Ed Collard notes:
BBC politics East Midlands
News edit, writes, books guests, schedules
The show is pre-recorded on Friday with MPs or done on a Sunday at 10am live
PATH: Ed worked on a student paper
Wrote to newspapers
NCTJ apprenticeship
Covered Hillsborough disaster and Jamie Bulger case at Liverpool Echo
Freelance journalism
Reporting
Made documentaries for ITV
Social media, YouTube, filmmaking outside of mainstream broadcast
Lectured at University of Nottingham
Freelance news producer at BBC since 2016
Robin Hood Media producer, reporter, and made a few documentaries
Freelance at BBC, better with clients
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW AS A JOURNALIST: Raw info into effective communication, we are the medium as journalists
Do it for 1 person, 1 viewer
Last minute ability
Factual accuracy
Dealing with people in extreme emotional situtaions
Being able to talk to anybody, anywhere
Difference between opinion and fact
Interviewing, have conversations, don’t just question
It's always about people
Go out and talk to people, thats how you get stories
Be confident, be at the center of things
Journalists are front and center
TV is terrible for facts, great for emotion
Radio creates pictures in the mind, through description
Print media have more facts, only medium you can go back and check
GETTING IN AND GETTING ON: BBC press pass, press pass show to people, a chance to be nosy, if they refuse, they refuse to speak to the BBC
Meeting people at their most interesting
LDRS BBC
A degree? A lot of journalists have another type of degree, anything research-based is good, doesn’t have to be a media degree
Don’t need a degree, there are trainee schemes with the BBC and others
Ability to get a job will show your ability to do a job
Ed has never got a job through an interview, through freelance and did the job and got the job
Don’t just talk about what you have done, ask questions all the time
Be part of the team, the organisation, the conversation, suggest stories, everybody wants a story, don’t take things personally if you don’t get a response, be persistent but not rude
More media than ever before, engage with role models, get contacts, reach out, they may never reply but you don’t know
Can be invited to apply for jobs, if you show your work, people are impressed, be known.
Persevere, things take time to develop
Get LinkedIn profile and observe
Look for apprenticeship
So many go straight into the industry without a degree, don’t wait
Apprenticeships, practical skills
Make stuff, it will be bad, but its the time to be bad
Work and experience helps more than a media degree
Still got a lot to learn, learning all the time
THE FUTURE: misinformation has become an industry itself
More ways and mediums than ever
Credible journalism is more important than ever
AI is a challenge but also an opportunity, real journalism will become artisan, special, more important and more wanted
DOCUMENTARIES: You owe it to people to do a good job with storytelling as you are invading with a camera
Have a range, do varies stuff
CONFLICTING SOURCES: Look at which source you trust
Shouldn’t conflict if you’ve got correct sources
Point out ones that are incorrect
Journalists have to be the trusted sources
Conflicting points of view have to be resolved
Unless you can ratify/trust your source, you shouldn’t put it on, fact-checking is important
DOCU HOOKS: Characters, the people
Emotion, thats what TV is about
Two or three facts in voiceover
What is wanted is ‘how do you feel?’ its all about the emotion
Thing they are doing is not as interesting as the people that are doing it
When they forget there is a camera you get the best part
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND HATE?: ignore hate, there is no point in engaging with hate
Hate is personal
Constructive criticism shows people are watching and thinking, answer and engage
Constructive criticism can lead to another story
Criticism is it could have been better, hate is it was rubbish
Jane Paton notes:
