Oliver James

Hello, my name is Oliver James

My name is "Oliver James Pelling. I am a specialist in Film, Television, Photography and Editing, operating out of southeast Essex. I also have been known to moonlight as a model, actor/extra and entertainer.

I studied at the University of Essex, where I gained a BA Honours Degree in Television Production and Screen Media. Before then, I went to Belfairs Media Arts Academy, where I achieved Media Studies (OCR Levels 2 & 3 National Certificates) alongside Photography (A-Level), ICT (OCR Level 2 National Certificate) and Drama (GCSE).

Since my studies, I have mostly prioritised job security, gaining a respectable role in the retail industry, whilst building my portfolio on the side. I have been fortunate enough to have gained some work experience, meeting some very interesting people on my journey, and have attended a number of industry events and workshops. In my spare time, I have volunteered for St. John's Ambulance as a First Aider and during the covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2023, I retrained and served as a Volunteer Vaccinator.

I am extremely passionate about the film and television industry.

When I was young, I loved film and television, in particular the escapism that it provided. A good story can open up whole new worlds of ideas and inspire for change or the ability to create. Whilst I was studying, I recall seeing my careers advisor and I told him I wanted to be one of the heroes in the films I was watching at the time. Surprisingly, he took this rather literally and sent me down the path of drama and performing arts. This however was met with complications due to my crippling anxieties, which brought my performing career to a standstill. I therefore returned to my careers advisor for further guidance and he said "If you can't be the heroes, why not make the heroes." We then discussed the film and television industry and the role it plays in bringing these stories to life. I recall he showed me a video showing the reality behind 'Quidditch' from the Harry Potter franchise, where a 'behind the scenes' video of Daniel Radcliffe showed him suspended by wires in a green screen set, which I found fascinating.

It is my humble ambition in life to produce quality entertainment such as these stories I have grown to love and cherish and to inspire new ideas through the magic of the visual arts.

To quote one of my heroes:

"The noblest art, is that of making others happy." - P.T Barnum, immortalised as 'The Greatest Showman' (2017)

This website serves as my portfolio to showcase and celebrate my collective works.