lot has happened. My ambition all the way through university had been to work as a DOP (Director of Photography). After leaving I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to be easy to just walk into a job like this. When I graduated in 2012 with a BA (Hons) Media Production degree I worked for free and for expenses on multiple low budget features, shorts, event videos, etc. to try and get my foot in the door and more importantly learn, both while at university and after leaving. I took a part time job at Asda (it’s not fun paying bills) and on my days off applied for jobs. I got to work on some exciting projects as a camera assistant and camera operator through this while learning from some great people in the industry including a DOP who had previously worked on a BAFTA winning film, however the pay was little or none in most cases.

I was then successful in an interview and started as a junior camera operator at a production company in Essex called iSite TV (I was quite surprised to meet two other LSM alumni among the staff). So I left my job at Asda and moved down to Essex.  The company creates online advertising and product videos for some of the biggest companies and retailers in the world including; Panasonic, Sennheiser, Currys/PC World, Beko, LG, VTech, the list goes on and on.  I’ve worked at iSite for a year now and the time has flown.  Continue reading