We decided to go location scouting for our short film today. We went up onto Minera Mountain, as we thought it would be a good setting for our film, due to the bleak landscape and the horror genre to our film.
The weather was not the best as it was foggy/misty but this could add to the production values and give it a more eerie atmosphere.
Another option would be to go to Abbey Crucis which is near Llangollen. If we were to film here we would need to get in-touch with the land owner so we would not be prosecuted for trespassing.
From this image with the lightening we have been inspired to add lightening in After-effects to show horror and add tension in our film. We also like the black and white effect and would like to experiment with this, but we aren't sure if we would want this all the way through our film, However we thought it might look more effective in the title sequence.
The session looked at the commercial end of the creative industry and how Gary Edwards who is not creative set up a successful business working with every level of business from from The Holt Lodge in Wrexham to The Queen and London 2012. Also the power of co-operation- working closely with would be competitors. Gary Edwards left school qualified and worked as an engineer for seven years. He then entered the world of selling, climbed the ladder of success and opened a number of of 'Mortgage Advice Shop' branches, which he then sold. He moved into the IT industry where he held senior roles from UK sales and Channel Manager for Tobit Software working with Virgin and Redbull, to Sales and Marketing Director for Synergy Technology working with Manchester City FC. He eventually opened Digitalissue in 2008.
I went to this talk because I thought it would be interesting to see what the business end of thing is like as I don't have much knowledge of business. It was good to see how a business operates and what Gary Edwards' business- Digitalissue does. At the moment I'm not wanting to set-up my own business after I graduate, however I may do later in life so this talk about running a business will come in handy.
Getting that job
Sarah Kirk and Nouran Al-Jandali- BBC Wales
In this session I leaned about working for the BBC and what they have to offer such as trainee schemes. I got in-depth knowledge of the recruitment process and how best to sell yourself to potential employers with an aim to securing employment. Below is what was discussed:
Working at the BBC- How do I get a job at the BBC?
Ways to start your career at the BBC
1. Work experience
2. Trainee Schemes
3. Jobs
Work Experience
The BBC provides more than 1,700 work experience opportunities ever year, right across the organisation: from radio to online to business and finance.
Tips
Treat your application like a job application.
For every application, you will need to demonstrate that you have an interest or passion for your chosen placement.
I thought this session was really useful as I din't know about trainee schemes they had on offer as they would be a great opportunity for me. In the session we also watched a short video which interviewed people on work experience and trainee schemes. The interviewee's shared their thoughts, experiences and achievements through working for the BBC and trainee schemes. I liked being able to see what other people had done and what they got out of it. It was defiantly worth while going to this session to learn about what the BBC has to offer, not just jobs.
Just seen the teaser for Rania's new music video- Just Go. I really like the teaser and I can't wait for the full length music video to come out as the teaser looked really good. I really liked the teaser as it shows a mystery girl walking the city streets who goes to shoot, what appears to be her love who has been cheating. However we she that she is unable to pull the trigger but it looks like she unexpectally changes her mind, but no gun shot is seen or heard. Also the girl band is featured doing choreography dances with solo shots of band members. I think the music really fits the visuals and good cuts are made between shots. I like the transitions between shots and that there is a relationship between the music and visuals.
Alison McLean has been working as a freelance experimental photographic artist since graduating from N.W. School of Art and Design in Creative Lens Media in 2010. She has recently formed the GlasfrynArtistsgroup GAP, a local collective of cross-discipline artists and creative's. Her work with collaborative group LampPostCollective is being shown at Liverpool Look13 International Photo Festival in May 2013. The session included hints and tips for working as a freelance artist. Topics included: the importance of networking use of social media and blogging, collaborative working, useful organisations, support networks and basic business practices to make life easier.
Points from the session:
Set up your own website:
Free websites e.g. carbonmade- http://carbonmade.com/ http://www.thephotofoundry.co.uk/
Work with a grpahic designer
Spelling and grammar- http://www.ghotit.com/
Get someone to go on your site
Improve traffic with video, blog, keywords
Interactions e.g. freebies and compectitions
Keep it up to date
Social media
Twitter
Facebook
Linked-in
Google Plus
Blog e.g. Wordpress, Blogger
Flicker
Printerest
Social media management e.g. TweetDeck, Hootsuite
Write in the third person
Copyright issues
Engagement
Business Cards
Branding
Quality
Uncluttered
Postcards
Moocards
Futureproof
Networking
Exhibitions
Graduate networking events
Events
Linked-in business groups
The pub
Redeye, the photographer's network
Chamber of Commerce
Have a 'thing' to wear that will make people more likely to talk to you at networking events and remember you
Keeping inspired
Twitter
Creative Wales
Redeye/Welshot
Collaborations
Projects
Keep a file
BBB
Tax and Business Courses
Business bank accounts
Accounts
Money saving expert
Insurance
Jobs
Overall, I thought this session was really useful as it was the only photography session I could attend, so it was good to learn more about the photography industry and what I can do to promote myself as an photographer.
