Freelance Media Logger / Sound & Video Annotator (Flexible, £22/hr)

About Pollen Audio Group Pollen Audio Group is a premium audio post-production and music company operating at the intersection of creative sound design, media composition, and advanced technological workflows. We collaborate with a diverse network of international creators, broadcasters, and technology partners to deliver high-quality audio solutions for film, television, gaming, and emerging interactive media. Beyond traditional post-production, Pollen is actively engaged in supporting the development of next-generation media tools. We manage large-scale data annotation, linguistic acoustic labeling, and metadata tagging projects that power downstream artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) workflows. Role Summary We are seeking detail-oriented, technically minded postgraduate students, recent media alumni, and creative freelancers for the role of Freelance AV Annotator. This is a fully remote, flexible opportunity well-suited for individuals looking to balance industry-adjacent freelance work alongside their existing practices or academic commitments. In this role, you will review short media assets (video and audio clips) and produce high-quality, highly descriptive, library-style annotations. This work does not involve verbatim transcription; instead, it focuses on descriptive labeling and contextual metadata tagging across multiple specialized layers to support downstream audiovisual and machine learning workflows. Key Responsibilities: - Review video and audio clips to create precise, timestamped descriptive annotations. - Apply industry-standard film, video, and audio terminology across multiple analysis layers. - Audio Layers include: Dialogue characteristics, Music (genre, tempo, instrumentation, function), Sound Effects (foreground/environmental), and Foley/vocal non-speech effects. - Visual Layers include: Subject/content, Camera & Framing (shot types, depth of field), Lighting (natural vs. artificial, contrast), Colour grading styles, Editing/Structure (pacing, cuts, transitions), and Motion/Dynamics. - Exercise strong analytical judgement to apply the correct level of descriptive detail, prioritizing actionable search terms and asset-library descriptors. Preferred Experience & Qualifications: - Background or ongoing studies in Sound Design, Audio Engineering, Filmmaking, Post-Production, or a related creative media discipline. - Familiarity with music, sound effect, or video libraries, including common keywords and search terminology. - Ability to interpret basic screen/scene cues and think analytically about narrative logic. - Excellent English writing skills and extreme attention to detail. - Comfortable working independently and managing your own schedule. Compensation & Flexibility: - Rate: Flat £22.00 GBP per hour (Contract reflects the exact equivalent of $29.35 USD per hour). - Up to 30 hours per week maximum. - This is a fully flexible, week-by-week opt-in system. You are under no obligation to commit to fixed hours or notify us of schedule changes—you simply log in to claim tasks when you want to work, or leave the queue alone when balancing other commitments. Requirements & Compliance: - You must be physically located in the United Kingdom and hold the legal right to work here. - You must provide your own work equipment (reliable computer/laptop, stable internet connection, and headphones). - Due to UK compliance standards for independent contractors, candidates must possess or be in the process of acquiring a valid Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number from HMRC to proceed past our initial vetting stage. Ethical Disclaimer: This project involves human annotation for AI and machine learning training purposes. The scope of this work is purely descriptive and does not involve synthetic voice cloning or creating replacements for working creative professionals. Pollen is dedicated to approaching this technical landscape thoughtfully, ethically, and transparently. How to Apply: To streamline our onboarding pipeline, we utilize a structured, multi-stage vetting process conducted entirely here on the platform. Please apply directly to this Upwork job post with your profile and a brief summary of your media background. Shortlisted candidates who meet our compliance and technical criteria will be contacted via Upwork Messages to complete our Stage 1 alignment questionnaire. We look forward to reviewing your application!