Trainee researcher – Blue Planet III

Closing date: 19th May 2024 at 11.59pm

Salary: £19,061 via a training bursary

Duration: 12 months

Location: Hybrid with at least 3 days per week in the Bristol office

Start date: Mid-June to Early July 2024

If you are fascinated with the natural world and can’t wait to kickstart your career in TV, this researcher opportunity on a landmark wildlife series in Bristol could be the one for you.

Blue Planet III is the third series for the BBC's multi-series blue-chip landmark Blue Planet - making six episodes of high-ambition, premium wildlife content. Nearly a decade after the release of BBC’s Blue Planet II, our oceans are going through rapid, unprecedented change on a monumental scale. Combining our deeper understanding of the oceans with a whole new generation of camera technology, Blue Planet III will reveal how our planet is changing faster than at any other time in human history and how ocean species are faring in the face of this change. 

They currently have a coveted opportunity for a trainee researcher to join their editorial team for a year working closely with the Researchers, Assistant Producers and Producers. 

This placement will provide an opportunity for you to gain an understanding of blue-chip Natural History filmmaking.

What you will learn

• Learning natural history blue-chip storytelling techniques and what it takes to deliver a blue-chip sequence.
• Development of natural history, specialist factual, and science research techniques.
• Collaborative teamwork within a landmark series.
• Opportunities to learn about the kit and deployment of crews to international locations.

Key activities

• Helping to find new stories and working with the producer to interrogate their feasibility.
• Helping set up & prepare for a blue-chip natural history shoot.
• Fact-finding, calling contributors and collaborators to find new information and check existing research notes.
• Fact-checking scripts.
• Reading relevant literature to help inform stories - writing up key points in an easy-to-digest form.
• Looking for archives and learning about the different methods of securing and sourcing them.

What we're looking for

• A good team player, hardworking and enthusiastic.
• Strong research and writing skills.
• Interest in the natural world, ideally the underwater world.
• A knowledge and interest in environmental change around the planet.
• Thorough process-driven approach to finding and progressing ideas.
• Willingness to write documents and receive feedback to edit accordingly.
• Collaborative and open to new ideas and learning.

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk

This opportunity is specifically created for individuals from specific groups that are under-represented across the creative industries and at BBC Studios. Those backgrounds include, but aren’t limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled people, those undergoing gender reassignment / transitioning and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The successful candidate for this opportunity will also participate in a Creative Access support programme that sits alongside workplace training. This includes a programme of induction training, monthly masterclasses, wellbeing support, buddying / mentoring and more.