Name: Gulliver Moore
Age: 21
Star Sign: Aries.
Home town: Frome, Somerset.
Current base: Bournemouth, Dorset.
Languages spoken: English.
Occupation: Freelance director/camera operator/motion graphics artist.
Current assignments:
The most exciting job of the year for me was working as a camera operator at the Leeds Festival on the Radio 1 Stage filming bands such as Pendulum and Mumford & Sons. I’ve worked there previously, so I felt very much at home this year. The highlight was directing We Are Scientists as the headline act of the night. Working backstage in a live environment is a real pleasure and I hope I can continue it in the future.
Have you been busy?
The last few months have been busy. Since I launched my website, I’ve been having more calls. It’s hard to get your website out there and takes a while to build an online presence.
Shooting where?
I’ve been working in London recently – always a pleasure. I always enjoy traveling away from home to shoot.
Last summer I traveled around SE Asia. I made a feature length documentary/ video diary about my experiences whilst traveling. It was refreshing to get out there and film in such different and exotic environments.
I made the film for my friends and family, rather than for any commercial reason. I find making films like this very rewarding and I still learn so much about filmmaking from the process.
What types of productions have you mostly shot?
Mostly promotional videos for companies and club nights. Since working at Leeds I’ve been getting into live work more. I recently directed three camera operators and vision mixed for screens at a corporate party-themed on Strictly Come Dancing.
What’s your idea of a luxury shoot?
It’s always important to work with professional equipment you can rely on, then you can focus your mind to the creative aspects. A luxury shoot for me would involve working with talented, friendly people, and of course good catering always puts everybody in a good mood! I’d love to work on movie or documentary shoots in foreign environments, as this is something I am yet to experience. Anything out of the ordinary and creatively driven is a luxury shoot for me.
A hardship shoot?
Working outdoors in temperamental weather always poses many challenges, mainly frantically trying to avoid mixing expensive equipment and water, but it’s also not much fun standing outside all day in the cold. Whilst shooting away from home is fun, it can also be challenging spending time traveling and being in a foreign environment, where it can be a bigger issue if something goes wrong.
What was your first shooting job?
Shooting a promotional video for my friend’s club night Bass Kitchen: Beats on Toast when I was 17. I agreed to do it for free and I had a fantastic time producing it. The response was very motivating and spurred me on to continue film-making.
Do you live and breathe music videos?
Music videos are always a special job as they allow for a rare creative freedom. There are far fewer conventions in music videos than anything else, and as a result you can be very experimental. A music video can really be about anything your imagination stretches to and it’s always a great experience working alongside a talented and friendly band.
Do you find your young age a deterrent to some clients?
Any client I work for has an idea of my experience, and therefore remains professional and treats me according to my job role; not my age.
However, my age can sometimes pose a problem. At Leeds Festival I was constantly violently dragged off stage by security who thought I was a punter trying to get backstage! Nowadays video production equipment is so easy to get hold of that anyone, no matter how young, can prove themselves just by making films. I think this means there is less prejudice against younger film-makers as they are usually there for a good reason -- not just because they know somebody!
Most recent, interesting assignments?
A promotional video for the nightclub promoters Bedlam at the Bournemouth O2 Academy. I was camera operator and interviewed drunken punters until 5am, trying to coax funny one-liners out of them. Despite having to stay up until the early hours of the morning, this was a great shoot. Current equipment you use? For a basic promotional video I would use my Sony PD-170 with a shotgun microphone. I enjoy working with mini DV, just to know you have the security of the backup tape in a physical form. This is a camera well suited to improvised interviewing and rough conditions such as filming club nights.
My next purchase will be a Rotolight ring light to fix on top of my camera as I feel it will really benefit my club night work.
Other gear you have access to?
For a large job I would prefer to hire in equipment. Technology moves forward so fast that any kit you buy will be outdated very quickly. Last summer I borrowed a track and dolly from a friend, which added a real depth to the project I was working on. I am planning on building my own makeshift one soon.
Equipment “wish list”?
I would love a video recording DSLR to play with. It would teach me a lot about the relationship between photography and film and how you can apply techniques from one to the other. Whilst my MacBook Pro has served as a faithful editing suite for many years. I think top of my wish list would be a new Mac setup for all things video.
Best thing about your job?
Traveling around, meeting different people, and shooting in different environments always keeps my work interesting. You never quite know what to expect until you get there and this keeps everything fresh and exciting.
Worst thing about your job?
When everything runs smoothly on the shoot I can’t wait to get back and edit the footage. Then I run into countless technical problems and end up tearing my hair out over it. Still, every problem has a solution and once you’ve worked it out you gain confidence for next time.
Hairiest/scariest assignments and why?
When filming Bullet for My Valentine at the Leeds festival, we were informed an hour prior to the gig that they would be using pyrotechnics. When it came to filming, the jets of flame were less than a meter away and gave off an incredible heat. There was nothing we could do so we stuck with it. It left us pretty shaken up.
How much 16:9 do you shoot?
I try to shoot all my productions in 16:9, or if I have to use 4:3, then I would convert it to 16:9 in post production.
Contact details:
P: +44 (0) 7515 655829
E: gullivermoore@gmail.com
W: gullivermoorefilms.co.uk
