A long-held interest in documentaries first led Laura Moscrop to consider a career in unscripted TV. “I used to watch documentaries such as Meerkat Manor and I would also watch shows such as Springwatch. I have also always been entertained by shiny floor game shows such as The Chase etc,” she said.
After growing up “having always wanted to work in the screen industries” she went on to study creative media at high school followed by a level 3 extended diploma in creative media production and technology at college, a period that further cemented her love of unscripted TV: “I found that I preferred to make documentaries rather than making scripted content. I think I have always felt more drawn to reality rather than scripted, and I enjoy how collaborative the process is when making unscripted / factual TV, everyone helps everyone which I enjoy.”
It was during this time that that interest in factual TV cemented as an ambition to join the sector when the idea of work came around: “I went on to pursue the idea of working in the screen industries and went out into the big wide world searching for an opportunity to get my foot in the door by gaining work experience or working as a runner and have been working in the industry ever since.”
Laura’s progression in the industry took in runner, camera trainee and location marshal roles before her most recent work as a trainee camera assistant “where I learned all about how the series producer, DOP and second operator work together”. This experience gave her an insight into the technical aspects of working with cameras, which ones were used when, and how. It sparked an interest and an eagerness to know more. That’s when she spotted an opportunity to expand her knowledge.
“I was having a look on the ‘training, events and opportunities’ page on the ScreenSkills website and filtered the page to look for courses that might be suitable for me and found the Introduction to the FS7 with Dan Donnelly course.”
The workshop, funded and developed by the Unscripted TV Skills Fund, aims to help those at the early stages of their unscripted journeys by getting to grips with the Sony FS7 camera, a popular piece of equipment and one of the most sought-after skills for programme-makers.
The specifics of the course and the knowledge of leader, self-shooting director Dan Donnelly, appealed directly to Laura’s needs. “I found the programme to be very informative,” she explained. “I thought the range of set ups Dan had worked especially well. Dan had three live set ups, a mid-shot of himself with the FS7 camera, a GoPro so he could show us the FS7 close up when he was showing us how to attach a lens, how to eject media cards properly etc. and he also had an output to show us what was on his viewfinder so we could watch him go through the menu which was great. Dan showed us everything we needed to see when setting up an FS7.”
On how the course will help both herself and others, Laura said: “I think the course will help my career because when I get the opportunity to use a Sony FS7, I will know how to confidently set up the camera and know how to use the camera to a basic extent. Courses like this are important for those working in or looking to join the industry because it can provide people with a great amount of knowledge. People can gain new skills, learn new things, figure out if something is for them or not e.g. figure out if the FS7 is something they would like to be involved in using as part of their career etc. It opens up a world of possibilities that would not be possible without accessible courses that ScreenSkills provides.”
Laura’s optimistic about her future in unscripted TV and eager to explore more ways to work with cameras: “The next plan in my career is to continue working as a trainee camera assistant. I have plans to work on a brand-new unscripted TV show where I will be learning from a DOP and second operator. I am still ultimately figuring out what I would like to do but I would like to try gain more experience working closely with a camera.”
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