anyone out there a TV shooting Producer/Director??

[LexieH]

hello, quick question, i think i might be about to be offered a job as a shooting PD, i am just 3 months pregnant (with my first) and the job is to start asap for 3 months. i have no idea if this is going to be beyond doing when i am 5/6 months pregnant?? i do lots of self shooting and i know it is physically demanding but i just have no idea if i will be able to do all the running around and carrying the z1 when i am 6 months pregnant. Anyone out there with tips on tv self-shooting when pregnant gratefully received x thanks x

i also don't know if i should mention that i am pregnant when i go for the job interview/chat?? i know the people interviewing me and have worked for them before but am worried they might not want me if i am pregnant and i REALLY want this job !!! Especially as we need the money!

I say do it. I'm a producer too (news) and I'm only 22 weeks but I'd definitely feel fine doing it for another few months. (I hope so at least as I'm set to work until 7.5 months)

And as long as you're not carrying anything heavier than a z1 I think it should be fine as long as you're not lugging mic packs and cables a mile out into a muddy field in the rain (sorry.. reliving bad experience :) ) Will you have any assistants?

Just my opinion but I think you should be fine. I probalby wouldn't tell them at the interview if you're confident you can do it. You can always claim you didnt know later :) Even though they're obviously not supposed to I wouldn't trust that they would pass you over because of the pregnancy.

The best advice I can give is to just keep generally fit. Keeping up with yoga and pilates I think has really helped me feel OK to work and not be too sore. And sleep a lot!

Hey Argylesocks, thanks loads for your advice, i'm sure it will be fine, i just keep wondering how big i will be when i am 6 months and thinking if i have to run with equipment and fit into tight spaces it might be hard but you have reassured me. good luck with your pregnancy x

I imagine you're talking about observational on multiple locations, as opposed to set up interviews? If so, I'm afraid I wouldn't. But that's just me being extremely cautious. Although I think physically, at 5/6 months, you'd feel fine, all my friends have had miscarriages and have blamed exhaustion of work.

Don't forget, often you're not just carrying a small Z1, but the heavy legs and though the lugging around could be done by an assistant, you'll be the one picking up the legs when changing shots at quick notice.

I probably wouldn't mention it when you go in for your chat as you'll be unlikely to get the job. But you will need to fess up more or less straight away as you need to fill out one of those Hiscox insurance forms. If it's a decent company, they'll get you a crew and then you'll be sorted.

Good luck.

Sorry ... just reread my post and it does sound really negative. You'll probably be okay, just thought I'd post what I'd do, being in a similar position to you (though I'm not as far gone in pregnancy).
I do think it depends on where and how you're shooting too. (I'd say Afghanistan is out!)

Also saw that you've worked for these people before, so I probably would tell them as they obviously want you for the job. Also, you don;t want them to feel you've deceived them as they might not want to employ you again, post-baby.

Hi Lexie,

I'm an Exec for entertainment shows, I've got two kids (4 and 1) and worked till 36 weeks with both (I was Series Producing when I had my eldest). In answer to your questions I'd say...

I don't think you'll struggle to shoot at 5/6 months or to carry the camera and some light equipment. Depending on what you're filming your condition may even be an ice breaker and work in your favour (I do a lot of Ent/Reality so always thinking about how to win the interviewees over!) However I reckon you'll find yourself becoming increasingly knackered and that's where it gets tough. It's harder to do long shoots the further along you are, not because of your size but just because pregnancy is tiring. If the show you're doing involves short observational shoots, daytime vox pops, behind the scenes etc I think you'll be fine. If it's Wife Swap or Super Sweet 16 style shoots you might struggle. We shot long days, 6 days a week and I found the length of time I was on my feet and the relentlessness of the shoots/edits was tough (and I didn't have to hump a camera round). If a story shifted we'd stay on to follow it through, there was always endless pick up days and frankly even my non pregnant P/Ds were justifiably shattered by the time the show finished. Having said that office time is easy and not a problem so think about how much time you'll be back in a chair logging/editing etc. If that's going to be quite a high proportion of the time then I think you'll be fine.

