Survival Media Agency (SMA) is a collective of media-makers from around the globe working on issues related to climate change and social justice. Through our high quality photography and filmmaking, we share frontline stories and important solutions that have lasting impacts. We are calling for applications from freelance videographers, photographers, and producers to be a part of our network.  

The agency connects our freelancers with organizations and events that need short videos made.  You will need to film and edit the content for the client, providing all your own gear and editing software.  We are mainly looking for documentary freelancers in New Delhi and Bombay, but we are accepting applications from all of India.  You should enjoy traveling as it is often required for our work, and you should have at least 3 years of media experience and several samples of your work.

Joining SMA doesn’t guarantee paid work immediately, as we’re a new collective and expanding our network.  As a team of progressive media makers we’re looking to collaborate with like minded people who would want to invest in building a strong organization together and support each other’s work. Our hopes are to build together a more just and equitable world for everyone.

To find out more about Survival Media Agency visit our website and check out our 2015 global portfolio.  Below are some examples of our work:

Thank you for your interest in joining the team and for the important work you do.  Feel free to apply to any combination of the following positions.

Videographer
We are mainly looking for a freelance filmmaker who is able to take a project from start to finish.  You must have your own HD filming and editing software to conduct high quality interviews, cinematic b-roll, and then edit content professionally into short documentaries, sometimes with a quick turnaround time.  Some projects with SMA will be with a team of other media makers and producers, but you should be able to operate by yourself for smaller projects.  

A passion for environmental and social justice issues is a must, and the ability to tell a story with emotion, beauty and impact is key to what makes our work special.  Kindness, professionalism and respect for the people and places we film is extremely important.  As media makers for movements, our clients are often long term, and sustaining a healthy relationship is vital to our future success.

We care about the wellbeing of our media makers and look to support them with a living wage, we will negotiate a fair rate and look to meet that on every project, but appreciate your flexibility for opportunities that are low budget.

As part of our videography team, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Prepare for a project by identifying the needs, gathering resources and gear, and putting everything together for the days of filming.
• Have access to equipment for filming, and software for editing – camera(s), lighting, audio, tripod(s) and others.
• Collaborate with the producer to draft contracts and budgets.
• Keep backups of the footage captured and share raw footage with the Agency Archive.
• When working with an editor; brief them on the project, storyline, raw footage and other needed assistance.
• Access to high speed internet to upload edits and send footage to editors.
• Participating in social media engagement activities, and be able to write brief descriptions of the work you create.
• Communicate with clients to understand and fulfill their needs.  Creating a vision and timeline for each project.
• Support and communicate with all team members to accomplish the larger vision of the team.
• Working with the producer to identify clients and events that SMA should pitch for.
• When working for SMA, act as a representative and share new contacts and possible clients with our producers.

Assistant Producer
We are also looking for coordinating and administrative support in the media work we do.  An assistant producer should be able to search out new opportunities as well as pitch new clients for contracts.  You should have a good understanding of the industry and the needs of production, as well as a passion for activism and experience working with like minded groups.  

Responsibilities range from maintaining long term relationships with clients to keeping up to date records of contacts, clients and finances.  Though most of the work will be done by virtual office, you may also be needed on set to coordinate larger filming days or help log and capture media from the day.  You should be able to work well in teams and follow the direction of a producer as well as work independently to oversee smaller projects to completion.

As an assistant producer you will work on commission and take a percentage of every project you bring on or that is assigned to you.  Distribution is one of your key roles and you will also be able to make money off of selling our work to news and other outlets.

As an assistant producer, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Creation and management of production teams. Mainly consistent of official freelancers represented by the agency, but sometimes subcontracting out to other media makers.
• Outreach to bring in new clients, pitching for work, overseeing pre-production needs, providing freelancer with needed materials and logistics for the days of production, and guiding the high quality edit on time.
• Supporting media teams with logistics like travel and lodging on all media projects, along with production schedule and making sure that projects are completed on time.
• Oversee on-going media projects of the company
• With the Producer, be a public face for SMA and pitch for the agency.
• Negotiating with vendors and third parties.
• Work in partnership with the producer to continually grow and develop the agency.  Participating in team discussions to identify themes and organizations we want to create media for.
• Attend bimonthly meetings with the international production team to review progress.
• Maintain a database of organizations we partner with, and want to partner with in the future.
• Maintain a record of freelancers with their expertise and work links that SMA can hire on a project basis.
• Advocating on behalf of SMA on all public platforms (online or offline).
• Working closely with the Producer and the finance team to keep track of financial data related to a project to ensure profitability and payment on time.

Video Editor / Post Production
We are also looking for filmmakers who specialize in editing and other post production positions, such as graphics, post sound and composing, to name a few.  We would like to know if you’re available to either take on a complete project or assist on an edit with specific support.  Most of our work is short documentaries and promotional videos, so an emphasis on sound, text slides and graphics add great value to our work.

Payment would mainly be by an hourly rate but some projects would need you to commit to staying within a certain budget.  Some projects have a quick turnaround time and meeting deadlines is crucial to the work we do. The ability to estimate the timeline of a project and communicate your needs with a producer is important.  

As part of our post production team, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Participate in story mapping to assist the Videographer and the Producer in each project’s visual needs and flush out a compelling story.
• Preparing weekly post production schedules and sharing them with the team.
• Communicate your perceived needs with the production staff.
• Have access to high speed internet for fast footage download and edit uploads.  The ability to download HD footage and upload broadcast quality final versions.
• Reviewing footage and notes with videographers and producers from the day of filming.
• Take on any range of post production projects, from archival, documentaries, to mashups of found material, and working with all formats of video.  
• Provide your own professional video editing software and computer and be able to edit any type of video format, from smartphone, to DSLR, to handycam, to camcorder, and professional cameras.
• Logging footage, keeping track of files, and organizing hard drives.  As well as always keeping a safe duplicate of our work.
• Creating and maintaining a music library with appropriate copyrights.
• Organizing templates and other graphics related assets.
• Delivering videos in quality and sizes desired by the clients.
• Continuously discover and implement new technologies and styles of editing to maximize efficiency and improve quality.