What Is a Shooting PD?
A Shooting PD is a Producer/Director who also operates the camera. One person who develops the idea, produces the shoot, directs the contributors, and films it all themselves. In factual and documentary television, it's one of the most important roles on a production, and it's the role I do.
I'm a documentary director based in Northern Ireland, and I've worked as a Shooting PD on films for the BBC and Channel 5. Here's what the job actually is.
Three jobs in one person
In a traditional crew, those responsibilities are split. A producer handles logistics and contributors. A director shapes the story and the creative vision. A camera operator films it. A Shooting PD does all three.
That means finding and developing the story, building relationships with the people on screen, deciding how the film looks and feels, and physically shooting every frame. It's a demanding combination, which is exactly why broadcasters value people who can do it well.
Why the role exists
This isn't just about saving money on crew, though smaller teams do cost less. The real reason is creative.
When one person is producing, directing and shooting, the film has a single, consistent vision running through it. There's no translation step between the director's intention and what the camera captures, because they're the same person. The result tends to feel more coherent and more authored than something assembled by committee.
It's about access and intimacy
Here's the part that matters most in documentary. A single person with a camera is far less intimidating than a full crew.
When you're filming someone's real life, the goal is for them to forget the camera is there. One quiet, familiar person in the room makes that possible in a way a lighting team and a sound recordist simply can't. The intimacy you see in good documentary, those honest, unguarded moments, often only exists because there was just one filmmaker present. That trust is the Shooting PD's real tool.
Where you'll find Shooting PDs
The role lives mainly in factual and documentary television: observational documentaries, factual series, character-led films, and increasingly in high-end branded content that borrows documentary technique.
Both of my BBC films, Chasing Gold and Principal Ballerina, were made this way, with me developing, directing and shooting throughout. It's the discipline that shapes how I approach every project, including commercial brand films.
If you want to understand what separates a great Shooting PD from a competent one, I've written about what makes a good Shooting PD too.
Frequently asked questions
What does PD stand for? Producer/Director. A Shooting PD is a Producer/Director who also operates the camera.
What's the difference between a Shooting PD and a camera operator? A camera operator films what they're directed to. A Shooting PD also produces and directs, owning the story and the creative vision as well as the camera.
Why hire a Shooting PD instead of a full crew? A single filmmaker delivers a unified creative vision and far more intimacy with contributors, which is essential for honest, character-led documentary work.
Looking for a Shooting PD for a documentary or factual project? Get in touch.
Work with Lloyd Edgar
Lloyd Edgar is a Northern Ireland-based documentary director, shooting producer/director and editor. He shot, directed and edited Rhys McClenaghan: Chasing Gold — a half-hour BBC documentary that began on the True North strand and was selected for national broadcast on BBC One as part of Our Lives, establishing him as one of the youngest directors ever featured in the strand. His follow-up film, Principal Ballerina, following Royal Ballet Principal Melissa Hamilton, was broadcast for the same strands, and he directed a ten-part conservation series for Channel 5.
Alongside his work as a director, Lloyd works as an editor, camera operator, drone pilot and motion graphics designer for both television and commercial productions, with credits for production companies including Ronin Films, Fine Point, CleanSlate and Triplevision. He is, in short, a multi-skilled, broadcast-proven documentary director — a safe pair of hands.
Production companies and executive producers looking for a documentary director or shooting PD in Belfast and across Northern Ireland can get in touch.