Aaron Singer-Lee, who left Oxford in 2005, spent a year as an intern with Working Title.

Tell us about Working Title - what do they do?

WT are a feature film production company, started up by two of the most prominent producers in the British Film Industry - Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. They are fairly unique in terms of British production companies because they have the distribution backing of Universal, which is a Hollywood studio. What this essentially means is that, whereas most British films are independently funded through the production process (ie. to completion) and then must secure distribution, WT has the studio weight behind them to automatically get their films into cinemas across the world.

WT were the biggest production company I'd ever seen. Most companies have between one and five people doing everything - research, production, legal, you name it. WT have successfully managed to build an office of about 30-40 people, including a legal department, finance, even a music department consisting of a full-time music supervisor. I'm pretty sure that guy has the best job in the world; listening to music for half a day and deciding with a director what sounds good over footage.

WT are most known for their Rom-Coms (Four Weddings, Bridget Jones, Notting Hill, Love Actually) and traditional pieces (Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth, Atonement). However, they branch out with many other strands too, including United 93, The Big Lebowski and Smokin' Aces.

What was your role in the company?

I had a year's contract as a development and production intern. I spent eight months in development, which was my background. This entailed script research for current projects they had on their slate, reading and covering new submissions, compiling competitive reports. Development is the pre-production stage of film, where it's all isolated and creative, so essentially anything that assisted WT development execs with their hunt for new scripts/talent we would help on.

I also spent four months in production, which is the logistics and co-ordination of a film. This ranges from sorting contracts, to making sure cast/crew/props/locations and all ready and organised for the shooting days. Once a film has finished prinicipal photography, it goes into "post" (the editing stage), whereupon, we would also need to ensure the editors/sound mixers/composers/etc have everything they need.

Tell us about a typical day for an intern at Working Title.

A typical day in development would be going first going through the trade magazines for any latest news (actors/directors/companies announcing new projects, etc). A whizz through the papers for any potential film stories would then be on the menu. One or two scripts/films will get watched if there's time, although one has to adapt to breaking focus at any point if something new comes along. The execs will often have a project for the week - so whatever they need researching would be the interns’ main work for the week. One week could be compiling a database of all the great Russian novels and seeing which have been adapted for the screen; the following week could be researching the twenty most successful kids movies involving animals; the next could be potential music biopics. Development is all about testing the waters of what could be a good script, so at the bottom of the pyramid, we'd filter through as much as possible, so an exec comes up with the cream when they answer to Tim and Eric. Having said all this, if Tim or Eric come in one day and demand something by that afternoon, then everything stops! I guess that's not just film bosses though.

Days in production really do depend on whether they have any films shooting that week. When I was in the department they had one shoot over in New York, so it was very relaxed. I was able to go out and floor run for a couple weeks when they re-shot scenes for the latest Mr Bean film, which got me out of the office for a bit. But generally, production involves being a well-informed gopher.

Did you get to go to lots of premieres? Is the film industry as glamorous as it sounds?

I did go to quite a few premieres. You become numb after the first one though, and a red carpet memory is always a hazy one. I always took a different friend everytime so they'd appreciate it more than me, but the after-parties are all good. Working at WT does spoil you with premieres, free screenings, freebies, etc, to the point where I think I've only paid a handful of times to go the movies ever since.

The biggest misconception of the film industry is that it's glamorous. It's not, and anyone that thinks it is doesn't last the week. We're all an ugly, unshaven lot. The glamour comes out for one night only on a film, and we leave that to the actors. The rest of the time, it's long hours and social life slots in where possible. To an extent, if you love movies film may not be the business to work in as you will see the ugly side. I know people that left early on because they felt they would lose their enjoyment of films if they stayed on the inside. Having said all this, you will know after a day in the business whether it's for you. I do respect an industry that doesn't kid you like that.

When did you start getting interested in film? Did you always want to work in that industry?

Film is our generation's artistic medium in my opinion, so it's hard to say when I got interested in it. I shot short films since I was fourteen, throwing into festivals and writing stuff for fun. I used my school's media studies equipment to go crazy with once I'd sweetened up the teachers' trust in me. To say I always wanted to work in it since would be a lie. In my second year at uni, I was flooded with those career option booklets. None of that stuff appealed, but I felt a pressure to "choose" nevertheless. Films made my heart beat more than anything, so that won my mind over. I consider myself very lucky to have known then.
One thing worth pointing out is that the film industry, like many others, has so many different occupations that it's not one homogenous type of person who goes into it. It is a collaborative process like none I've ever seen, and so there's no film 'type'.

