Cuppa with UNIT's QC and Delivery Operator Dave Bell

Meet UNIT's senior QC and delivery operator Dave Bell. 

Q> What skills and qualities are essential for quality control in post-production, especially in a fast-paced environment like UNIT?

Dave> Being methodical and having good attention to detail are probably the most important qualities for QCing. It’s all about making sure the package delivered to the client/channel is correct and to delivery spec. After that it’s a lot of just getting used to spotting things that shouldn’t be there both in the picture and audio, sometimes they can be very subtle.

Q> What do you enjoy most about working in QC at UNIT?

Dave> I really enjoy working as part of the UNIT Film and TV team, particularly with my QC colleague Mo. We work well together and have good complementary skill sets that help to make sure we deliver the files correctly with the knowledge they have been thoroughly checked. 

Q> Can you tell us about a project or a moment in your career that stands out as especially rewarding or challenging?

Dave> The Tourist season 2 was quite a challenge. It was one of the first jobs I worked on at UNIT. It was being delivered very close to TX and all episodes went live on that day in several territories. There were I think 6 or 7 different masters for each episode. It was quite an intense first few weeks on the job. But we got it delivered on time and that was the important thing.

Q> What are you watching / reading / listening to right now?

Dave> I’m always listening to music, mainly punk and alternative stuff. I go to gigs fairly regularly. I have four in the next week: Bob Vylan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wonk Unit and Amyl and the Sniffers. I’m currently re-reading through the Sci-Fi novels of The Expanse series and the graphic novel series Fables. Just finished watching the second season of The Rings of Power and of course enjoying the new season of Drag Race UK with my wife.  

Q> What would you say is the most challenging part about your job day to day? 

Dave> That would probably be when delivering multiple versions of the same programme keeping myself focused and concentrated. When it’s the 3rd or 4th time watching a delivery it can be easy to let your attention drift and you may miss something, but it’s all part of the job, something you get used to. 

Q> What advice would you give to anyone starting out as a QC and delivery operator? 

Dave> As long as you have good concentration and an eye for detail the rest is just getting used to spotting faults which is best learned by doing the job. The other thing I would say is if you find yourself getting too into the story of the show you should probably go back and watch that section again as it’s easy to miss stuff when you are invested in the plot.