Testimonials
The year was 1996. While pondering my life choices and career aspects I stumbled across a course that offered students actual hands on experience in the making of and participation of television broadcasting. I was interested in the operational roles within television – cameras, control rooms, behind the scenes stuff. I attended BTC 3 - back then it was VHS and S-VHS video tape; digital editing was still evolving!
BTC has, at its beckoned call a raft of industry professionals to help teach students every possible aspect within the television and film industry and is an exceptional starting point in anyone’s career. After my week course, I enrolled in film school, which led to work at Christchurch Television as camera operator, then control room operator. From those early days I have moved up to TV3 as Presentation Director, C4TV as Senior Technical Director, back to TV3 as Senior Presentation Director and am now based in Sydney working at Australia’s biggest pay TV service FOXTEL.
BTC offers a fun creative environment which forces people to flourish. The shear passion and excitement of the tutors is surely testament to that statement, students come back year after year to pass on knowledge and help others, the course director Simon Williams has such drive and enthusiasm, he makes it hard not catch the industry bug, which so many have caught and still are working in.
The television/film/broadcasting industry is a very special place to work in. It’s fun always interesting and always changing and for the right people, will last a lifetime. BTC changed my life forever and as a direct result, have made television my career. I recommend Beyond The Camera to anyone who is contemplating a role within this industry and would not hesitate to promote this as a serious starting point to further training.
Any questions/queries or concerns, I’d be happy to talk over with anyone at anytime.
Cheers and thanks to Simon and everyone at Beyond The Camera.
Karl Wilby
Wilby.karl@gmail.com
Beyond the Camera is a week-long rollercoaster ride: the decision to get on can be a bit daunting; once you’re on the ride it’s fast-paced, ever changing and unpredictable; but when the ride is over all you want is to go back and do it again, and you’ll be talking about it for the rest of your life.
I had the privilege of attending BTC for the first time in 2003 and over the past seven years found it very hard to stay away. The fact is there is simply nothing else like it. Who else would give free reign of two television studios to 100 high-school aged students? BTC empowers students to step outside their comfort zone and give something new a try. For aspiring creative practitioners, BTC is a way to gain exposure to the industry and a hands-on experience through which to explore their potential career. Even students with limited interest in film and television have a lot to gain from the course: BTC encourages team-work, cooperation, leadership and communication skills that cannot be acquired in a regular classroom environment. BTC has something for everyone and courses are tailored to suit the needs and interests of the student cohort.
What makes BTC is the people. The students who flock from all corners of the country with bucket loads of enthusiasm, masses of weird and wonderful talents and incredibly positive outlooks mean the place buzzes every day. Every group, though unique and diverse in their own way, manage to come together and form a tight-knit team to produce a brilliant 2-hour live show at the end of the week. The friendships and connections that BTC fosters are long-lasting and absolutely treasured by BTC Alumni. But the tutors too, the unsung heroes who will work endless hours alongside their students, deserve credit for their contribution to the course. In all honesty, BTC would not be BTC without the vivacious and passionate staff who dedicate their time to making the place tick. These industry professionals give up a week of their ‘real’ jobs to teach a bunch of teenagers how to “make telly”. Why? Because they know that they’re working with the next generation of television super-stars and they get a kick out of the BTC vibe. I’ve had the honour of being taught by, and more recently working alongside, the BTC staff and I have the utmost respect for their commitment to the course.
I have no doubt that BTC is what got me into the Television industry. The skills, encouragement, support and contacts that I gained from BTC not only laid the foundation for my career but sparked a passion in me that has fueled my creative production ever since. I’ve been a part of BTC for less than half of its life and have seen many talented and driven students go on to do achieve incredible things in a vast array of different areas. I cannot even begin to imagine how many people, in its 15 years of operation, BTC has had this influence on.
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Kat France
Former Production Manager’s Assistant, Beyond the Camera
Final Year Media Production student at University of Technology, Sydney
BTC well where do I begin!
The fun, the creativity, the learning, the filming, the editing, the directing, the performing, and the skirts...!
This 1 week course is a fantastic place to start or even continue from where you are currently with your broadcasting knowledge.
I knew nothing about this industry until I saw the brochure at my school and thought it sounded pretty cool... I was wrong! It was absolutely amasing!!!