What have you done since leaving Working Title?

Half-way through WT, I decided I didn't want another office job, so threw all my savings into film equipment and set up an Indie film collective, The Cinematic Gorillas, with some of my indie filmmaking brothers and sisters. We make shorts, music vids, epk's, docs, and provide the artists with the liberty they can't get from the industry.
With a couple of partners, I also run a new production company called MASE, shooting corporate promos for companies, music vids, etc. This provides the revenue to fund our CG stuff. We also acquired a large studio space in East London to hot house all our projects and bring in photo artists, bands, etc, to do their own thing there.
I directed another short, which we're throwing into festivals for 2008, but am now focusing on producing for a year after seeing the WT Pro's do their thing. We're currently in production on our first feature film, with another tentatively scheduled for this winter. I have a few features that I'm writing at the moment, but writing always takes a back seat when things get busy.

Where would you like to be in 5, 10 years time?

I'm still in love with cinema as I ever was, so the dream is just to make good movies. How long that will take I don't know, but when the big break comes, hopefully I'll have kept myself busy enough to be ready.

You did English at Oxford. Why did you decide to study there, and how did you find your three year degree?

I went to Oxford largely becasue I didn't have the guts to say no. I thought film school would be the way, based on the good fortune and support I'd had from film people in London as a teenager. Come UCAS applications, however, my deputy-head of sixth form told me my GSCE point-average was good enough to apply for Oxford. The rest is history as they say.
Oxford was great. The years whizzed by, but in terms of academia and meeting diverse minds, it was second to none. The film stuff went on hold, but I must be honest and say Oxford opened as many doors as any of my film skills did. For example, despite the seven years of film experience I'd had before WT, the three interns that year were all from Oxford.

How did you find it then, and how have you found it since, that your chosen path is so different to the banking/law/consultancy norm? Did you feel ever feel a pressure to go in that direction instead?

Moving away from a Monday-Friday job after WT and becoming serious about independent film-making sounds daunting even when I talk about it, but ultimately no-one forced my hand. I had several opportunities to play it easy and take the cushy job, the money, the ladder, whatever. I was impatient to wait 10-15 years for a shot at making big decisions. To be honest, I feel this came more from where I grew up in London than Oxford. Most of my home friends are pushing the boat out with artistic or entrepreneurial careers now, so the norm for me only flipped when I went to uni - at which point I did feel a little pressure that it was supposed to be Law for me.
In hindsight, though, I now know that being 24 in the any business isn't young, it's close to embryonic. If all fails one day, I've still got plenty of time, a degree and a couple of nice shirts to fall back on get a "norm" job with.

What advice would you give to an Oxbridge student or graduate interested in a career in film?

Most people interested in film at the beginning want to write, direct or produce. Editing also is a big draw now, because it's also creative.
I would say if you're a student, simply get a few friends together, write and shoot something. Going the whole process from pre to post-production, even on a basic level, will invoke a feel for it. If someone wants to be a singer, they know because their heart beats differently when they perform - whether in a studio or in the street. Likewise a future barrister feels right when mooting, or reading the Times supplements. In order to complete a film, you will have to collaborate with others. This will lead you, like any work experience, to seeing how you mix with certain people and whether you can be artistically productive with them.
There was no film click in Oxford when I went, maybe there is now (likewise in Cambridge), so I hooked up with a lot of drama people, which was great as I had a plethora of actors at my disposal. I still work with many of these people today as half of them turned into serious actors. The beauty of the digital revolution is that to make a low-budget short with zero prior experience, all you need is a camera and a computer.

If you're a graduate, do the shoot thing, but also get some work experience/running work at a production company. You'll be doing boring stuff, but there will be enough little glimpses into the bigger picture when you're there, after which you'll know if you want to see where it goes. This will be beneficial in the long term as it will also provide visual access to the many other career opportunities in the industry (production design, cinematography, casting direction, etc).

The key point I should make is that the British film industry doesn't advertise externally, it tends to be a "who you know" deal, so that first-foot-in-the-door cliche never rang truer. If you know absolutely anyone with connections to film/tv/media, don't be afraid to use them.