“Sophie is a fantastic hard working professional who uses her initiative to quickly resolve tough situations. She worked with me as a video producer and was always the most organised member of the team on a shoot. Her vast experience allows her to be decisive and calm when under pressure with difficult time constraints. Sophie is someone you can rely on to do her job so that you can focus on yours. I would have no hesitation in hiring her for any film shoot. A real team member with a great attitude and passion for her work.
Michaek Fink – Technical Director and Editor and Deutsch Bank
“Sophie was the Producer and Director for my programme “Investing with Care”.
She first listened to my vision for the programme before putting together a detailed show structure for me to look at. She then organised the shoot dates, logistics and presenter. She sent across call sheets confirming how the shoot would run, addresses, times and contact details. The shoot was done on schedule and covered every element that needed to be filmed. She ran all the interviews and got all the cutaways needed. She made sure that even with changes decided on the day, that all the links were still there for the programme to run smoothly.
In the review process, Sophie sent over a first cut for review and facilitated a back and forth process to include my feedback on the edit.
Everything was well communicated and organised. I was happy with the final video which met the vision I had for the programme, the budget and the deadline.”
Sincerely,
John Charles Hill – Director – Seaton Lane Healthcare
Sophie helped to us to produce a really first class video; she was most definitely in control of the whole thing and the results speak for themselves.
I have no hesitation in commending her
Tony Gimple – Less Tax for Landlords
We worked with Sophie on a project in Helmond, Holland. This caused a number of logistic issues however working with Sophie and her team made this process very easy. Once in Holland the schedule although busy was organised very well and it was clear for the start that the project would go well. Following a whole day of filming in various locations for both product and interviews, we achieved what we needed to create some great company showcase films. The advice given for the camera work from Sophie was invaluable for those not from the industry this can be a daunting process. So the help and advice she gave was invaluable and contributed to the end results. We would have no hesitation in using Sophie and her team in the future.
Jon Neill – Managing Director – Sport Safe
“I worked with Sophie Piedallu on a commercial a couple of months ago. I would happily recommend her she was level headed, thought with common sense, was polite and determined to do a good job. No fuss and has the right attributes for a camera assistant.”
Sam Vines – 1AC TV and film with call box diary service and now soon with Auscrew
“Innovative and inspiring creators Sophie and Matt [Co-business partner of Head Space Productions] have put their heart and soul into this Society [Staffs TV]. Their efforts have been inspirational to all involved and many congratulations on their success.”
Fiona Graham – TV Producer, BBC Crimewatch UK
“Sophie worked with me on a music video/collaborative art piece as 1st AC late last year (2013). She was a pleasure to work with, very professional, knowledgable and helpful, going far beyond what is normally required of a 1st AC. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again and would recommend her to anyone needing a bright, multi-talented professional for their crew.”
Sophie Black – DOP, “Passage” – Music Video/Art Film – Producer – The Post Factor
“Sophie really took the initiative, asking actors and director where the action would be taking place so she could light as early as possible on a set with tight time constraints. Despite a stressful shoot, she remained positive throughout and an absolute joy to work with.”
Jenny Novitzky – Producer and actress on the short film “Two Feet”
“I worked with Sophie in my role as sales manager for Property TV, she worked hard to balance the needs of the client, the team and our company.
It was a pleasure to work for Sophie “
James Harrison – Sales
“Sophie’s skills in the lighting department contributed hugely to the successful production of our shoot. She takes the initiative and is able to seamlessly collaborate with the director and D.O.P as well as direct a team around her. She was a pleasure to work with and a real asset – no hesitation in recommending her.”
Joe Gewirtz – Director, “Two Feet” short film
“Sophie and Matt [Co-business partner of Head Space Productions] were very professional and listened to exactly what I wanted for the film I needed for Staffs Welcome Week, The end result was better than imagined. Would definitely recommend them for any event!”
Katie Greenough – Welcome Week Coordinator, Staffordshire University Student Union
“Well constructed, entertaining and informative, Good presentation and well directed. Hot Mikado sequence was excellent both visually and audio”
Paul Ryan – Head of Event Operations, ESPN
What’sNext – 2nd Place for Best Live at the National Student Television Award 2013
“Sophie worked with me as a 1st AC during the production of an energy drink TV commercial in Leicester. It was an ambitious shoot, with long hours and a variety of difficult locations. She met every challenge with enthusiasm and good humour, and under strenuous time constraints delivered good, accurate work. She clearly knows her way around a film set, and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again.”