The tutors will teach you so much, and all the learning is hands on. You make great contacts for the future, great friends and wicked projects!
I did 3 years and it was the best course I ever did (and I really wish I could go back). From what I learned I had a base to apply for the New Zealand Broadcasting School course, which was also totally awesome but could never beat BTC!
I STRONGLY recommend this course to anyone interested in the arts 
Megan Kane
I first attended BTC 4 with a number of friends who were also interested in TV and video making and everything it had to offer.
I loved the unbridled creativity and comradery of the course, and came back many times to help as a tutor and later an organiser.
Since then, I have gone on to a career as a Television Broadcast Engineer and have been lucky enough to work alongside a number of the BTC alum who made it into the industry.
I can think of people working at major NZ broadcasters, production houses, outside broadcast firms and effects companies who all cut their teeth on the course.
I sincerely believe I wouldn't have got to where I am today if not for the BTC nudging me in the right direction and giving me valuable contacts and experience I have used to this day..
Long may it keep providing fresh talent for New Zealand broadcasting!
Benjamin Shearer, B.B.C.
Senior Operations Engineer
Ravensbourne College
London, United Kingdom
www.rave.ac.uk
After attending BTC i was thrown into a world of opportunities.
The course firmly confirmed my love of the television and the broadcasting industry.
The quick moving speed of the course threw us right in there with a safety and basic skills under our belts and really what better way is there to learn apart from with your hands on the equipment.
Each and every person who applied themselves, got out an amazing experience and learnt so much. Even if you weren't interested in each part of a camera there were so many opportunities to learn in front of the camera skills as well as everyone going out of their comfort zones to perform in front of the lens.
The support of not only the senior tutors but the student tutors as well is second to none and drives along the course so brilliantly they become friends who are guiding you to your passion. I know for certain that BTC opens doors for its participants to get into such an amazing industry with tertiary education institutes including the NZ Broadcasting School valuing every skill learnt in those short 7 days. Its a place you shed a tear over leaving and an opportunity you never forget.
Mitch Nicholson
BTC 28 Participant
This is Rebecca Barnes. I was at about 4 or 5 BTC's between 2005 and 2007.
In 2008 I was a student at the New Zealand Film and Television School in Wellington. I graduated as Most Outstanding Student, with my areas of speciality being writing and directing. In 2009 I gained a Diploma in Creative Writing from Whitireia Polytechnic, and have almost completed my Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting this year, with tutor Graeme Tetley.
I've just been doing these writing courses as an excuse to be 'studying' so I can work in film and television in my spare time. I was funded by an American company to do a short doco last year which screened at Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. This year I've had a couple of short film scripts picked up by producer Glenis Giles, and have been applying for funding rounds (Fresh Shorts). I'm also working for a small television production company as a production assistant and admin person. Most importantly I'm spitting out scripts and trying to get a backlog of good ones that I can make.
I wanted to give Beyond the Camera a reference because I don't think I'd be in the career I'm in without it. Beyond the Camera was an intregral part of my growing as a creative person and was something my friends and I always looked forward to with huge anticipation in high school. The way I used to explain it to people was "You know how there's a couple of crazy creative kids in every school? Take them all, and put them together for a week, give them cameras, and that's Beyond the Camera". It was the environment that I really loved about BTC. There was always a buzz in the air and I met heaps of people I clicked with creatively. Many of them I am still really good friends with today. I'm also constantly meeting people from BTC starting out in the industry now like I am - I could probably count 20 or so, which is awesome.
Attending Beyond the Camera gave me such an advantage when I got to Film School because I already had the basics of writing, camera, shot composition etc etc. There is something particularly great about making a field item at BTC, because it's a physical thing you've completed and can look at. There's a lot of pride in that, and once you've done it, it's a great feeling and a great starter. BTC is general was a huge confidence booster for us all.
So yes, thank you BTC for nuturing me and my whacky friends in our youth! I'm not sure if Chris and Eppie will get round to doing this, but they're in Auckland, Eppie is now a South Seas acting graduate and has been getting quite a bit of work, and Chris is just about to graduate with a BA in Directing from Unitec. We have projects we are going to work on together in the future.
I feel I owe you guys for putting me on the path to a career I already love - so let me know if there's anything I can do to help BTC!
Cheers,
Rebecca Barnes