Over 80% have a degree to get into visual effects
Alot of what is learnt is learnt within the industry not in uni
Into Film have resources and opportunities
POOR THINGS BREAKDOWN: massive LED screens projecting on set instead of green screens, creates correct lighting, new technology and practices
Nearly every film has a bit of VFX in it, can be invisible VFX
In total 70 artists in their company working on Poor Things
Can work on a 30 seconds shot gor months
Over 2 years of work for Poor Things pre-production for lighting and post-production for VFX
Won a BAFTA for Poor Things for special effects
You can be on set as a VFX supervisor but thats a role you work up to, or some companies send junior workers to sets, monitoring things and sorting things out for post-production to make it easier for VFX artists
Tony King notes:
Freelance editor for Getty Images
Never be afraid to quit something that is toxic or not moving you forward
Watching YouTube videos and learning from them
Knowing your worth, valuing your work
If a door opens, smash through it
Go into a game/race knowing what you want, what type of stories you want to get as a journalist
Don’t be afraid to take time away from something
You need the passion to do it
Insurance and higher licences
Have a reason to go somewhere and work, do something, e.g building portfolio
Public liability insurance, non-league licences
Getty Images are the licence holders
Do things you don’t want to, not in your field of interest, as you will get money and be able to add that to your portfolio
Be unique, be your best
Asks for advice, listen and act, so more than required
Melody Choudhury notes:
Does web design
Self taught in tech, gained soft skills
Its not called work if you love what you do
A front end developer creates the user interface of a website or app, designing layouts, animations ect. Front end development is more creative
They use the languages HTML, CSS and Javascript
TIPS: Network using LinkedIn
Teach yourself
Build a portfolio
Freelance
Find a mentor
Approach people for work experience and build contacts
You can be headhunted
Other digital agency jobs: social media
Jane Giles and Ali Catterall notes:
The Scala film
The Scala cinema was famous for its monthly film programmes and its unusual decor and resident cats Huston and Roy. It was a very homely environment as a cinema, it influenced a lot of people including Jane and Ali, who turned the book about Scala into a film
They got funding from the BFI
Filmed interviews post lockdown in 2021, including Barry Adamson
Post-production sound mix finalised in early 2023
People got educated at the Scala
Film made over 5 years
Got archive movie clips in the film
BFI distribution poster development summer 2023
Press response to the film: 4 and 5 stars
Festival screenings, world premiere in Bolognia, showed at BFI festival, in Texas, in Paris, Athens, Wales, Adelaide and clothes.
WHAT MOTIVATES TO DO MOVIES?: If you have a passion for the subject you’ll find a way to do it, the subject helped them to get funding from the BFI as some of the people at the BFI knew the Scala
Passion for the subject is so important
ICO, Independent Cinema Office, information there to set up film clubs
Use your friends to help you in the filmmaking
Version control
The ability to pivot, things could change
POST-PRODUCTION AND RELEASE: Post production can take a while, had a test screening, got feedback and used that for the final cut
End of post-production they went on a film festival tour before the release, sp there wasn’t a period of waiting between production finish and release
HOW TO CREATE BUZZ: Withhold from the people who want to watch it, create anticipation, then they will go to watch it at the cinema. Also, word of mouth, on socials as well, people talking and discussing, recommending. Having a good trailer helps generate anticipation, the first view of the film. BFI had an entire season, Scala season, centered around their film, screening it and films played at Scala
Jane and Ali had 40+ Q&A sessions.
