Duncan Barnes (Dunk to his friends) is a freelance Producer Director making highly rated television shows in the UK for the BBC, C4 and other broadcasters as well as video for web and corporate clients.
Dunk specialises in producing a strong story that has a wider resonance, humanity and humour.
He is experienced with getting the best from both experienced presenting talent and people unfamiliar with cameras.
He is confident either self-shooting or working with experienced crews.
He is interested in opportunities to create more great new television programming, and also in working with companies and organisations, helping them communicate the best aspects of their organisation to existing and new clients.
HISTORY
From an early age he locked his parents out of their bathroom and filled it with trays of enlarging and developing chemicals for weeks at a time. He then did a Fine Art Foundation course at St Albans and went on to Bath College for a BA (Hons) in Fine Art – Sound and Image (with a focus on time-based rather than more static art.)
Deciding television was his calling, he got a runners job at various London companies and worked his way up. Luckily the first DV cameras appeared on the scene around the same time as he did, so he was able to quickly prove he had an eye for telling a story.
He has now been making TV for nearly 15 years. Has taken several new formats through to re-commission, runs big teams and complex multicamera shoots. Projects are chosen for the life experience he gets from them. Dunk is proud to include as items on his checklist of life so far – living in refugee camps in the Sahara Desert, quizzing eye surgeons whilst they delicately remove a lens from an iris, and watching the sunset through the twisted chimneys of Hampton Court Palace.
He aims to be a good visual storyteller, never forgetting the privilege and responsibility of having his work beamed into 3 million living rooms. And he quite likes the challenge of teasing out a rollicking good yarn especially if there doesn’t appear to be one.
PRODUCTIONS
Hairy Bikers ‘Mums’ Know Best’ – Series 1 & 2 BBC Two
Producer Director
BROADCAST AWARD NOMINATED
Sky ‘Children’s Champions 2010 Awards’ Sky 1
Film Director
‘The Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain’ BBC One
Series Director 25×45’ New Format
RTS AWARD NOMINATED
Roux Brothers Scholarship 2010
Director pilot
‘Bake! with Rachel Allen’ BBC One
Series Director 15x30min New Format
Cotswold Culture Films web promo
Camera Director Editor
Air New Zealand web promo
Camera Director
‘British Book Awards films, Richard and Judy shortlist’
2007 & 2008 Director C4 18x7min
‘Real Rescues’ and ‘City Hospital’ BBC One
Producer Director
‘Garden School with Diarmuid Gavin’ BBC Two
Producer Director Camera 10 x 30min
‘Tales from the Palaces’ BBC Two
Producer Director Camera 8 x 30mins
‘BBC Gardener of the Year’ BBC One
Director 1 x 60min feature
BBC RHS Summer Show Coverage BBC One
Director various formats over 8 years.
‘Funny Cuts’ E4
Producer Director 2 x short films
‘Richard and Judy Show’ C4
Producer Director
‘Britcom Nights with Julian Clary’ UK Gold
Director
‘The Last Word’ More 4
Producer Director
‘What Women Want’ ITV
Director 8x30mins
‘Flying Gardener with Chris Beardshaw’ BBC One
Producer Director 2x30mins
‘That Gay Show’ BBC
Producer Director 8×30’
Vote Mark Steel BBC Two
Producer Director Camera 1x30mins
Newsnight ‘Mark Thomas reports from Western Sahara’
Producer Director Camera Newsnight film.