As far as whether to tell them in advance that's a tricky one. To get the job you may be wise to keep shtum about your bump but I would offer some real words of caution. As you're 3 months already you can't really keep this under wrap much longer and I'm not sure whether anyone will believe an 'oops I just found out and I'm nearly 14 weeks' story ten days after you join. I think sadly you'll possibly end up pissing a lot of people off and if these are friends and good contacts that may not be wise. Most importantly for you though if you're going on shoots you will need to be insured and so either a) you will have to lie on your form and hope that if anything happened the insurers don't find out you knew about this pregnancy already, had scans etc (as they won't cover you) or b) you'll have to fess up quite swiftly after joining so that you do get covered in which case we're back to the point above about the Series Prod etc feeling you've knowingly deceived them at the interview.

I'm so sorry if this isn't what you want to hear but I just want to be honest. My advice would be, if you're worried, don't mention it at the interview, wait to be offered the job and then, when they've already been won over by you and want you on board, mention it. Legally they'll struggle to then turn you down for a job you've already been offered, but most importantly they will respect the fact you've cone clean before you started and hopefully they'll already be in love with you anyway. Just tell them you were waiting for scan confirmation before you could let them know but that you are adamant it won't affect your ability to do your job etc.

Huge congratulations and I really hope some of this helps. Feel free to send me a personal message if you want any other advice, telly is a tough tricky industry for things like this especially as freelancing means you don't have the security of a job no matter what. But these things do work out and I truly believe if you are the best person for the job and handle the situation carefully all will be fine. Lots of luck... Will look out for LexieH on the credits sometime soon!! Xxx

I have been in your position and had no idea I would be so exhausted at 6 months. You might feel fine... but you might not... and if you don't feel up to it is it going to be very difficult to extricate yourself? Are you going to find this stressful in itself? How much of a perfectionist are you? I personally struggled through (stopped working at 30 weeks) and would never try and do it again.

Gosh thanks everyone so much to think about. Basically i haven't had my first scan yet, ironically my scan is a few hours beforehand on the day i go for the "chat" i thought perhaps i could have the chat and then if i was offered the job, like you said Twattybogle, tell them i had just had the scan and was waiting to confirm the pregnancy was ok. It's really tricky as i totally take on board the if i lie in anyway they might not employ me again but if i tell them i bet they will decide it will be too much. I am SUCH an honest person that i just want to tell the truth but i really think they will think i shouldn't do it. Mainly because it would be a massive deal for me to get the job as it is in an area i haven't worked before, i haven't done an ob doc and have always wanted to do one...and this one in particular would be so amazing to do!! However i also have been very very tired over these last few weeks so can't even imagine self shooting everyday (which it might very well be) but i have also heard that the extreme tiredness goes after the first trimester. It's just ironic that this amazing opportunity might be within my reach and its typical that i am pregnant. (not that that isn't amazing!!!) Thanks everyone your advice is really helpful xxx and thanks Twattybogle for saying i can contact you directly i might just do that once i have had the "chat" x

Good luck Lexie. For what it's worth I think you're right, have the chat first (especially if you'll only just have had the scan so have a justifiable reason for not saying anything yet) and then take a view. I think you need to get a really good sense of what is involved at that chat anyway so that, if you get the job, you can work out if it is really manageable. Find out the team dynamics as that will reflect on how much support you can expect. If it's just you and a researcher then physically you'll be expected to do a lot more than if they've got sound guys etc to support you on the shoots (and help with the lugging). Check how much travel is involved as that will add to the length of your day, find out if you'll be away for long periods too as this may clash with midwife appointments etc. Plenty of people work all the way through and so if it's really what you want and you get the job there will be a way to make this work. Remember though that your health and well being is way more important than the next job on your CV and having the courage to say no for the right reasons may serve you better than taking on a stressful role that you end up walking away from before the end.

Do feel free to get in touch. I'm an Obs Doc/Ent bod myself so more than happy to help xx

Hi Lexie,

I do a lot of live OB/events/festivals work and worked all the way through to 35 weeks (only christmas got in the way of going back for another couple).

had a lot of support - extra techies to do lifting and shifting from third trimester onwards, but prior to that was ok.

Would suggest a back support if you are going to keep lifting heavier items, or working on your feet for long days.

but otherwise, i think you'll be fine, as long as you listen to your body. it will tell you when it's had enough.

I did 4, week long stints at major events over the summer and actually really enjoyed being so active, in comparison to now (at 39 weeks) where I'm mostly sat on my butt!

best of luck!

Hi Lexie,

I am a self-shooting reporter/producer who worked pretty much right throughout my pregnancy. I stopped shooting at about 35 weeks but worked right up until that point.

All I can offer is my personal experience. I've generally had a trouble-free pregnancy and although I'm a bit older than most first time mums (33) I am in pretty good physical health.