Barry Adamson interviewed for film but also created soundtrack
Chris Watson one of the other interviewees, David Attenborough’s sound engineer, mic’d up the Scala Building for the interviews
Scala is now a music venue
They showed as many areas of the building as possible to show the full character of the building, interviewing in different areas
Visual composition, they as directors looked for a striking visual composition, making sure not to get certain film posters in it as you don’t want to get a copyright issue
Location management, the backdrop for each interviewee was carefully thought through
Visual puns and easter eggs in every second of the film, in-jokes, if you know you know, music and film references. You can watch the film multiple times and pick up on new elements each time
“The male gaze”, act of depicting women and the world from a masculine hetrosexual perspective
ADVICE FOR FILMMAKING: Anyone with a phone can make a film
If you are interested, other people will be as well
Express yourself
Don’t try to fit in
Work with your friends for max creativity
We can be part of the change
Watch and read as much as you can
Don’t have expectation and prejudice
See as much as you possibly can
Laura Mulvey interview A feminist film journal
Derry Shillito notes:
Director, SimplyThrilled Director and Producer
Day-job is making films, gets paid a day-rate, also edits
Currently working on “The Correction Unit”, a Nottingham based feature film
Got a distribution deal, goes to Canne and Berlin film festivals
FULL TIME AND PAID WORK AS A FILMMAKER: Practice and fail with short films, make as many as possible, experiment, do it for free
Bag of money short film
Keep it contained, 1 location, maybe 2 for first short film
Naomi short film
Word short film (2015)
If you have no money then a good idea is to keep your stories refined to one place. This also challenges your ability as a storyteller which is beneficial
Make a short film as short as possible, with a good beginning, middle and end
Train your skills with zero budget short films
Take opportunities when they come, network and make connections, produce content, create a portfolio
Ben Wheatley
Storyboards for short films
Local video production companies are often looking for freelancers
Spore Media
Dynomite
Hone your craft whilst getting paid for corporate videos, they don’t have to be boring, if you get inspired by what you are working on
Lucy’s Story (2023)
Narrative storytelling
HOW TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A FEATURE FILM: Diversify skills
Equipment is not needed, but could be good if you have quality equipment
Derry works day-to-day creating content for SimplyThrilled
The feature film has come because of corporate work
Corporate video is where the money is, but building a network is extremely important
Topical film helped them get the distribution deal
Got funding, now doing a crowdfunder as they run out of the original budget, which was very small for a feature film
Get favours from people and work with friends on films
They are trying to take the feature film to Cannes film festival to be bought and sold, buy for streaming sites, could get onto Netflix through distributor, spread the word so that there is a higher chance of the film getting on big streaming sites
Foyle_River_films
Assembly cut is a rough version of a full length film which can be sold to distributors
Diversifying is important, it opens you up to more opportunities
HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO NOTICE SHORT FILMS: Not many will notice, short films are mainly done to improve skills
Submit to local festivals
If its a really good short film, submit to other festivals
Just keep making films and improving
Its hard to make money initially
Try and get investment or get other people to make your film for you
Chat to people at locations that you want to shoot at, and ask if you can use it for a few hours
Networking, people may be willing to get on board a project for little or no money
Do as much research as you can as a director or storyteller
Shortstack, filmfreeway
Beeston film festival
CREATIVE DIFFERENCES ON A SET WITH CLIENTS: For corporate videos the client is the boss, they are paying for it so you have to work with what they want. Use the language of permission, ‘this might work’, ‘lets give this a go’, ‘can I edit it and show you to see what you think?’
Every frame in a film should mean something, the director is always being conscious about every aspect
Punch-drunk love film
Imagery gets across meaning
LOCATION SCOUTING: Is it visually interesting? Is it big enough? Some aspects that stand out, look for locations all the time, make notes of locations and people constantly
STORYBOARDS AND SHOTS: Shockdeck and Filmgrab, find shots from movies and drag them into storyboards for reference of what shots you want to do, how you visualise it being set up
Showreels
Midlands filmmaking and acting Facebook groups
HOW TO BUILD UP AN IDEA WITHOUT IT BECOMING TOO COMPLICATED AND CLICHE: Tropes need to be there for a story to be told. Write a first draft full of cliches and tropes then rewrite (at least 5 or 10 times) then you can do tropes or cliches at different times, make them not cliche, subvert cliches or change the way a character interacts with a cliche
