Careers - Still Moving Media

Calling all Filmmakers! We’re hiring!

Calling all Filmmakers! We’re hiring!

Now, we’ll be honest with you: we’ve had this role open before. Great people have come through, some have moved onto do incredible things, others have found the pace of life a little challenging… What we need is someone who thrives in genuinely fast-moving environments, understands that a brief is just the starting point, and can make exceptional work no matter the client or industry.

In return, you’d be working at our incredible studio in Cheltenham, shooting for brands like Porsche, Smeg, and Cheltenham Festivals, access to a vast amount of film equipment (more than some rental houses), an amazing cinema suite, within a tight-knit team that cares deeply about the craft. Plus a super cute (albeit sometimes noisy) office dog. This role is perfect for those that want to seize an opportunity to be great, freedom to pitch whatever ideas you have, freedom to develop your craft, freedom to take as much or as little kit as you deem appropriate to all your shoots.

What do we need from you? 3+ years commercial experience. A portfolio of work to look at. No ego. Send your reel, CV and one paragraph on a pivotal shoot that changed how you work, to careers@stillmovingmedia.com.

Filmmaker

Job Role: Filmmaker

Salary: £33,000

Reports to: Managing Director

Overview The Filmmaker is the hands-on creative technical resource.

You are responsible for setting the “Gold Standard” for visual output on all your projects, kit care, and on-set conduct. You lead by example, taking ownership of medium-sized productions as a Director/DoP and providing technical authority to the wider team.

Your focus is on execution: ensuring the creative is excellent, the kit is technically sound (by delegating prep/maintenance to the Filmmaker & Creative Technician), and the crew is performing to a high standard. You bridge the gap between the Producer’s demands and the camera’s reality.

 

Core Responsibilities

  1. On-Set Direction & Cinematography (Leading medium shoots, DoP, visual consistency)
  2. Equipment Oversight & Standards (Ensuring kit stores, kit packing, and kit care is respected, delegating maintenance, sensor/lens integrity)
  3. Mentorship & Technical Development (L&D, upskilling the team)
  4. Creative & Technical Planning (Treatments, Tech Recces, post-production handovers)
  5. On-Set Direction & Cinematography (Leading medium shoots, DoP, visual consistency) You act as the creative lead on set for “Mid-Tier Productions,” ensuring projects have a clear visual voice and do not drift.

 

Responsibilities include:

  • Lead Filmmaker/Director: Acting as the primary shooter or Director on medium-sized projects, holding authority over the crew (Filmmaker/Techs) to ensure the project’s vision is captured and delivered based on the brief.
  • Cinematography & Look Development: Serving as Director of Photography, defining lighting and camera setups. You are responsible for exposure & colour consistency by on set.
  • Client Management: Managing the “Client Monitor Gap” by overseeing the setup of a dedicated client safe feed with LUTs applied, ensuring clients can see & hear what is happening in front of camera.
  • Standard Enforcement: Enforcing the packdown protocols at the end of shoots, ensuring the resets the studio and kit before leaving.
  • Equipment Oversight & Standards: (Technical integrity, delegation, specific maintenance) You are not the “Kit Manager” but you are the “Technical Guardian”. You ensure the equipment is ready by delegating prep. & maintenance tasks to the Filmmaker and Creative Technician.
  • Oversight of the film kit: Addressing the kit risk for shoots by enforcing standard checks and logging on kit being used. You do not need to count every battery yourself, but you must spot-check the Filmmaker’s work to ensure gear isn’t degrading.
  • Deep Maintenance Management: Overseeing the “Deep Maintenance” of the film kit (sensor cleaning, lens cleaning, battery condition, firmware). You delegate the labour to the team but you verify it is done on the first Monday of the month.
  • Consumables Watch: Instructing the Studio & Production Coordinator when critical items (tape, zipties, etc,) are running low to prevent the “Consumables Gap” on set.
  • Technical Readiness: Ensuring cameras are set to the correct “Software Freeze” versions and firmware before shoots begins.
  • Mentorship & Technical Development: (Training, skills transfer) You are responsible for helping raise the technical capability of the film department, ensuring technical team members are constantly learning.
  • Learning & Development (L&D): You utilize the learning budget (£500/yr per head) to plan internal workshops or external training for the junior team.
  • Competent Person: acting as the countersignatory on Risk Assessments prepared by juniors, ensuring the “Competent Person” gap is closed and insurance remains valid.
  • Freelance Standards: assisting production by vetting new camera crew to ensure we do not hire inexperienced crew.
  • On-Set Mentorship: Actively teaching lighting ratios, camera movement, and set etiquette to the Filmmaker, Creative Technician and freelancers / assistants during shoots
  • Creative & Technical Planning: (Treatments, feasibility, bridging pre-to-post) You ensure that creative ideas are technically feasible and after shoots you properly handed over to post-production.
  • Creative Treatments: collaborating with the Creative/Producer to write treatments and pitch decks that help win work.
  • Tech Recces: Leading “Tech Recces” & technical briefs before shoot days that you are leading to align the crew on the technical requirements.
  • Post-Production Handover: Ensuring you and your crew complete the “Post-Production Handover Sheet” and verify that the team are correctly performing backups based on the Company process.

 

Boundaries & Expectations

  1. Operational vs. Technical Leadership
  • Not a Line Manager: You do not manage holiday requests, pay reviews, or HR disciplinary issues. Your leadership is technical and creative (mentorship), not administrative.
  1. Delegation vs. Doing
  • Kit Prep: You are not expected to manually prep every shoot. Your role is to delegate prep and returns to the Filmmaker and Creative Technician. However, you are accountable for checking their work. If the kit is broken on set and not reported, it is a failure of your oversight. At busy times you may be required to take on kit prep. / packdown responsibilities for certain shoots to help balance the workload.
  • Booking System: You are not the “Master Admin” for the software (booking conflicts/admin). Your focus is on the physical readiness of the kit and handling shortages of kit.
  1. On-Set Authority
  • Crew Lead: On medium-sized projects, you have authority over the Filmmaker and Creative Technician regarding technical decisions (e.g., lighting setups, camera positions, safety).
  • Safety: You have the authority to pause a shoot if you deem it unsafe or if Risk Assessments have not been followed.

Further Requirements

  • Driver’s license
  • Right to work in the UK