1. Recently I have visited two very prestigious organisations; the National Film and Television School and Warner Brothers Studio.
Visiting the NFTS was quite an interesting experience as it helped to reveal more pathways for my future and the different ways I can go to achieve a career I want. Although, most people would advice against university for film and television, I would prefer to go because I can keep refining my skills, especially with the help of the NFTS because its a post graduate university. The NFTS also advertises a craft course as part of the BFI which helps to improve a specific skill you have in film making over a two week residential. Even though this sounds incredibly exciting, I want to be a more rounded film maker and specialize much later in my education and career because that way I can get more job opportunities. Having the tour of the NFTS was quite reassuring as it showed that people want to produce quality work and its easy to network with people as there will always be someone who will want to work with you. I might look into the NFTS after doing a BA at university so that I can further improve my craft.
The Warner Brother Studio was also exciting, not just because of the Harry Potter tour but because I was eager to learn more about the work was done behind the scenes to make this franchise what it is today. I would love to work on a franchise like Harry Potter as you could meet loads of important people and it would get you noticed but I was always worried that I would never make it to a production like that. However, while I was there, I found that on each film there was around 4,000 people working on production in various different roles such as runner, caterers, artists etc. This helped to reassure me because I realized that, although it might take a bit of time to make it to the role I want, I can still get loads of experience which will help me get there. Combining this with my thoughts on the NFTS, it might be a good idea to try and get a degree in stage management or film making whilst also doing little jobs on film sets so that I can network, and make it easier for myself to find a more serious job on a set.
Whilst looking around both the NFTS and Warner Brothers, it was both reassuring and exciting to see the amount of work, thought and detail which went into each costume and set and character design as I myself am a very analytical and hardworking person, and although I get criticized for it a lot, I think it will be useful when working in film and help me succeed.
2. Two of the most inspiring professionals that I met whilst on this course were James and Nick, even if their work was quite a contrast. James gave us a talk about how to write a film critique and giving a deeper analysis of film. Although I mainly do practical film work at college, I do enjoy learning about the more technical and complicated theoretical aspects of film as it can help my own work achieve a new level. Nick was also really interesting because he talked a lot about documentaries and television. I have thought about perusing a career in documentaries, especially travel documentaries as I would love to travel the world. Nick made it really easy for me to pursue this idea because he explained that you can often start your own business or film your own work and sell it to a production company, its just about having a good narrative. I'm already an emotional person, so filming a documentary with an emotional hook wouldn't be too much of a challenge for me and I would love to be involved in more difficult or challenging situations in our world.
Richard Wake-field was a great influence on me as his talk on DSLR cameras was relevant as I have recently purchased my own. It was also inspiring because he explained loads of different ways of entering into the industry by doing free shoots for different companies and varying the type of work that you can do because it can develop your skills. It made me feel that I should always practice filming and using any type of equipment will be a bonus.
3. My route into the industry is going to go on a bit of a detour because I also want to learn about stage management and directing for theatre. Once I have finished school, I am hoping to go to Guildhall School of Music and Drama where I can do a degree in stage management and minor in either lighting and sound or design production.
Pathway to stage management in Guildhall . To get to Guildhall I need to get a distinction in my media course at college as well as build up a portfolio of different productions I have seen or helped produce. Right now I am an active member of Gobo theatre, helping to teach singing and stage management as well as doing production design at Pegasus theatre. I hope to do two more shows with Gobo (so in the end I will have done three) and I want to do two years at Pegasus (including this year). I also am going to apply for a job as an usher in a theatre in Oxford or in one of my local cinemas so that I can show that I have seen lots of shows and hopefully analyse some.
Once I have done a degree at Guildhall I have no further plans but I am now really considering the MA at the NFTS to develop my skills as a director.
I think I may research different theatres to work in once I have finished my time in university to I can find the right job to suit me. I will also try and get small jobs working with freelance filmmakers, as a runner or an assistant just so I can get more exposure to the film industry and make more connections.
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