This content was submitted by Lydia Latham
My name is Lydia Latham. I am based in Glasgow where I have recently completed my first job as a petty cash buyer on the new Channel 4 drama, Screw, with STV drama productions. I completed my degree in drama and performance from Queen Margaret University in 2016 and after some time living abroad post-graduation I decided I wanted to start pursuing my goals of working in television. I started working for Titan Props, a TV and film prop hire company in Glasgow, in 2019. I made contacts through the designers, set decorators and buyers that would come into the warehouse and gave me a valuable insight into the world of prop hire. It was the contacts I made through this that gained me my role as a petty cash buyer on Screw. I have undertaken a number of online courses and workshops led by ScreenSkills and Talking Point and am currently doing a post-graduate diploma in interior design online in my spare time to further my skillset that will benefit me in the future.
What ScreenSkills support have you benefitted from so far?
In 2019, I applied for the set decorating for film course offered by Talking Point. It was a four day course that offered a really great insight into the role of the set decorator and their department. I had found out about the role when I undertook a weeks work experience on the first Downton Abbey film in 2018, where I met Gina Cromwell and learnt about what her role involved whilst on the production. It was the first time I really felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Doing the Talking Point course was great because it then gave me the confidence and tools I could take with me going forward. ScreenSkills was very supportive in my application for this course and I was awarded a £1,000 bursary towards the cost of the course, accommodation and travel which helped me immensely. Since then, I have also found ScreenSkills to be a great place to learn more information about different roles and the opportunities that are out there. They are constantly updating their training to meet demands and keep up with current issues such as the coronavirus basic awareness course which has now become mandatory on most jobs.
What effect has this support had on your career so far?
The financial support I got from ScreenSkills meant I was able to do the set decorating course with Talking Point without the worry of becoming broke! The knowledge I gained on it meant that when applying for roles and on my first role in TV I had an awareness of what the role required, the technical language that would be discussed and how to present myself to the employers.
What is the most interesting/remarkable/proud moment or achievement of your career so far?
Walking onto the set for Screw for the first time felt amazing. They had built a three storey prison and to see some of the final details develop before filming was incredible. As part of my role within the set decorating department I also supported the team in dressing the cells appropriate for each character's personality and what they would be allowed to have with them in the prison. We would do research on prison life, study the character in the script (what they liked, how they talked etc.) and develop a design for what their 'world' would look like. I felt very proud that some of the ideas I came up with will appear on screen and I look forward to seeing the final product soon.
If you could give advice to someone interested in pursuing your job role or a career in the screen industries more generally, what would you say?
On of the best things I ever did was find out the names of as many people as I could who worked in the roles I was interested in (either on sites like filmbang or by noting down their names every time I watched a film or TV drama I enjoyed) and sending them an email with my CV and a short cover letter complementing them on an aspect of their work or a job they had worked on and to ask for advice. I sent out maybe 100 emails and I got advice back from a fair few and it was through this that I got a weeks work experience on the first Downton Abbey film. One also advised me to gain work experience in prop hire so, again, I sent out emails to hire companies across Glasgow and Edinburgh and I ended up gaining employment in one for almost two years. Essentially, so long as you're polite and you come across as passionate and determined the worst that will happen by you sending an email is that you won't get an email back. People are busy and may not have time to reply right in that moment but they might once the production has ended. The best that could happen is you get some really useful advice that will be a stepping stone in the direction you want to go in. What have you got to lose?