Barry Hecker

Original and quirky award-winning Film & TV productions. Recent credits include Young Mum's Mansion (BBC3), DIY SOS (BBC1).DOCUMENTARY'Young Mums Mansion' (1 x 60 min) Love Productions for BBC Three.Self-Shooting PD and Edit ProducerEdit Produced one hour observational documentary as part of an eight-part series about a social experiment involving ten single mums and their children living together for a month in a commune environment.'When Love Comes to Town' (8 x 30 min) BBC Bristol for BBC1.Self-shooting PDA demanding ob-doc which depended on being able to extract very personal testimony from single people with a variety of backgrounds (divorced, widowed etc.) as well as 'blending in' to some intimate moments during a series of dates with different couples in different situations.'Poor Little Rich Girls' (1 x 60 min, 3 x 30 min) Granada for ITV1.PD and Edit ProducerActively involved in researching and identifying suitable teenage girls for this new 'life-swap' reality ob-doc format. Responsible for their care and well-being throughout the shoot, often filming in difficult situations and unsocial hours.'The ONE Show' (18 x 4 min) BBC Natural History Unit for BBC1.PD and Edit ProducerA series of short presenter-led films about British wildlife, shot all over the UK. One shoot day and one edit day. Films are part of a Network magazine programme. Some self-shooting.'Baby Planet' (6 x 60 min) Parthenon Entertainment for Discovery.Location PDPart of a team of Directors on 'standby' to produce up-to-the-minute stories about newborn animals in zoos across the world for this major new HD series. Filmed stories in Belfast and the Netherlands.'Playing Away' (4 x 30 mins) Strong Films for ITV1.Self-Shooting PD and Edit ProducerOb-doc documenting the highs and lows of a youth football team from a deprived area of Liverpool as they trained for and ultimately competed in the world's biggest youth football tournament in Dallas, USA. Effectively became part of the team, facilitated by self-shooting over several months in both the UK and USA and capturing some incredibly emotional moments. RTS award nominee for Best Independent Series.'Crawdaddy - Bristol to Bristol' (3 x 30 mins) Sky Rock for ITV1.PD and Edit ProducerManaged to stretch a regional budget to enable five weeks filming in America for this authored music documentary produced in the style of a road-movie. Sheffield International Documentary Festival Official Selection'What on Earth' (1 x 30 min, 5 x 1 min) ITV1 West for ITV1.PD and Edit ProducerResponsible for developing and producing a stylish and accessible format for this series of authored programmes about the environment, working closely with a family for a week. Improvising scripts with children from the ITV1 West Children's Workshop for five short dramas with environmental themes.'Love Bites' (1 x 30 mins) Red Cat Films for ITV1.PD and Edit Producer A revelatory authored documentary/drama about people who use dating agencies and lonely-hearts columns. I took a light and humorous tone and was able to get some excellent and frank responses from the contributors.'Birthday Zoo' (13 x 30 mins) Tigress for Discovery.Self-Shooting PDDocumented the breeding programs at Chester Zoo. Filming during the foot-and-mouth outbreak demanded extreme care with health and safety, as well as careful daily negotiations with busy and often stressed zookeepers for access. Filming involved living in Chester for five months.FORMAT:'DIY SOS' (3 x 30 mins) BBC Bristol for BBC1.PD and Edit ProducerResponsibilities included developing scripts and ideas for filming as well as reacting to events during the shoot; fully responsible for health and safety; balancing comedy and sensitive emotional issues.'Bargain Hunt' (12 x 45 mins) BBC Bristol for BBC1.PD and Edit ProducerWorking with a large team to produce four programmes at each location, with multiple contestants, 'as-live' auctions and multi-camera shoots. Working with other directors' material during the edit.'Dickinson's Real Deal' (Two series: 40 x 60 mins) RDF for ITV1.'Dickinson's Real Deal Celebrity Specials' (6 x 60 mins) RDF for ITV1.PD and Edit ProducerHigh-volume, fast-turnaround daytime series presented by David Dickinson requiring a multitude of skills to produce three one-hour programmes simultaneously. Responsibilities include researching contributors, scriptwriting, and multi-camera and 'as-live' directing. For the 'specials' I worked with twenty celebrities, including being solely responsible for all the jib shots over two days.'Flog It' (Three series: 60 x 60 mins) BBC Bristol for BBC2.PD and Edit ProducerIntegral part of the large team that produces and develops this complex and incredibly successful production. Working on three programmes simultaneously my varied responsibilities include researching items and contributors, script and commentary writing, and multi-camera directing, both in 'as-live' situations and with hundreds of members of the public present. BBC2's highest-rated daytime show, with regular audiences of 2-3 million.'Shedheads' (10 x 30 mins) Attaboy for Discovery.Self-Shooting PDAs well as being on the road for six weeks and self-shooting this DIY/Documentary series about people and their sheds, I quite often put the camera down to chip-in with the digging and construction as we were constantly battling against the weather and the light!'The best of the lot [DIY shows] is a bizarrely captivating slot called Shedheads.' Danny Kelly, Radio Times, 3-9 May 2003DRAMA:'Honk' (7 mins) BBC Bristol Film Lab.Writer/DirectorCreepy chiller about a missing dog. Brighton Fringe Festival Finalist 2007 Encounters International Film Festival Finalist 2007Bristol Film Makers Festival Finalist 2008'Lost' (2 mins) BBC Bristol Film Lab.Writer/DirectorA mother's unthinkable action.Sedona International Film Festival FinalistPerformance Channel Film Festival FinalistBath Film Festival FinalistSelected by Cinequest and Jaman.com for online broadcast and sales Selected by Propeller TV for European broadcast on SkySelected by British Society of Cinematographers for screening at Pinewood film studios'Space Invaders' (15 mins) Red Cat Films.Writer/DirectorSurreal drama about office politics. Shot on High Definition.Gold Award Best Directing in a Short Film (Houston Worldfest, USA)Best Cinematography in a High Definition Short Film (LA HDFest, USA) Special HD screenings at the Cannes Film Festival supported by Sony Various festival screenings internationallySelected by Propeller TV for European broadcast on SkySelected by British Society of Cinematographers for screening at Pinewood film studios'The Box' (10 mins) Red Cat Films.Associate ProducerA mysterious box appears on a London street. British Film Council selection.'Nailbiter' (10 mins) Sky Rock.Writer/ProducerDark comedy about a child's annoying habit.BAFTA nomination for Best CinematographyAFI Hollywood Film Festival Finalist (12 international films selected) Runner-Up Best Short Film (Portobello Film Festival, London)Various festival screenings internationallyBroadcast by Channel 4, Film Four, Sky Movies and the Sci-Fi Channel