Peter Blackburn notes:
@petermblackburn
If you haven’t got the story you haven’t knocked on enough doors
Be wary of the Daily Mail, they make a story more aggressive
Confidence and contacts are important
Overstepping people’s privacy is a con of journalism
Journalism is hard work, you have to be committed, lots of rejection, and you have to sometimes do things you are not interested in
Upsides: you’ll meet loads of cool people, do cool interviews and can see of lot of different interesting stories, most importantly you can make a difference
As a journalist you can put pressure on companies and people to make a difference
Journalism is a rewarding career
Journalism can be absolutely vital in local communities
There is less resources and time in local journalism
Its about trust when finding an interviewee. If you can prove your honesty and you can rely on your authenticity, build a relationship and show how the subjects is important
Some would say if you’re not upsetting people, you’re not doing it right
The buzz of publishing something that uncovers something/is helpful is very addictive and exhilarating
When you are a journalist you have the motivation/burning desire to do something you are interested in so can overcome awkwardness and nerves, also seeing the results of your work helps motivate you
ADVICE: Get out there and do stuff
BECOMING A SPORTS JOURNALIST: Its a very competitive environment but there are a huge number of opportunities as there is a huge demand for sports journalists constantly
Start writing and broadcasting yourself, but also contribute to other media sources
Peter has turned down PR type stories and stories from people who aren’t asking with the best of intentions
The first time of everything is magical, like meeting famous people, however over time it becomes less important and overwhelming
Peter values giving a voice to people who don’t have one more
Good journalism is good journalism it doesn’t matter who or where it is published
Its about doing things in good faith and trying to be fair
Tortoise Media does slow news
You don’t want to be the first to publish but the best to publish, with more information and detail and most factual, true information
Quality is more valuable than quantity as there is so much news everywhere nowadays
Quality is the most differentiating factor, as we are lining up not only against other journalists but also AI
AVOIDING BIAS: Trying to avoid your own stereotypes is hard
Its good to come at stories in a personal way and with interest in the story
You can’t always avoid personal stereotypes and biases, but be aware of how they may affect your work and try to make a change
Best thing about journalism is that you can make differences by changing attitudes, structures and speaking out about abuses of power in the world. Also meeting and speaking to some fascinating people
Curiosity and desire to learn about people drive a journalist
As well as hope that you can make a change/difference and help people
Conviction to the cause
Parisa Taghizadeh notes:
Film stills photographer
Publicity and marketing for films, takes photos on film sets, photos for marketing campaigns, key art and film posters
Thumbnails with each episode on Netflix, that is the job of a film stills photographer
Production company work
Pull Aside shots are promo portraits with actors
Sometimes actors have to be set up by the photographer, so they can taking promo pics, some scenes that aren’t in the movie are set up for promo photos
Sets, cinematography, lighting and costume all help the photographer get a good photo
As you get more contacts you get into bigger projects, you may get asked to cover for people, or asked to work on new projects by your contacts, it will get you more opportunities and you should learn from the people around you
Capture the themes e.g comedy in stills for promo
Photos for key art, such as film posters are much more set out and considered, whereas stills on the set can be more improvised. You get concepts for the key art from producers and publicists
Photoshop is used to enhance key art photos from stills to the final product
Behind-the-scenes shits of actors and directors together, camera people, the DOP (director of photography), shots of clapper board with the name of the film and the lead actors, and actors observing the monitor are just some examples of shots photographers may take. The BTS shots document the filmmaking process and go on the film’s archive
ADVICE: Always think about telling a story and having meaning
You know you didn’t do your best before anyone else does
Closed vs open sets
There is an approval process, mostly including actors, and they can ‘kill off’ around 50% of the photographer’s single shots of them and around 40% of group shots with the consent of other people in the photo
The pictures belong to the studio and production company not the photographer, they are being paid for their time on set
The actors can have a lot of power over the photographer’s work if they are celebrities, not as much of an issue on smaller productions
