JANINDRA GOONETILLEKE - Senior Engineer
Janindra is a senior engineer at Channel 4 Television, working within the channel's operations department. "At time of writing this," he explains, "I have been at Channel 4 for eight years. My current role involves overseeing the commercials transmission operation for all the channels Channel 4 currently own. As well as the interstitial operation basically everything except the programmes. I also supervise the area when on shift and liaise with airtime sales, advertising agencies and the facilities companies to ensure that all the commercials arrive on time and meet channel 4 stringent technical requirements. At present around 90% of the corporations income comes solely from the sale of airtime around their programmes that’s about two million pounds a day at time of writing early 2006. I also work with programmes often to improve their picture quality and audio quality if needed often re -packaging programme before they are scheduled."
Janindra completed FT2 training in 1995. Prior to that:
"Before I did Jobfit (it was called Jobfit when I applied ), I had graduated with a BSc in General Science and completed both City and Guilds joint EEB level 3 in Television servicing and reception also Video recording and playback servicing. I also worked as a runner and sound assisting on a few short films in my home town of Glasgow. Everybody whom I met at that time insisted that Jobfit was the best scheme in the country."
His advice to trainees and potential trainees:
"My advice to prospective applicants is to ask yourself seriously what it is you feel you can bring and contribute to this industry which is unique to you. I say this since after FT2 the first two years are often the hardest and if you can see yourself through that then you will probably remain in the industry as well as possibly becoming more comfortable about your freelance status. This requires a great deal of belief in yourself both in terms of what skills you have as well as your people and social skills. (I will let you in on a little secret the majority of jobs are given to people whom the prospective employer likes and feels will fit in to their often small production company. ) Even now I work alongside a senior engineer when on shift for twelve hours that is we are in each others company continuously for maybe eight of those hours. I spent the best part of five months going around the facilities companies and production companies I had attachments with gently enquiring about work. Often with FT2 these companies will know what you are like already so that makes the decision easier for them, which is why making an impression as a trainee can often help your career years later. My first couple of long freelance jobs came from a company I had been a trainee with twelve month prior to me finishing FT2, working on corporate videos for Glaxo SmithKline which was a very nice start. Never think that a particular area of the industry is somewhere you don’t want to work simply see it as you having technical and social skills and see what people gel with your personality and persist. For all the latest equipment available there is still a need for reliable, conscientious individuals who have an eye for detail and can communicate effectively.
So that’s all I have to say except that this industry is full of very individual people who are often open minded and very outgoing, it is just a matter of time before you will get the exposure to as many companies as possible so you can decide which companies suit you best, and that I believe is one of FT2's biggest advantages, it tries to give as much exposure to its trainees within their chosen grade in the two years. What you as a trainee do with that is up to you as is ultimately the decision to be freelance."