Nick Burridge, DoP ‘Wildcat’ TVC
“Sophie and I worked together on a music video I was shooting for ‘Hum’.
Sophie did a fantastic job of shooting 2nd camera which was constantly tracking. She was really professional, very thorough,
and offered up lots of ideas for shots. I would recommend her most highly.”
Ian Potts – DOP, “Can we go there again” – Music Video
“I worked as AD in a short movie where Sophie was working as DOP. She definitely knows what she is doing. She is a great worker full of energy. The result was very good. Looking forward to collaborate with her again.”
Andrea Gambadoro – 1AD, Short Film “Power Loss”
“We needed an organised, confident and ‘make it happen’ 1st AD for our shoot. Sophie was that and more. With a crew of 25 plus, she got to know the ins and outs of the dynamics of each cast and crew member, making appropriate recommendations on helping to manage the myriad of personalities. She kept our shoot on time and to her well thought out schedule, but never at the detriment of the creative input, in which she had some great recommendations, thoughts and insights. The 1st AD’s role is a razor sharp line to walk between organisation and creativity, Sophie walks it perfectly.”
Vijay Sodhi
Director, “Rama” – Feature film
“This experience in the camera department, gave Sophie the opportunity of working in a TV Drama production company recognised by industry professionals and the biggest french TV Channels.
Sophie Piedallu’s work allowed me to see her qualities and skills on set. She was responsible for recording all the takes and archiving them as the third camera assistant, during an episode of the Agatha Christie series “Les Petits Meurtres d’Agatha Christie”.
Sophie Piedallu knew how to adapt rapidly to the environment and to the very specific equipment used during the shoot.
Those working as part of the crew rapidly appreciated her motivation for the job and how efficient she was in her work, making her a good camera assistant. Furthermore, they also appreciated how quickly she integrated the group and her good communication and social skills.
All these reasons allow me to recommend Sophie Piedallu, who will, I am sure, be a brilliant addition to any team.”
Laurent Chiomento – Production Manager, Escazal Films
Sophie joined the team full of energy. It was exactly what the team needed.
As my manager, Sophie provided me support in my role as a Production Assistant. She made sure I challenged myself and went beyond my duties, developping new skills, like Camera Operating and lighting, to make sure I was fully confident and competent.
Pre-production was very well organised and this showed throughout the filming days where everything was running smoothly. We were provided with a clear call sheet and a schedule of what needs to be filmed.
Sophie’s first priority was to make sure she listened to the clients needs. Clear and concise communication was valued in this process. It was great to work with Sophie.
Mehwish Fiaz – PA, Property TV
“I worked for Sophie as a sound designer/composer. She was very open for ideas and gave useful feedback on what works and what doesn’t.Communication at professional level all the way through.” 2013
Pawel Jalowiecki – Sound Designer, Rusty Studio
“Sophie and Matt [Co-business partner of Head Space Productions] have developed a number of projects in our live broadcast studio. Starting with the TV channel Staffs TV. They quickly capitalised on this and developed and produced a number of large scale shows around events taking place inside and outside the university. For NaSTAvision, a UK wide live music contest, they had to design, develop and bid for resources to expand the TV studio facility at the university. This included a full OB setup tied into the fixed studio for a live internet broadcast, lighting, camera rigging and vision control in both the fixed studio and a remote location. When the co-host feed went down they quickly took over and maintained the technical and production aspects of the rest of the show.””
Paul Ottey – TV Camera Operator, SKY History Channel and Crime and Investigation
“Around 35 crew members from Staffs TV worked seamlessly together to host the event at Television Centre and Legend’a nightclub, Matt Brading and Sophie Piedallu ran the event perfectly.The team coped exceedingly well when Sonar TV had a power shortage, which halted their part in the overall production. The whole team from Staffs TV deserve enormous praise fortheir efforts. The technical and organisational skills shown to pull this off were incredible.”
Tim Dunning – Academic Group Leader for FX and Film Technology
“Head Space Productions [founded by Sophie Piedallu] came along to our wedding and made us a truly special video and some lovely photos that we will treasure always. Sophie and Matt [Co-business partner of Head Space Productions] were extremely friendly, patient, professional and instinctively knew exactly what we would like. We couldn’t be happier with the results and would thoroughly recommend Head Space to anyone else wanting to cover their special day.”