Photographers deal with publicists and producers
ADVICE: If a problem comes up, just think about how to fix it
Photography is difficult to make money out of
Finding a niche helps a lot
The industry is opening up
Don’t be intimidated by the industry, its just like any other industry, you are just doing your job, anyone can do it
Start as a runner as a film photographer, to learn how to navigate a film set
Rapheal Achache notes:
Animation and illustration
Promotional material and music videos
Worked with some big company clients aswell as charities
Has a website and pdf portfolio and its made as easy as possible for clients and can show the range of different things he has done before
Graphic design apprenticeship
Volunteered for Left Lion to do their graphic design
Mades posters for gigs and logos and also designed websites
Worked with Hersheys
A sole trader, invoices clients on a project by project basis
Worked with NFL
Do stuff that includes your skill set and helps you improve, but you may not enjoy it but it pays the bills, find inspiration in the doing
Do things that aren’t your passion for experience and money
CREATIVE BLOCK: Don’t wait for inspiration to land on you if you are doing it for a living, do what you can and to the best of your ability until inspiration hits you, if it doesn’t it doesn’t
GETTING AND WORKING WITH CLIENTS: Have many skills
Its all about communication and expectation with clients
Have a speciality and broadcast that on your portfolio, but people know you can do a range of things
Branch out and try new things
Picking and choosing isn’t always an option, you have to say ‘yes’ to pay the bills sometimes
Price correctly and deliver the right product
You’re only lucky if you persist, you make your own luck , spot chances when they come
Communication with clients is most important
Have a clear routine at the quoting stage with clients
Be grateful for criticism and learn from it
BEING A FREELANCER: Do the horrible parts of the job like finance and emails, keep organised
PROFESSIONALISM: Don’t moan, communicate well, play the game, work with others, especially if they are paying alot they want the service just do it, be timely, be good at your job and have good organisation
Naomi Williams notes:
A photo pass/press pass gets you into events to take photos
Naomi started off taking photos at music gigs
The money in music photography is bad, its hard to make it a full time thing
Paid mentorship, she was showed how to to photograph, and work in a media team ect
When you are loving what you do, it comes across in your work
Networking got her to Glastonbury
OVERCOMING BEING AN INTROVERT: Be confident in yourself, people can be hard to work with, some people have big personalities
FREELANCING: It can be stressful as a full time freelancer, but it is nice being your own boss. Its really fun but really intense
She did personal projects to express her identity
Submitted her ‘Grandad’ project to competitions and exhibitions
If you are not gonna submit it to things you’re not gonna get any reward, you have to be active, and then you can get jobs and commissions through that
Stretch a project, maximise it, get it out there so that as many people can see it because you never know what could happen
Got a Fred Perry commission through a contact
You don’t know what could come out of who you are talking to, they could give you the best opportunity of your life
She got the opportunity to work on the red carpet for The Crown through a competition and wore bright clothes to get the attention of the actors so she could get good photos and it worked
DEALING WITH ANXIETY: Focus on what you’re doing
Push through it as an introvert, be able to handle rejection well, get it done while you’re feeling good, seize the moment, mask it, be performative. It can be a lot of energy to hype yourself up but do it, practice performance of confidence. Its hard but it can be overcome and you feel good after pushing through it is rewarding
GETTING OPPORTUNITIES: People share opportunities on Instagram so follow them and interact
She never really knows what she’s doing she just does it
If you know about 70% that you want to do it, do it
No one actually knows what they are doing, you can always stop if you don’t enjoy it, there are other routes
She is learning along the way as a freelancer, especially the business side of it
GETTING PRESS PASSES: Email venues or bands, make it worth their while, make it sound like you’re doing it for them
UNDER-REPRESENTATION IN THE INDUSTRY: Make space for yourself
Instagram @wiliams.naomi_
Lee Ramsey notes:
Graphic design, illustration and animation
Started making his own music videos and then others asked for him to do theirs, but initially found it hard to monetize him work
Later got offers for pay higher than his job to film and do effects ect
Its extremely competitive especially with social media there’s things everywhere, so you have to a do a range of stuff
If you establish your worth and pay, you get bigger clients who value you more and you attract even more clients
Have a high price and you will be valued, know you are worth it
Showreel is a visual CV, treat it like that, target the clients that you want with the showreel
