ITV Meridian
ITV Meridian is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England.
At ITV Meridian I shadowed a range of roles including the News Editor, Reporters and Camera Operators.
I would start each day by attending the morning meeting and checking through various newspapers to see if there was a new story that ITV Meridian could cover. I then got to see the bulletin at the end of the day in the gallery and in the studio.
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When out filming with one of the Camera Operators, I conducted interviews when we were filming at The Elizabeth Foundation for Deaf Children. This gave me the chance to practise my interviewing skills by asking the prepared questions, but also thinking on my feet to ask new ones when I was in conversation with the interviewee.
I spent time shadowing Camera Operators and Reporters when Boris Johnson was in Portsmouth. I got to see this footage being edited on Avid NewsCutter and then broadcasted in the gallery.
I also worked as a spotter for filming drone footage when I worked on Lucy McHugh’s murder case story. My role here was to keep an eye on the drone when the Camera Operator could not see it, as well as checking the wind speed as it was getting dangerous at certain points as we had to film on a windier day.
I organised interviews and filming locations over the phone when working at the news desk. This included finding and confirming interviews, and writing details and questions for the Reporters in iNEWS. For example, I was able to organise an interview with the RSPCA for the following day and get their promotional videos, which were used in the bulletin. It was rewarding to see my work carried through as I watched it go live in the gallery the next day.
Other phone calls included contacting the Crown Court to get updates on a court hearing, to make sure we were up to date in the newsroom with the latest information.
“I can confirm that Hannah Watkins spent a week on a work placement with ITV News Meridian in June 2019. During that time, Hannah shadowed a number of roles around the newsroom.
She observed the roles of News Editor, producer, forward planner, director, reporter and camera operator. Hannah helped with research for stories, assisted with planning the news diary and also acted as a "spotter" for our drone operator on a pre-shoot.
Hannah was well presented, polite and took a keen interest in how the newsgathering operation comes together on our regional news programme.”
Adam Clark
News Editor
“Hannah joined me for the day to film two items in the Portsmouth area. The first was at the Elizabeth Foundation for Deaf Children at Portsmouth Q.A. hospital. Hannah was best placed to conduct interviews, while I dealt with the camera. We had been supplied with a series of questions by the newsdesk, which Hannah asked, but very quickly moved on from these to rapidly formulating her own, based on the answers of the interview guests. This made for very flowing, conversational interviews, eliciting some excellent answers. This was done without any prompting from me, she really was thinking on her feet.
Our second assignment was to film arrival and departure of Boris Johnson at a meeting of party faithful in Southsea, prior to hustings for the Tory party leadership. We teamed up with our political correspondent, Phil Hornby, who wanted to try to get an interview. Despite being nominated the ‘pool’ camera for the event, there were so many other broadcasters there, it was obvious this was going to be a bit of a ‘bun-fight’. In such a situation, having an extra pair of eyes and ears to help out in a very fluid, dynamic environment proved to be a major bonus. Hannah was invaluable. We got our interview.
Throughout the day Hannah was an excellent companion, understanding the need to keep information flowing, and being quick-witted in what proved at the end of the day to be a rapidly changing set of circumstances. I think she would be a great asset to any news organisation, she has an instinct for it, and I would welcome working with her again.”
Mark Emery
Senior Camera Operator