Helena Cochrane

Hello! I am a final-year BA (Hons) Film and Media student at the University of Stirling, passionate about the technical and creative aspects of camera operation.

I am particularly interested in low-light, nighttime video, which I have experience in outside of university. I founded my YouTube channel 'Helena's Astrophotography' in 2019 to document my journey into astrophotography. I have produced content on amateur astrophotography, covering equipment for various budgets, photo editing tutorials, and short films of myself under dark skies. I have worked with organisations including Wigtown Book Festival, Wigtown Big Bang Weekend, Kielder Observatory, and Sky-Watcher USA across different media to get people excited about the night sky.

I have just completed a placement with Channel 44 in Adelaide, Australia, as part of a semester of study abroad with Flinders University. During my three months with them, I gained experience operating B cameras in festival environments, and at Flinders University itself gained experience operating a camera for a short documentary production. During high school, I took part in projects with Urbancroft Films, Purple Box Productions, and CBBC Dengineers.

I am currently seeking kit room assistant opportunities to enhance my knowledge of production equipment handling, but would welcome all opportunities to engage with creatives in the industry. I started a film degree because I wanted an outlet to get people interested in the night sky, and now I want to broaden my production skill set to work my way into the camera department.

- Camera Operator/Editor, student short film on a local band in Adelaide; operated a Canon XF-605, 2026

- Camera Operator/Editor Intern, Channel 44, operated cameras such as the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K in broadcast and festival environments, 2026

- Director, student short film on an analogue photographer with a home-built darkroom, shot on Sony PXW - FS5 in difficult light conditions, 2025

- Camera, student short film on global astrophotography experiences, 2025

- Producer, sensory dark sky experience and short documentary for Wigtown Book Festival, 2023

- Digital Content Creator Intern, short video series for Kielder Observatory on beginner astronomy, 2022

Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking - Urbancroft Films, 2023