The best promotion you get is from a happy client who keeps returning and recommending to others, word of mouth
Corporate jobs pay well, music industry doesn’t
Any opportunity is a good opportunity when starting out
As you get more experienced you can pick and choose
Its who you know, networking
5 PRINCIPLES OF FREELANCING: 1) Stay creative: attention to detail is important, research and keep learning as things can change quickly, take advantage of every opportunity, invest in the business through tech and software, stay motivated, take risks, don’t be afraid to fail, thats how we learn
90% principle- get it to something you are 90% happy with then let it go, you can’t tweak it forever
Keep creating when you don’t have work, it can be passive income
2) Time management: Don’t keep working through the night, set regular work hours, exercise and step away from the workstation, take breaks, all clients and projects are different and come with their own challenges, don’t commit to unrealistic time frames you can’t deliver
Medium between quality, time and money
3) Utilise downtime: Post work on social media, create showreels to promote your work, online presence is important, stay viable, but don’t get absorbed, study what’s trending but refine your own style, take time to do other things its all about balance
4) Network: Find online creative communities, interact, go to networking events, meet potential clients/collaborators, share ideas, tips and tricks, we all learn from each other, have a strategy in mind, what kind of clients you are trying to attract
5) Value: What is my time worth? Am I charging enough? How do I get better clients? Good communication makes clients feel valued and saves time, every job is different and comes with its own challenges
Don’t commit too much, take on projects you have the capacity for
Be genuine all the way
Sian Hallam-Davies notes:
Nzime UK marketer and social media
Bought a photography studio and rented it out to other creatives
Started social media in 2020, during lockdown
She took photos documenting cars and bikes not trackside photos in motorsport
Different platforms for different clients, depending on who they are trying to target, demographics
Focus on 2 or 3 platforms
Try things short term and see how they work long term
Video is king, the most wanted content
People want to see the behind-the-scenes, they want to understand the process, give them bits and bobs
There is a reason for the content, nothing is an accident
You need people who disagree with you, have different perspectives and skill sets
Put it all out there, you never know who will look at your content on social media
You can also strategise what you are doing
Experiment on social media, you can reinvent yourself all the time
Anything that interests you, you’re always gonna be good at it
WHAT IS IT LIKE TRAVELLING AND WORKING WITH MOTORSPORTS: Fast-paced, loads of head shots, car shots, all fast moving. Be strict, stay focused and do the job, prove your worth
Have an online presence already, have quality content
If the ideas, quality and consistency is there, no matter the number (of likes, followers ect) it will help with employment
You can’t learn creativity
Reputation is everything in this industry
Use your job as an excuse to travel, say you have ideas, express willingness
‘Insights’ are like analytics, what is working, the likes, shares, comments, reach ect. Its an overall measure of things
Anoushka Shyamanoor notes:
Marketing executive at Its in Nottingham
Business improvement is what Its In Nottingham do, promote on social media and hold events in the city centre
She manages social media sites and manages blog posts on the company website
Marketing job scope in Nottingham,its very competitive
Have to be head strong
The opportunities are endless
See what intereste you, there is huge scope in marketing jobs, such as content creation, copywriting and SEO
Best practices: CV, networking and extra curricular
Ensure that a job suits you skill set
Tailor CV for the job you are applying for and the company
Also reflect yourself in your CVShow that you will fit into the company and align with their core values
LinkedIn is so important, network on it, interact with people with your interests/in your line of work, post on it as potential employers can stumble upon you and the more you post the more this is likely, post about extra curricular
Broaden your horizons
Purt LinkedIn on CV and resume
Be strategic
Research and find what roles interest you
The application process can be stressful so volunteer, network, do extra curriculars all to help you learn and you can put it on your CV/LinkedIn but also relax
Make sure every time you apply for a new job you are more suitable for the role than before
Use an excel sheet to track job applications, its more organised
Companies use AI tools to filter out CVs so tailor it to the job so your CV does not get filtered out in the early stages
Researching company values for an interview shows interest in the job and will help you, also watch Youtube videos to prepare you for an interview
On LinkedIn Anoushka Shyamanoor
Georgina Wilding notes:
