We recently sat down with the super talented videographer and photographer, Joe Campbell, who heads up Culture City, a high-end video production, music management, and record production company. We wanted to get to the bottom of what it means to work in the creative film industry and how early talent can set themselves apart from the rest. Here’s how it went…
AA: Hi Joe, how are you?
JC: Good thanks, very busy at the moment but its all really exciting stuff so can’t complain!
AA: Great. Let’s get started. Can you tell us a bit about Culture City?
JC: The idea is that we are a place for high quality broadcast film production. But what I really love about us is that we can really do all elements of film, from Netflix approved cameras, to lower level day-to-day filming. We work on a range of projects that require different specialities such as drone work, photography, filming music videos, and now recently, book publication! Think of us like an additional part of a businesses marketing team.
AA: How did you get started in the industry? Talk us through the journey of getting to where you are now.
JC: So, I started my journey into filmmaking by doing a Film & Media course at university with the idea that I’d get to do lots of practical work mixed into theory, but I didn’t actually get to do much filming. It was at this point that a couple of us set up Culture City TV in 2013 (now known as Culture City) with the hope of interviewing bands and those involved in theatre productions for a Youtube Channel. Then we got our first client, The Anfield Wrap, and began producing some magazine content for them, before getting to work on some really interesting documentary production and building up our business clientele. This led us to where we are today, which is working on so many different projects that we absolutely love!
AA: We can imagine that no day is the same for you but could you give us an insight into what you get up to on a day-to-day basis?
JC: Let me get my diary up and I’ll tell you exactly what we’re doing tomorrow! So, at 9am we’re continuing work for our first 90 minute film on someone very exciting (all will be revealed soon!), so we’ll be filming an interview that will take up about 2-3 hours of the morning when setting up/wrapping up is considered. Then, we’ll head back to the office and I’ll start working on about 3-4 projects that need to be done by the end of the day. After that I’ll be filming a 30 minute interview, before we get into filming a brand new podcast with one of our clients! I’ll then work for a few hours getting everything across the line that has been edited in the day, and that’s it!
AA: In your opinion, what types of skills are needed to get into the filmmaking and photography industry?
JC: To be honest, I think the most important thing anyone would need to have is just a basic knowledge of all software, from Photoshop to Premiere and After Effects, as well as the basics of working a camera. Knowing the basics of everything at a low level is sometimes much better than being an expert in just one thing because it makes you more employable to a business when they know you’ll be able to pick anything up and work on it when needed. There’s also got to be an element of being up for learning new skills, and quite quickly. I think overall, though, you’ve just got to be sound, haven’t you?
AA: Yes! Just based off that, what is it that you look for in someone when hiring at Culture City?
JC: Someone who can offer more than what we already have. If you can go into an organisation knowing that there’s something you can bring to the business that they don’t already have, that’s what I look for. We want to see people who can show us how they will make Culture City better.
AA: Finally, what does the future look like for Culture City?
JC: I want to do more work with the bigger brands that we’ve already worked with like Nike and Adidas, as well as getting a feature that we’re currently working on, on Netflix. Also, just expanding other elements of the business in TV and Film. It sounds cheesy but we just want to continue producing boss content!
AA: Amazing – very exciting! Thanks so much for your time.
JC: No problem – anytime!