An Excellent Programme, No Matter Your Level of Experience

I came to OTOXO Productions having already completed a degree in Film and Television Production. While my degree set me up well for knowledge of filmmaking and a path into the fiction side of the industry, I hadn't realised, until I had finished, that I wanted to focus my career on documentary filmmaking. After months of applying to documentary production companies, with no luck, it became clear to me that I needed some experience working under a production company. Otoxo allowed me to add another very relevant credit of a social documentary to my cv and gave me one-on-one guidance on how the documentary industry functioned and helped to set my goals. Tom and John are excellent mentors and really know how to train people in all aspects of filmmaking both practical and technical.

I should point out at this point that while I had come from a background that had a lot of this experience already, many on my crew had never used a film camera before. I watched Tom teach others about camera and framing and was incredibly impressed by the learning curve of my peers. At the same time, I used these workshops as a way to practice my own skills by listening to Tom's suggestions and applying my existing general knowledge specifically to documentary. Tom's feedback is never too general or impersonal and is always tailored well to how you specifically as a camera operator can get even better. Writing workshops, lead by John, are incredibly helpful in adapting to think practically about how a story will unfold, how an audience will interpret a series of events or images and how to think on your feet when a factual set of events changes course. I would say that in my daily life when assessing whether something would make a good story I always return in my head to John's workshops. John also leads the research stage of the film which is a very important skill to learn especially as many entry-level jobs for production companies require heavy research, phone calls and organisational skills. John mentors this process by teaching how to approach and structure communication with potential subjects while keeping at a distance to force you to try these concepts on your own to learn and adapt quickly.

I would really stress that, ultimately, Otoxo is what you make of it. Supplement your time working on the documentary with your own reading and film viewings in the evening and you will come away with the confidence to find a job in the industry. I know that not all of my peers came away feeling that confidence but I also know that they didn't always have their priorities straight. Tom and John are easy guys to talk to and offer a well-rounded, fun experience that can change the path of your career. I would definitely recommend the INto INdustry Programme to anyone wanting to help to get into the industry, whether you out of school looking to find a cheaper way than a university to learn these skills or you are a university graduate struggling you get your first job. I would also stress that Otoxo is particularly great for people who are passionate about telling character-based stories. Social documentary is the primary focus of Otoxo.

(I have given housing an average score of 5 because it is not offered by the programme. However, Otoxo will give you all the advice you need when it comes to finding a flat and getting settled into Barcelona.)