Volcanic Dust Spoils The Day

Now i know i am a little late here with the news that a volcanic dust cloud has swept around Europe, wreaking havoc amongst the airline industries and travellers worldwide, but i have an excuse. I was filming news reports and live broadcasting from a variety of locations around the UK for a number of different broadcasters, including the BBC, Reuters, France 24 and Nippon TV.

It was quite a week, when the worlds media turn up in a car park just outside Heathrow airport it is quite a sight to see. And of course trying to cope with live talkback in French and Japanese is quite a test. But the dust cloud story has now 'blown over' so to speak and i find myself back on the campaign trail for the UK General Election.... oh joy.

Still, good friends were made, new contacts were established and generally a good time was had by all, mainly because the sun kept shining and the bar and restaurant in the hotel were open, which makes a huge difference when stuck in one place for days on end.

It's All About Networking

So today i am off to Wichester to see another cameraman who owns his own Steadicam rig. Why? well it's something that i cannot offer to my clients because i don't have one. He, on the other hand has one, but no cameras. It's a simple link up between two freelancers who could complement each others business in a way to satisfy both of our clients.

This is what being a freelance cameraman is all about. The old saying goes that it's not what you know but who you know, and this is a valuable lesson to anyone who wants to be a freelance in any sphere of business, but especially in the TV Industry.

So off i go down the M3 for an agreeable lunch with a bloke i don't know but, hopefully we will be doing some business together in the future.

All About Media Attention.

Who are we? Well, i have been a cameraman now since 1997. I am self taught and pride myself as having got to this position by sheer bloody hard work and a little bit of luck. I work for the major News Broadcasters at home in the UK and abroad, covering news, sport, features, current affairs and documentary. Basically if anything needs to be filmed for any news item, i will do it. The hardest part is of course getting hired in the first place, but i hope to take you through that at a later stage. For now though, please take a look around my website for articles, news, photos and more.

Spreading The Word.

OK, so the past few days have been taken up by hard work at the coalface that is the World Wide Web. Profiles here, there and everywhere. Managing to keep track of all the listings, passwords and account names are now officially a nightmare. This is all about raising the profile of Media Attention Ltd, and of course me, as a freelance cameraman.

Trying to get found on the internet is becoming ever harder, if it was ever easy. so, splashing around the company name and profiles in as many places as possible is becoming a task that takes up a great deal of my time, in between of course, trying to earn a living as a freelance cameraman in today's downbeat market. Still, onwards and upwards.

A Welcome Post

Hello everyone and welcome to the new blog from Media Attention Ltd, AKA Paul Martin, freelance cameraman to the news and features departments of major Broadcasters from around the world.

In this blog i hope to bring you stories, pictures and video from behind the scenes of the UK News broadcasting industry as experienced by me when out and about on the road filming. I hope you will enjoy it.