Paul Lang(III)

Paul Lang started work a long way from a film set, leaving school at 16 in Plymouth Paul trained as an Electrical Fitter at Devonport Dockyard for 5 years. On finishing his Apprenticeship, he got a job as a Maintenance Electrician at BBC Radio in London. Used to working on Navy Frigates rewiring Navigation Systems, Paul now found himself changing lightbulbs in Broadcasting House. Not quite what he was used to.

He started in the TV and Film industry at Ealing Film Studios as a BBC Film Stage Electrician working for BBC Gaffers. His ambition was always to move into the Camera Department and did so, working his way through from Best Boy, Clapper Loader, Focus Puller to DoP on dramas and documentaries all over the world. Since leaving the BBC he has shot in over 100 countries on a full range of programmes, working on film and digital. Filming documentaries puts you in a privileged position and you do find yourself in quite unique situations from being embedded with US Special Forces in Iraq, witnessing the devastation of the Haiti Earthquake, spending one year filming someone's journey through cancer, living with an Amazonian Tribe or filming an Indian Classical Maestro in a shanty town in Mumbai. Working at the BBC Film Unit at the time gave Paul a great education into film. Most television was shot on 16mm Film, from big budget drama's including Persuasion and An Ungentlemanly Act to Great Railway Journeys and Timewatch.

Paul found the discipline of only having ten minutes in a full roll of film certainly concentrated the mind when filming a documentary, a skill that still holds true today on Digital Formats. He was lucky to be taught by great cameraman whilst having no formal film training himself, the best way to learn is watch someone do it. Paul has been fortunate to work with award-winning directors such as Antony Thomas, Bill Cran, Michael Wadding and Lou Hamilton on many award-winning productions.

He is on the Board of Directors of the Guild of British Camera Technicians.