Danielle Turner on ScreenSkills' First Break programme

Danielle Turner says three years at university hadn't taught her what she learned in three weeks on a placement with the ScreenSkills First Break programme - “I learned you need to talk to people, and get to know people.” Her placement on ITV's Emmerdale was an eye-opening moment, she says, and gave her great confidence in taking the next steps towards her ultimate ambition of being a director of photography.

First Break aims to demystify entry into the industry for those from under-represented groups and for people who may not have considered a career in TV. It provides people with vital insight on what working in the industry involves through non industry-jargon-led events, hands-on bootcamps and paid shadowing experiences on TV productions.

Danielle was born and grew up in Bradford and studied film and television at Bradford College's University Centre (Whistling Woods International School). Handily the Science and Media Museum is in the city, and she worked as part of its cinema team after finishing her degree.

But she didn't know how to get into the industry. “I think universities don't really teach you how to get in, and my degree wasn't industry-led,” Danielle  says. “It was a really good course but I didn't know where to look. I didn't know anyone in the industry.

“People would come and give us talks and everyone would say you need to network, but for a shy person like me it's the worst thing you can say.”

Danielle had some work experience while at Bradford College - at BBC Yorkshire – but, although she enjoyed learning how an edit suite works, it didn't lead to anything more permanent. Thankfully First Break was more fruitful and she has worked consistently since.

A friend, Danny Young, a short film-maker, suggested she apply for First Break, which led to the placement on Emmerdale. Danielle says it was a great learning experience. “They teach you all sorts of stuff at uni but it's not like being on set. They teach you how to direct but you're not going to be doing that for a long time – you're going to be pulling some cables around or making tea in your first job. I learned so much on set. I was working on cameras but did a couple of days in vision mixing as well, which was really interesting.”

Danielle says that over the next few years she wants “to progress towards becoming a camera operator and eventually a director of photography”, but in the meantime is happy to be adding to her CV – which has ITV's Happy Valley and The Tower and Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner on it.

Currently she is Covid coordinator on Amazon comedy Dinner With the Parents, and also does camera dailies but wants to move, if possible, from doing short-term roles to finding a camera trainee position that  involves working from prep to completion.

On Dinner With the Parents she works under the supervision of Tony Gardiner who, she says, is “very supportive”, and has tasked her with hiring the runners. She tells them  things that she would have found it useful to know when she first started, about payment schedules and who's who on set, for example. “I try to pass on what I've learned – and I tell them that being willing to help goes a long way. People notice those who are willing to muck in and are largely happy to help them.”

She also wants to put something back. “Now that I'm in a  position that I can hire in  people I try to hire people straight out of uni.”

One of the features of First Break is that it shows applicants  how their current skills and talents could be exactly what the industry needs. “I had done a lot of jobs with unsociable hours or that were  customer-facing,” Danielle says. “I had also set up a small photography business and all these things were useful. They all help.

“First Break really helped my confidence and I recommend it.”