The best advice: its not your responsibility to rule yourself out of anything, apply for everything
A degree won’t give you everything you want, chase your dreams
Hardly any publishers for poets so she made her own publishing house for poetry
New business ventures helps people create businesses in the creative industry
Not having to worry how to pay the bills allows you to be more creative
Having your creativity be something to pay the bills can squash your creativity
She was Poet Laureate for 2 years
The Nottingham Poetry Festival
She is now the events lead at Nottingham Central Library
Zelda Adams notes:
Filmmaker, actor, model and student
She grew up around filmmaking
The Adams family are one of the most unique filmmakers
She is a 2nd year art history student at Columbia University
She makes independent feature length films with her family since the age of 6
Her mother was an actress before and her father was a model and in bands
The last few films they made were horror films, but they started out making drama films
They decided to travel around making films as her mother got less acting jobs and they chose to make their own films
Zelda started doing more directing as she grew up
A few of their films have been on Amazon
Where the devil roams is the most recent film they made
They are a nomatic family, and they travelled around filming
Travelling around is cinematically wonderful
Going outside of their home adds mystery to the horror filmmaking process
Stories are happening no matter where you are
Environment being the main character of the film
Their backyard being their studio
Every film was shot in their backyard whether thats at their home or where their RV is
TO DIFFERENTIATE: Shoot at different angles or at different times of day
TO SHOOT AT HOME: Its cheap, you can be confident, and bring the space you love to life
Each place offers something different
Zelda has a real passion for cinematography
She directs, acts and writes with her parents, and all of them express themselves in different ways
Cinematography, spending a lot of time with the camera trying to get the best shot is quite romantic
Thye do horror that is psychological and illudes to things without being too obvious
‘Loving’ horror films vs ‘hating’ horror films, the Adams family make more ‘loving’ style horror films
Zelda tries to put her knowledge about art from her art history course into the films she makes
She hopes to allude to her favourite art pieces in her films
She’s already had 14 years of experience in filmmaking
Symblosim and motifs in film
The birds eye film festival
Making films independently means she hasn’t suffered expectations and standards from the film industry
They edit the film as they go, they improvise alot and if they are not satisfied they can refilm
Films normally take a year, they use Premier Pro and have an SFX guy for the horror special effects, After Effects
A lot of their films reflect what was going on in their lives at the time
Shooting in the same space but using different angles
Working with set and costume
Building a narrative around the set
A sense of autonomy as an actress and director
As different stories can be, the way you tell them can be very similar, so its all about seeing how you can make it different as the director
The more challenges she has, the more fun it is for her
Lulu Adams, her older sister, also plays a big part, she helps make films when she is at home, but also loves to study away from home
Lulu and her father make sets together for the films
HOW DID ACTING, DIRECTING, FILMMAKING AND MODELLING AFFECT YOU AS A PERSON: They all fused together, she got scouted for modelling at 17, modelling is a form of storytelling and playing a character and connects to the creative side of filmmaking aswell. She has put more input in modelling photography, everything is intertwined. A big dream for her is to be a creative director and bringing fashion and horror together in a film
She us not herself when doing a job, she is being a character, as a model sge is a character, also in a film, but she is herself outside of her work
ADVICE: Get out there and do it, do it with whatever you have, you can make a film on your phone, a self-portrait film, festivals have competitions like make a film on your phone, enter those
She would do a comedy if she did another genre, there are similarities between horror and comedies
Comedy is the hardest genre, and is limited and stale nowadays
In every character she has played there is something about them that is part of her
She can connect to her characters and identify with them
She enjoys dealing with serious things in her life and putting them in her character. It has a sense of honesty and is quite therapeutic
Getting to experience nightmares and fears through film is quite therapeutic
Sometimes a film can just be good and you don’t have to philosophise it
The beauty of cinema is you can just watch it for enjoyment or you can pick it apart and take things away from it
If you are interested in film, dive into it
Make films, have ideas and you can feel guilty for not doing them but its refreshing when you do it, and embrace mistakes
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