A Day In The Life

Tana Beynon (Nee Williams)

Posted 01 September 2014

New York Program

May 2002 Intake

"I started with Big Bang in 2012 as a freelancer and am now a full time member of staff as a project manager. I'm based near the BBC in the heart of the Media Centre in Bristol and the company currently operates across four sites with tracklay suites, dubbing theatres, high end online / grading finishing suites and offline (editing) facilities.

Big Bang currently employs 25 members of staff but accommodate at any one time another 40-50 clients (freelance editors, directors and producers). As I write this we are currently almost full and have approx 60 people in and out of the buildings on a daily basis.

My role at Big Bang means that I am responsible for the smooth running of each project line from workflow decisions at the planning stage of the programme through editing, sign off, audio finishing, grading, technical review and finally onto tape or file ready for delivery to channel for transmission. Each step of the way my responsibility is to bring all aspects of post together on time and on budget!

Projects can range from fast turnaround day time projects to 2 year long Natural History Unit series. Each programme or 'project' is totally unique in its needs, challenges, budgets and client and makes for a different experience every time!

Typically my day starts with checking all emails from the night before. Each department operates on a shift system to ensure that deadlines are always met (I.e getting footage into edits overnight ready for editors to cut in the morning, or finished programmes tech reviewed ready for delivery the next day etc) so there is always a lot to deal with first thing in the morning. I need to inform clients as to what has happened over night and where their projects are at currently.

The bookings system we use means I can then check what bookings are happening that day and that each one has all the required footage or media for the operators to work with e.g. audio for the mix and picture for the online and grade. Clients need to be constantly updated with costs, overruns, new schedules, new deadlines hold ups or date changes for delivery etc. These are constantly changing and at any one time I can look after 10-15 different programmes all at different stages of delivery.

October sees three programmes finishing and delivering to channel, three in planning and filming stages and five at the grading and final mix stage. Juggling all these programmes can become quite stressful especially when there are several projects delivering at the same time or on very tight turnarounds. A programme can sometimes be a year in production and still deliver a day before transmission!

Big Bang feels like a small family team and each department works closely with each other to give our clients the best care, attention and technical support as possible, the long hours, stressful deadlines are part of the job but I can’t imagine doing anything else as a job! It all becomes worthwhile when you watch a programme transmit on television having seen it through the whole process!

Since leaving New York and her placement in a post production facility, Ohio Edit, Tana has stayed within the television post production industry in a wide variety of roles, spending 8 years with Films at 59 (Post Production Facility) based in Bristol until deciding on a career break and a move from a post production project management role into wedding and event planning. During her 6 month break from television, she realised the pull back to the industry was too strong and how much she had missed the environment! "I was lucky enough to rejoin television post production in Bristol with Big Bang Post Production who are a small independent post facility posting a wide range of programme genres from Natural History for BBC to Observational documentaries for Channel 4".