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Diary of a Sound Recordist: 2024 in Review

2024 collage dan guest

It was a strange old year in 2024, lots of ups and downs. Hopefully 2025 sees a big turnaround for a lot TV and film crew! Despite the tough times, I was involved in lots of great projects and I want to run through some of them from Jan 24 all the way to Dec 24.


BARGAIN HUNT [TV, BBC1] – Jan 24, Jul 24

It was great to be part of the Bargain Hunt crew once again this year, recording sound across multiple shopping days in antique centres across the Yorkshire region. The shoot days are long and hard work, but it’s fun to be a part of following the action of the contestants as they try to nab a bargain!


POSTCODE LOTTERY [Social Media] – Jan 24 – Nov 24

dan guest postcode lottery
on the streets for a Postcode Lottery shoot

Like with Bargain Hunt, it was great to be involved with the team again. These shoots are always a lot of fun with a fantastic bunch of staff and freelancers to work with. I do quite a lot of these shoots throughout the year, usually when there is a winner fairly close to me so it’s often a lottery in itself whether I get to work on a shoot! It’s always super satisfying seeing the winners’ real-time reactions to opening those envelops, there’s nothing like it.


THE AORTIC DISSECTION CHARITABLE TRUST [Corporate] – Mar 24

The name is a bit of a mouthful, but this shoot was a really interesting one as it was a set of interviews and conversations with doctors involved in this very special charity relating to a not-so-well-known about condition called Aortic Dissection which I highly recommend reading more about here.


ENGLISH HERITAGE [Social Media] – Mar 24

dan guest rievaulx abbey
downtime at Rievaulx Abbey

Always a pleasure to work with Jonny Walton in capturing the sound for various English Heritage social media projects. This year we shot at Bolsover Castle and Rievaulx Abbey for a series of videos, also with the aid of Matt Kerins on second camera. Hopefully should be online soon, great fun!


“KIDS IN A RING” [TV Doc Pilot] – May 24

This was a really interesting shoot which took me to Manchester to film a group of young boxing lads as they trained for an upcoming regional competition. We then followed their journey up to Newcastle for the big day and captured the action and the fallout. It’s currently being shopped around to broadcasters I believe so hopefully it will get picked up for a bigger series in the future.


dan guest squad games
On the set of 'Squad Games'

SQUAD GAMES [Social Media] – May 24

This was another really fun one, full of absolute chaos! It involved a bunch of professional cricket players getting involved in a series of physical challenges. I was concerned about sound for this one at the beginning when I saw the brief, but I think we pulled it off! Thanks to Rob Wingfield for helping out on this one. You can check out the full series of challenges on my portfolio page of my website.


OUR NEIGHBOUR’S ASS [Short Film] – Jun 24 – Oct 24

our neighbours ass sound
on set of 'Our Neighbour's Ass', with boom op Steve Cummings

I love working on dramas, so when director Max Goldberg asked me to do sound on his new short film project I was more than happy to be involved. The film was funded by Jewish Film and tells the story of a lady who has a donkey as a pet and is causing a noise nuisance to her neighbours. It was a great shoot with a fantastic team and I’m very proud of the work produced. I was both Production Sound Mixer and Sound Designer on the film and is starting it’s festival run in 2025.


PQA FILM & TV TEACHER [Teaching] – Jul 24 – Dec 24

In July, I started working Saturday mornings for the Wakefield branch of the PQA as their Film & TV Teacher. Teaching children in such diverse age groups is certainly challenging and I have to plan my approach to each lesson and project carefully based on the age ranges. I’m enjoying it so far as teaching in film, tv and sound is something I’m very interested in exploring more of.


SONGS OF PRAISE [TV, BBC1] – Oct 24 – Nov 24

dan guest songs of praise
on set for a 'Songs of Praise' shoot

It’s been a while since I last did a shoot for Songs of Praise so was happy to get the call to be involved in a couple of shoots at the end of this year. I got to experience some really fascinating locations and stories, including a beautiful church near Driffield and an amazing art display in a small church in York. Hopefully more of these come through in 2025!


BFI FILM ACADEMY [Teaching] – Oct 24 – Dec 24

I once again was part of the BFI Film Academy this year, as their Sound Facilitator aiding young students in creating a short film, as well as completing the sound design for one of the films. It’s a very rewarding experience for me and hope to continue to be a part of more going forward.


2024 REVIEW SUMMARY

In review, 2024 was a year of highs and lows, but it brought many rewarding opportunities to work on exciting projects. From capturing the action on BBC's Bargain Hunt to working on heartfelt corporate shoots like the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, the year was diverse and fulfilling. Social media campaigns like Postcode Lottery, English Heritage, and Squad Games brought unique challenges and memorable moments, while the short film Our Neighbour’s Ass allowed me to dive into creative sound design for a festival-bound drama. Teaching roles at PQA Wakefield and the BFI Film Academy provided a rewarding chance to nurture budding talent in film and TV. With hopes for a brighter 2025, I’m proud of what was accomplished and excited for what’s ahead.


Dan Guest

Sound Recordist

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