BEATRIZ AMARAL TEIXEIRA
AND THE WORLD OF TECH
Who are you?
Hi! My name is Beatriz Amaral Teixeira and I’m the Technical Assistant at Quite Frankly.
Where do you come from?
My name is in fact a dead giveaway that I am not from the UK. Have been asked before if I’m Italian or Spanish, but I am in fact Portuguese from the beautifully sunny city of Lisbon. Proudly born and raised in Lisbon, I have moved my roots all the way to the exquisite, expansive, and ever-changing city of London where I have been for the last 3 years.
Three words associated with being a tech assistant?
My top three are: readiness, support and efficiency.
Readiness has to do with being ready even if you don’t know what you have to be ready for. There’s such a fast rhythm around the office with shoots going on that there can be last minute requests and you have to be ready for it. Whether it is having full batteries for the camera, or being able to jump on a quick edit change, be ready.
Support is related to always being able to help and have an input on anything. As a tech assistant you know everything that is going on in the office and therefore you should always be ready to support whoever needs it.
And last but not least, efficiency. Swift solutions in an everchanging environment is crucial. The quicker you sort things out, the quicker you can move on to the next challenge. But remember, it is not only important to do things with speed, but do them well!
What does a tech assistant REALLY do?
The best way to describe what I do would be to think about that scene in Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times where Chaplin is just screwing all the bolts in the assembly line. Ok, I’m exaggerating, it really isn’t that stressful and definitely not in black and white!
I essentially make sure that everything is running smoothly tech wise and help out production with whatever is needed: prepping kit, ingesting rushes, setting up projects for the editor and so on. I visit the production board frequently to make sure I know the schedules, which helps me stay focused and be ready to support in an efficient way. Might have mentioned how important that is before…
What’s the best thing a tech assistant can say to their peers?
I’m a strong believer that assuring your peers that you can follow through and are trust worthy is very important when working in a team. So, saying that you can do something and be sure you’re going to do a good job really is the best thing I can say.
What’s the worst thing a tech assistant can say to their peers?
Dead ends in tech are always a problem, but luckily so far, I’ve always been able to find what I need by either sharing my questions with someone else from the team or in some hidden corner of the internet. It’s not always as much about having all the solutions but being able to find them.
Quick fire last question – what are the top three essentials on your desk?
1. A mug with some herbal tea.
2. LTO tapes. Can’t escape them.
3. A notebook. Nothing better than ticking off a to-do list at the end of the day.
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BEATRIZ AMARAL TEIXEIRA
AND THE WORLD OF TECH
Who are you?
Hi! My name is Beatriz Amaral Teixeira and I’m the Technical Assistant at Quite Frankly.
Where do you come from?
My name is in fact a dead giveaway that I am not from the UK. Have been asked before if I’m Italian or Spanish, but I am in fact Portuguese from the beautifully sunny city of Lisbon. Proudly born and raised in Lisbon, I have moved my roots all the way to the exquisite, expansive, and ever-changing city of London where I have been for the last 3 years.
Three words associated with being a tech assistant?
My top three are: readiness, support and efficiency.
Readiness has to do with being ready even if you don’t know what you have to be ready for. There’s such a fast rhythm around the office with shoots going on that there can be last minute requests and you have to be ready for it. Whether it is having full batteries for the camera, or being able to jump on a quick edit change, be ready.
Support is related to always being able to help and have an input on anything. As a tech assistant you know everything that is going on in the office and therefore you should always be ready to support whoever needs it.
And last but not least, efficiency. Swift solutions in an everchanging environment is crucial. The quicker you sort things out, the quicker you can move on to the next challenge. But remember, it is not only important to do things with speed, but do them well!
What does a tech assistant REALLY do?
The best way to describe what I do would be to think about that scene in Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times where Chaplin is just screwing all the bolts in the assembly line. Ok, I’m exaggerating, it really isn’t that stressful and definitely not in black and white!
I essentially make sure that everything is running smoothly tech wise and help out production with whatever is needed: prepping kit, ingesting rushes, setting up projects for the editor and so on. I visit the production board frequently to make sure I know the schedules, which helps me stay focused and be ready to support in an efficient way. Might have mentioned how important that is before…
What’s the best thing a tech assistant can say to their peers?
I’m a strong believer that assuring your peers that you can follow through and are trust worthy is very important when working in a team. So, saying that you can do something and be sure you’re going to do a good job really is the best thing I can say.
What’s the worst thing a tech assistant can say to their peers?
Dead ends in tech are always a problem, but luckily so far, I’ve always been able to find what I need by either sharing my questions with someone else from the team or in some hidden corner of the internet. It’s not always as much about having all the solutions but being able to find them.
Quick fire last question – what are the top three essentials on your desk?
1. A mug with some herbal tea.
2. LTO tapes. Can’t escape them.
3. A notebook. Nothing better than ticking off a to-do list at the end of the day.