I’m a series producer at National Geographic Television for a number of demolition, engineering and factory series. And Scott Jolley has been my secret weapon for the past five years. I first hired him as a local jib operator on a show in Kansas City. It was a tricky one – how to make an hour of television about scrapping a locomotive? Answer: Multiple angles, beauty shots and a splash of character driven verite. Scott’s jib shots made the show…and I was so impressed with his no-nonsense, can-do attitude that I made sure to pull him in on every subsequent shoot I could.
What Scott brings to a show is production value – he runs a mean steady cam rig. He can set up and pull off jib shots in the tightest of spots. He can use either as a means of getting classic stylized shots, or as unusual access to in the moment sequences. He has also run hand held around some tough spots and kept up the energy, style and quality.
The past couple of shows we divided and conquered – I had him act as DP on second unit, left to make his own editorial and content decisions. And I got twice the show in half the time. Happy to recommend Scott…just don’t book him up when I need him!
Vicky Matthews, National Geographic Television