I do ALL my own shooting and work entirely alone, often on day-long shoots. Oh - and I work in the Middle East - so regularly have to do my job outside, with all my own gear, in 45 degree heat!

I would say (going solely on my experience) to take the job - go for it! First trimester tiredness is overwhelming as you say - you will should your best and be your most mobile in your second trimester, which is exactly when your work contract falls. I shoot on a Z5 but also have to lug around my own sticks, plus a camera bag filled with lights, mics, cables etc.

I found that people are super helpful with carrying once they see you are pregnant, and also very willing to work 'around' you - i.e. take a break if they can see you tiring, or take 5 mins for you to grab a sugar drink to keep you going. You'll need to be very careful lifting the gear, but once you're actually carrying it up on your shoulder (I do a lot of off-tripod shooting), it doesn't feel too heavy.

The main thing I had to factor in (although this was towards the 30-week plus stage) is physical tiredness, for example I had to rearrange my shoot days to have a 2-hour nap between morning and afternoon sessions - this was totally compulsory for me. You might also find (depending on where you're working) that you feel faint more quickly - again perhaps only relevant to me shooting in extreme heat, but if you're working in a tough outdoor environment, count on it to take a lot more out of you than normal.

Also - what kind of shooting will you be doing? If it's constant following-subjects-round-off-tripod, you will likely find it impossible to keep going all day. If however the days are broken up by sit-down IVs, or travel between locations, then these will become your 'rest' periods. It depends a bit on the nature of the shoot.

But - up until 6 months it really is manageable. You'll be SHATTERED at the end of the day, but it really is the best time to take on physical work, coz once you hit the 8/9 month mark, it's a totally different story

Good luck!

ps: It's also dead worth it because everyone treats pregnant camerawomen like goddesses!!

dear gherkins, thank you so very much for this invaluable information!!!! You sound like super woman!!!! I am in awe, I'm also 33 so it's definitely not like in the old days when i could run around with a camera for hours on end and never get tired! But you have given me confidence, i am a pretty determind person so will just get on with it but it's nice to hear that someone has done it and in far worse conditions that i might have.

I think it might be constant following "subjects" around but i will find out more this week.

Thank you for your help and if i get the job i will be hoping for the goddess like treatment whilst shooting! ;) x

Hi Lexie,
Sounds like you've already had loads of sage advice but I'd say go for it! I'm 6 months pregnant now and luckily managed to get work on an edit producing job these last 3 months so have been able to eat biscuits in the edit, work on scripts and generally put my feet up a lot more than if I was on a shoot which has been much appreciated. But that said, I've had so much more energy in the second trimester than I did in the first 3 months I feel I could have been on a shoot and would have been ok. I probably didn't start "glowing" until the end of the 4th month but the 5th and 6th months I've literally felt virtually normal energy levels.

Legally you don't have to tell your employer until your 25 weeks preggers so I wouldn't tell them in your interview but once they've firmly offered you the job - and on paper. You don't want to annoy them if they're good employers of yours but equally you don't want to give them a chance of opting out - and this is a notoriously hypocritical industry we work in.
Good luck!! x

How did it go Lexie?
I'm going to an interview for a job tomorrow (will only involve minimal self shooting) and am wondering at which point to tell them I'm 3 months pregnant. Definitely intend to tell them though, but do I do it at beginning or end of interview?

Anyone out there with any thoughts/advice?

Hi TootiredtoGoogle it turns out that the job has been delayed so my meeting was put off... but if it comes up now i wouldn't be able to do it as it would be too late in my pregnancy. Also we have rather a lot on, selling 2 flats, buying a new house which needs loads and loads of work before the baby comes on the 1st of Aug Eeeekkk!! How did you interview go? x

Well, interview went very well and they were dead keen until I 'came clean' and told them I was pregnant. They were very grateful I told them as they had one D/P start who told them on her first day of work.

Just phoned them and found out that they don't want to go with me ... said something about me being overqualified and muttered something about a more desk-based project for me, which is awaiting the green light.

Don't regret telling them, but I'm very surprised by their apparent fear of taking on a pregnant woman, and has dented my confidence a bit.

Just can't decide now whether to carry on looking for work or enjoy the time off. Would been nice to have a bit of a cash injection before baby comes and I lose my earning power for the next year though.

Good luck with your house move and teh rest of your pregnancy!
I'm due in August too - 16th.