Sonia Wargacka and Benjamin Tate
Miles:
Big question to start - how did you both get into film?
Ben:
I grew up in the countryside, and from a very young age I loved playing with cameras. Gradually I started making videos for small businesses in my community, offering it to whoever wanted one, and then a thought emerged that maybe I could do this as a job? Then I saw a film course in Bristol, so I moved here for a three-year course and found my way into the wonderful world of TV camera department and freelancing. That has led me to my developing my own work as a director of photography.
Sonia:
To me, film always had the power to capture the stories that happen once in a lifetime, and I’m quite a story-oriented person. Hence, I naturally gravitated towards it through journalism. When I studied in India, we had this event called Bald for a Cause, where people would shave their heads to donate their hair for charity. There was something amazing about 20-30 people doing it at the same time, and I couldn’t explain why on earth one would shave one’s head to my friends back home in Poland. So I made a film, to show them what I couldn’t explain through words. That’s how my adventure with film started, and it’s amazing how I’ve been using films as a time capsule that brings people together ever since.
Over the past decade, my career progressed into helping others tell their stories. This what I do now as a production coordinator for high-end TV, and as a producer for short form content.
Miles:
Ben, what’s your schedule been looking like?
Ben:
For over six years, I've worked as a camera assistant on lots of different projects, including TV dramas, commercials, and short films. As much as I enjoy that, I'm now really focusing on expanding my portfolio as a DOP.
That’s where I see myself from now on - I love being behind the camera, deep in the creative world of storytelling, and finding means to help guide the story visually. I also love working with actors, and perhaps I’m not a fan of products and still things. I need stories.
Miles:
So no perfume bottles? …
Ben:
Don’t get me wrong - there are people who shoot perfume bottles amazingly, and more power to them. But for me, that’s not where my joy is.
Miles:
To explain to the readers at home: You guys are a couple. You met at film school?
Ben:
Yes. Sonia was producing, I was shooting and lighting, and we just got on very well. Sonia is someone who is always doing something, taking chances and experimenting, and I was always saying “yeah, why not!”.
Sonia:
And that’s exactly the energy I needed. Then I got in my viral documentary phase, and I found this amazing family in Scotland I wanted to make a documentary about. I needed a DOP, and Ben said yes. We got together during that trip.
Ben:
The family lived in the middle of nowhere, and they made a list of 500 adventures to complete before the kids turn 18. The parents were very supportive of kids, so for example when an idea of sending Lego to the bottom of the ocean emerged, the parents really thought about finding a way to make it work. And so they did, for each and every of their adventures.
Miles:
Whoah, 500 adventures… That’s … a lot.
Have they completed that goal?
Ben:
They’re still doing them! That was back in 2018, and the kids are only becoming teenagers now.
Miles:
What other adventures have you two had together?
Sonia:
Following our adventure in Scotland, we then established a global video production company that specialised in making videos for organisations with significant social impact. We figured we really cared about empowerment, leadership and changemakers, and the stories of organisations championing these ideas, so we wanted to help them bring those stories to wider audiences.
Ben:
Generally filmmaking is like having clay in your hands, and thinking that you can do anything you want with this clay. And I think we put it to good use, travelling around the world and making videos for organisations we really cared about. This was before COVID, and with COVID we had to find ways of adjusting and adapting to the current climate.
Sonia:
That’s what COVID made us realise: having your own business is so much fun on the creative side, but the worry is that whilst you’re having fun, the bigger the organisation, the longer it takes to get your invoice paid. COVID proved to us that when something happens, young and small businesses don’t have much to fall back on. Now when I work on HETV dramas, I have a paycheck every week, and I appreciate it so much. The difference is that whilst I have the stability, my creativity is used in a very different way. I still solve problems, but these problems are not usually related to my creative vision - I’m just helping someone achieve theirs.
Miles:
Do you feel like your different skill sets complement each other?
Ben:
I think they do, absolutely.
Sonia:
I am definitely the producer type, whilst Ben is the diplomat [laughter]. When we work together, I oversee the big picture, whilst Ben is in charge of all the technical details.
Ben:
Sonia thinks of “how will we get there and how to stick to the budget”. I am more in the “what camera shall I bring” department, and then “why do I want to shoot on this lens”.
Miles:
Sonia – you worked on Sex Education season four? Any highlights from that experience?
Sonia:
I have quite a positive story of being given a chance. When I had my interview, I told the line producer straight away that if they are looking for someone with 20 years of experience, that’s not me, but if they are in need of someone who is curious and passionate about the show, then I will figure out whatever is necessary to make things happen.
And that theme continued throughout: as I was hiring my team, I tried to give people chances, too. I don’t believe TV production is rocket science, and I just needed people who were keen, smart and on it. I got more than I asked for, and the rest is now history. Very glad that Sex Ed continues to be a show where people are not afraid to try something new.
Miles:
Ben, what have been the highlights of your career so far?
Ben:
I was lucky to get into TV dramas and work on all kinds of fun shows shooting around Bristol, first as a trainee and then as a 2nd AC. Once I had that experience, I realised I want to be behind a camera as a DOP, learn by doing, get busy being hands-on. This year I managed to get to the point where I felt I could pitch my skills to others, and I was happy to receive the support of the Bristol community. I’ve been shooting short films and music videos with great work from directors, crew, rental houses, and advice from other DOPs. I hope I can build on that, grow and develop.
Miles:
Any advice to your former selves?
Sonia:
I didn’t really believe it upon graduating from film school, but I wish I knew that I’ll be fine. I think many people dread that transition, and in fairness it is one of the tougher ones. As one gets older, more competent and more experienced, we’re all playing the adult matrix of trying to balance jobs that pay, jobs that give us joy and living outside of work, and it’s tough at times. I’ve recently discovered that I think I can make it work for myself if I work on a production for 6-8 months a year, and then take 4-6 months off for passion projects. I think it’s important not to lose oneself in it all.
Ben:
Just be curious about things, and be curious about people. Everyone wants to do stuff and make stuff. It's so easy to get anxious about trying new things and doing filmmaking for a living, but you just have to ask questions and get things started.
That's one thing I wish I knew earlier…
Just talk to people.
Miles:
Any links/shameless plugs?
You can find Ben and Sonia on their respective websites.
Benjamin Tate www.bristoldp.co.uk
Sonia Wargacka www.leaveitwithsonia.com
