Matt Jackson Shooting PD

Matt Jackson is an experienced Self Shooting PD with a wide range of skills gathered over over 20 years within the industry. Over the recent years Matt has been working mostly as a Self Shooting PD within the Factual, Specialist Factual and Entertainment Factual genres.

Valued skills in particular, are in getting the shot first time, and being able to keep up with a fast moving developing action while focusing on the story. He is able to access tricky environments and quickly form trusting relationships with the people he films with. Matt also operates and films with camera drones and has also 120 hours logged filming from full size helicopters.

With strong storytelling skills and visual flair, he takes pride in shooting (with his own Sony F5 and CN7 4k Lenses), while being able to ask the right questions. Experienced, and reliable in the field.

Matt was joint Granada TV and BBC trained as a PSC Cameraman who then became a Self shooting PD 12 years ago before the job title job was first coined. The skill now, is to be very organised while staying as creative as the time allows.

Types of shows

With credits on BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 5, PBS, National Geographic, Discovery International and the Smithsonian Channel, he is able to deliver 1st class camerawork along with with intelligent questions to drive a story along. Being able to develop a story on the fly so that the audience can understand it is vital, whilst running a small team on Location. Having received solid journalistic training and with an ethical and moral conscience, the real story can be told. Matt has a wide range of interests from aircraft to boats, science to history, engineering to medicine, and loves working with contributors the most.

Filming

Matt is a shooter in his own right, using many different cameras (F55, F5, C300, XF305, PMW200, PMW500, PDW-F800, GoPro, Drones and more). Able to deliver excellent team leadership on location and loves to elicit strong performances from presenting talent, contributors and actors. Matt holds a track record in specialist factual, science, factual entertainment, documentary and structured reality.
With history in Broadcast TV for over 20 years as a Freelance Lighting Cameraman and Self-Shooting PD and he has filmed on every series of ‘Traffic Cops’ and ‘Motorway Cops’ for BBC 1, often facing hostile and difficult issues but enjoys this immensely interesting work.

Locations

Having filmed around the world, Matt has extensive experience of filming overseas (USA many times, Canada, Dubai, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Denmark, Holland, China, Middle East, Arctic Circle, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique) and is often best when in challenging environments (Arctic, Desert, Off shore, Mountains and Underground Mines). With an eye for stunning and creative visuals but with the specialist technical knowledge to back it up, Matt is the PD to send. He can often fix kit while abroad, and always travels with basic tools and a bag of spares just in case the worst happens.

He is based in Northwest England, only 1 hour from Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham and is happy working locally, nationally or worldwide.

Other

Previous career: Masters in Aero-Nautical / Mechanical Engineering from University of Bath (M. Eng Hons) and a love of Science Communication, Current Affairs, People, Travel, Science and Engineering.

  • USA I Filming Visa. Valid to 2020
  • Electricity at Work Regs.
  • First Aid and Fire Marshal Trained
  • Security Cleared, UK Police.
  • BBC Producers modules completed
  • Advanced Driver
  • Health and Safety trained Risk Assessor
  • Expedition Trained (Royal Navy)
  • RYA Yacht-master (Sail)
  • RYA Sailing Instructor
  • RYA Advanced Power Boat (Rescue)
  • Offshore HUET Certificate. (Oil Rigs)
  • 120 hours Helicopter filming and flying logged. Robinson 22 + 44, Augusta 109, Dauphin, Euro-copter, BO105, S92 and Jet Ranger.
  • CAA Commercial Drone Pilot
  • Bases in Manchester, London and Los Angles.
  • Own Tapeless HD Kit, 35mm Digital Cinema Camera – Sony F55 kit (if required) + Canon CN7 4K lens, + Go Pros, and HD Audio in full ‘Fly Away’ configuration. Excellent knowledge of Sliders, Mini Tracks, Osmo, and Timelapes.