About
Hi, I’m Nena and I work as a freelance digital imaging technician (DIT) and digital media manager in the film, TV and commercial production industry, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The first question I’m always asked about my work is: “what exactly do you do?”
To put it simply, I operate as a technical bridge between camera and post-production. I work closely with the Director of Photography, the camera department and post-production team to make sure that camera is set to shoot and deliver the footage exactly how it is intended to be received.
This includes safe and secure data-management, camera system expertise, image creation workflows and quality-control monitoring .
The next question is: How did I become a DIT?
While I was completing the final year of my Masters degree in Film at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2013, I landed a traineeship with a brilliant DIT team working on a big-budget international movie in Jo’burg. I had never stepped onto a professional set before and I was totally blown away by the experience!
After successfully completing both my traineeship and my Masters degree in 2014, I signed up with the top-notch Krewkut Film Crew Agency.
I spent the next couple of years working as a camera assistant/loader and data wrangler, gaining knowledge and confidence in these junior roles on local sets and international productions in every niche of the industry from music videos and corporates to TV soapies, documentaries and blockbuster films.
One of my best experiences was working as a utility loader to 10 camera teams filming a weekend of concerts by one of my favourite international bands. By the time the concert started each night, the cameras were set, ready and rolling on all kinds of fancy toys – nothing left for me to do but enjoy the show from right up front (twice)! Check out a piece of the project below and here.
I really enjoyed these early years of camera assisting and data wrangling, learning as much as I could from every opportunity that came my way about this magical part of the film & TV industry.
By the end of 2016, I gained enough confidence to claim the full title of “Digital Imaging Technician” and moved my loader’s box into the DIT van. Truth be told, I still use that exact “box” to this day – all the tools and knowledge that I collected in those first few years laid a strong foundation which continues to inform my current work practice.
From 2016 onwards, I enjoyed working on sets of all sorts as a DIT, and I have learnt to truly love this work.
I love managing massive amounts of data neatly and safely for others to work with at ease.
I love handling professional cinema camera systems and post-production workflows.
I love working at the cutting-edge of technology, learning brand-new cameras and software applications, and creative problem-solving in these realms.
I love working with colour and creating pre-grade LUTs for monitoring the image in camera.
I love streaming live picture, and sending frame-grabs and rushes, from set to cities and countries all over the world.
I love the different spaces and locations where we travel and work – and all the fascinating stories, imagined and real, that are told in front and behind of the camera.
I love the vibrant energy that moves around a set, and connecting with the unique individuals and artists that make up the technical and creative teams behind what we see on the screen – whether its a YouTube ad on our phones or a massive projection in a cinema.
There is no other way I would rather spend my time and make a living than by doing what I love, and loving what I do.
