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Behind the scenes with film runner Charlotte Taylor

TLDRoffon

We talk to Greenwich student Charlotte Taylor who worked as a film runner on the set of Holmes and Watson.

What is your relationship with film?

I watch a lot of films. As a film and television production student, I make films on my course, many short films. I also write film in my screen writing classes. I work in the industry as well, as a runner, when I can.

How has that relationship changed whilst you have been studying?

It definitely has changed. In terms of watching film, I have become more analytical. When I watch film, I spend more time analysing the structure and the cinematography and the actors. Before the course, I would have been watching purely for entertainment but now I watch it more for education and research.

When watching scenes, I think about all the people that are actually in the room. 10, 15, 50 people that are just off-frame so you can't see them, but are surrounding the shot. It is insane when you think about it. Then you see it on TV and you're like; 'where have they all gone?'

How do you find balancing your studies with gaining industry experience?

I found it quite easy, fitting it in in the holidays. During the summer holidays, I worked on entertainment, comedy, drama and even some children's TV. I also scheduled work for the Christmas holidays just before the term started; The Holmes and Watson shoot, on Greenwich campus.

Did you get to meet any of the actors?

I didn't get to personally introduce myself to any of the actors, unfortunately.

No jokes with Will Ferrell then?

No, but I did get to see him. I did see him, a couple of times. I was able to watch him during the filming. I saw all of the four lead actors [Will Ferrell, Hugh Laurie, Ralph Fiennes, John C. Reilly] whilst they were filming.

How did you find the experience of working on campus?

It was really fun. It was really helpful for the crew and the production team to have us there because we knew the campus. We saw the campus from the side of the students and academics as well as the side of the filming so we were able to manage the crowd and make compromises.

What was the highlight?

Working as a team, definitely. We work as a team for a lot of our courses, as most of the university projects are group based. So you learn the team-work skills whilst you're studying but it's no match to when you actually get out there and you're part of this huge team of a hundred crew or so. Every single person is important.

The experience is so fun, you get caught up in all the chaos and the people and the magic of the shoot.

How have the group skills you've learnt through the courses transferred to your work in the industry?

I guess it's about the discussion of ideas; knowing when to back down and when to push your idea forward. It's also good if you suggest something and others don't agree, that you have to have the ability to let it go.

From the classroom to the industry, knowing that when you work together and pull through together, the job is going to be easier. You have to be proactive, and you learn that through the group work at Uni. If you see someone struggling in your team, you're not just going to stand there and watch.

Why did you want to study film?

I started off acting, I went to drama school. In my gap year I spent a lot of time working on student films. I came to the decision that acting wasn't going the right way for me and it would be much better to actually create my own content, but I didn't know how. I always found it exciting, being on sets and seeing the students just knowing what to do - that really inspired me. Then I found Greenwich! I spoke to a few people in the industry who recommended the University, so I and applied. It is the best decision I've made.

What's your favourite thing about studying at the University of Greenwich?

For me, it's the lecturers. We've got some really good new lecturers on the Film and TV programmes who are really supportive. We come along with our ideas and they know how to push them. They don't censor us, they critique us without squashing our creativity.

Screen-writing is my favourite course, it's one of my highlights. It's been really well organised and I've learnt so much.

What do you hope to achieve in your career?

Eventually, I want to be a TV producer. Probably producing drama content for a platform like Netflix where I think you have more freedom. Online platforms have more freedom as opposed to TV or Film where you have the rules and regulations and you have to make your feature or television series fit. I think Netflix allows more originality. Online is the future.

Maybe you could develop your own online streaming platform?

That'll be my PhD!

…Where do you see yourself in five year time?

I will be 27, nearly 28. So, hopefully with a strong database of contacts and steady career that I can rely on. Maybe I'll have worked on my own first feature film, or be developing one. I'd love to be at the top of my game or at least working towards my top.

When you're rich and famous and you've come up with your wonderful new streaming service, will you recommend the Old Royal Naval College as a filming location?

Always. It can be anything. It can be Old England, it can be New England, it can be not-England. It can be fantasy or it can be sci-fi. I keep thinking of destroying it, the river overflowing and the buildings coming down. I'm not sure what that says about me. All visual effects of course…

You'll have to start writing that one!