Graham and Shirah Blackwood – Bride and Groom
“Sophie is a determined, dedicated and driven individual. She is incredibly ambitious, having co-founded Staffs TV for Staffordshire University.
As a director, Sophie is confident, organised and understanding to everyone working on set. As a regular presenter for Staffs TV, Sophie made sure I was comfortable with everything I was doing. I’d recommend Sophie to any employer, she is hard working and a pleasure to spend time with.”
Naina Rishiraj
Talent pool, ITV
“Fastbleep approached Sophie to make a series of videos for school students on medical school and medicine.
She surpassed my expectations at every stage. In advance, they clearly communicated what was needed for a filming day and how to make it run smoothly – this was critical to getting the most from our and their time.
On the day their passion for film and creativity really shone through: they provided training to speakers who weren’t used to cameras, they created effective backdrops from the limited equipment available, and they had important input into the scripted questions.
After filming, the videos sent to us for review were of excellent quality and it was obvious a lot of time had gone into their creation.
I have no hesitation in recommending Matt, Sophie and Head Space Productions – they were utterly professional and created impactful videos matched entirely to Fastbleep’s needs.”
Dr James Giles – Chief Executive, Fastbleep
“NaSTAvision was a live event for the National Student Television Association (NaSTA), which saw universities across the country face-off against each other in a Eurovision style music content. This event was organised by Sophie Piedallu and Matt Brading [co-business partner of Head Space Productions] with their team from StaffsTV, as well as another Student Television station (SonarTV). The broadcast was probably the most technically complex in the history of the National Student Television Association. Not only did the team have to contend with linking to stations across the country for their live performances, but also had to combat unforeseen technical difficulties from the other station and take sole responsibility for the entire second half of the broadcast. From the start, Sophie and Matt showed a passion and enthusiasm for broadcast and became a real driving force in ensuring the event ran smoothly. It was clear that they knew how best to work together, with Sophie taking the lead on aesthetic and content-related elements and Matt spearheading the technical side of the broadcast. Together, they are an absolute tour de force and have the wonderful ability to foresee potential issues that others miss and combat them before they even arise. They have a clear understanding of their skills and balance each other perfectly. NaSTAvision was an event that was something I wanted to try to bring something different into the National Student Television Association. The vision (pun intended) of what I had in my head was surpassed by the brilliance and professionalism of Sophie and Matt.”
Lawrence Bolton Chair, National Student Television Association
“Our enterprising film production technology students have recently scooped a top industry prize, just 8 months into settingup their new television production society Staffs TV. They beat 40 other university societies to the prestigious award, at the 40th National Student Television Association Awards. The enterprising students Matt Brading [Co-business partner of Head Space Productions] and Sophie Piedallu (…) set up Staffs TV which is backed by the students union and uses our industry standard facilities.” 2013
Michael Gunn – Vice Chancellor, Staffordshire University
“Sophie was a hardworking, creative and invaluable member to my crew whilst filming in The Tutor. As my cinematographer not only did she create incredible framing and composition, but also went beyond her responsibilities and worked later hours and grafted for the good of the film. Prior to filming Sophie worked extensively alongside me, discussing and offering creative input. Whilst on set Sophie was always professional, prompt and a team player. Even after we had wrapped up on the shoot Sophie recommended input and put me in touch with a colour grader to finalise the trailer. Her hard work and dedication to my vision was well and truly invaluable. I would recommend her to any director or production company looking for a cinematographer.
Anthony Vander – Director
“I had the pleasure of working with Sophie on a short film “Schmuck” last year. Sophie is a good team player who quickly established herself as a valuable member of me crew. She proved to be dedicated, reliable and helpful. I would recommend her to anybody as she has exactly what it takes to make it in a very tough industry.”
Nick Milner – DOP on “Schmuck” – Short film (credits include Harry Potter and Aliens)
“Sophie joined our crew halfway through an independent feature shoot in Birmingham in 2012, and instantly became an invaluable member of the team in her capacity as a camera assistant. She demonstrated a clear knowledge of technical equipment and processes, as well as a clear passion for film-making. She was an extremely reliable person to turn to with a number of tasks that made the camera crew’s job run much more smoothly – a great person to have on set!”
Ryan Biercewicz – Camera Department, “The Quiet One” – Feature film
