Chatting to Bond cameraman Roger Pearce...: Pre-production: May 2008
In Club Flix's new "secret cinema" in central Bath, Roger talked about the highs (hanging off scaffolding towers!) and lows (crashing during car chases!) of camera operating. Club Flix met Roger on the eve of his next job, filming a Doctor Who special, one of the last tofeature david Tennant. He was unwilling to give away too many secrets about the plot, but did divulge there would be more daleks!Club Flix wanted to know how Roger got into the industry and where he saw the future of camera technology. Roger explained that he had left school at 16 and been "in the right place at the right time" and got a job in a small production company as their camera technician. He added that learning on the job had been a great experience and recommended anyone looking to pursue a career in cameras to get their hands on kit and "just make as much as you can". Working for the BBC on recent drama, Cranford, Roger had used hHD for the first time and saw that as the future of TV production in the UK. When asked about the longevity of "old-fashioned" film, Roger did admit that the US still shoot most of their big TV dramas on 35mm so there are still opportunities over there for those who want to work with film.
Roger's son, Simon, is an alumni of Club Flix and has produced a short film called Shank, due for release with a major distributor soon. Club Flix are hoping to arrange a talks event with Simon Pearce and a screening of Shank in the Spring. Stay tuned!
Thanks to Suited and Booted Studios and Dial Radio in Bath for supporting the event and to Roger Pearce for his interesting anecdotes and great advice.