Designing for mobile and selling your own Apps
Tim Makin
Tim Makin started web design in 2001, in 2004 he started a degree in Interactive Multimedia at Glyndwr. After graduating in 2007 he took a junior web designer role at Drumbeat Creative. He then took a move from the design side to development where he progressed to the Head of Development. In 2010 he co-founded Wink Nudge; Mobile app and development agency.
In the session Tim Makin talked through the important design considerations for producing content for mobile devices and the best steps for achieving success. 2013 is expected to be the first year where access to the web via mobile devices will surpass computers. Therefore businesses need to have their content accessible by a mobile device, more than ever before. Digital designers must understand how to design for mobile and desktop. This is evident as companies such as the BBC actually design for mobile devices first. Below is what was discussed in the talk:
Where are we now?
Web access on mobile phones to overtake desktop in 2013
Half of the UK population own a smartphone
75% of these are Android or Apple
1 in 3 Facebook users access via mobile
Mobile email has over taken outlook
Mobile distribution
Web
Native
Hybrid
Mobile Websites
Multi-platform/ accessible
Don't need to publish to an app store
Use of SEO (To be found on Google)
Use existing skills
Native
Device integration
Push capabilities
Better performance
You are in the app store!
Full screen
Hybrid
Best of both worlds
Pre-planning
User goals
Will actions change because its mobile?
Dedicated or responsive
Navigation
Make it easy to access
Don't overload
Ribbon
Lots of items
Easy to group
Pop over
Works well on smartphones
4-12 items
Tab bar
Up to 5 items
One tap
Detailed
Lots of items
Many sub categories
Makes or breaks a site (users want to know the error)
User wants to save time- auto suggest is good for this
User experience
Tap-able areas 44 pixels
Device orientation
Not always connected
Text 13+ pixels
Keyboards
Gestures (no hover)/ interactions
I thought this talk was very interesting as I learnt a lot about designing and making apps. Tim Makin said that you should now basic HTML and Java Script as it will always come in handy. I know the basics as I did A-level ICT so these skills will be practical if I wanted to make a app, when editing my blog and when creating a website.
Make your own Damn Movie!
Jason Devitt
Jason Devitt started off in theatre work, stage and props, moved into computer generated imagery (CGI) work and special effects (SFX) work, plus SFX make up. He then decided to write a screen play for a TV series, which became a series on Sky TV; Vampires which was then re-edited into a move and released on DVD. We was shown a clip of this and was also showed the seconded Vampire movie which is just about to be launched. The session is an insight of independent movie making, the cheats and ways to get things, and a review of all the stages.
Need to have a winning concept- basic concept needs to sell, see what's popular (Thats what distributers want).
Keep it simple, keep it stupid. People want to be entertained.
Make a film for your audience.
Script
Write it- don't read it or correct it until you finished it.
Expect at least three drafts.
Show no one till you're at least finished the first draft.
Reproductions
1. Money, money, money!
Know your filming plan inside out.
Realistic estimate plus some on top. You'll always over-spend x20%
Who to go to: crowd funding, local business and rich family, film funders BFI etc.
Be positive about what your doing.
2. Pitch your idea well.
Use two known successful films/ TV series.
Elevator method- break it down to one sentence that explains the movie.
Who you really need (Key people)
1. The people/ crew.
Director, producer (you- the dictator).
Camera man who is on your wavelength-or do it yourself as you have the vision.
Lighting, sound- sound is the most important thing in the movie.
Runner/ helper/ assistants- perform jobs
Make-up/ hair- Only if you need it, actors can do it their self
Catering- Food
Storyboard artist- Is God! (Could be you)
Essential 1. Locations 2. Back-up locations 3. Back-up plan for actors and weather
Actors 1. How to chose them- Have they got chemistry? Do they fit in? 2. Willingness 3. Punctualitiy 4. Talented
Filming 1. Plan ahead
Shooting schedule (Link scenes that can be done together)
Make sure everyone is early
Set everything up the night before
Turn off mobiles! 2. Legal bits
Contracts are understood and signed
Image release forms (have 100's of spares)
Image release for buildings etc.
Permission to shoot
Insurance (cheap on-line)
Filming 1. Lighting 2. Sound (Most important factor) 3. Storyboards 4. Acting for screen 5. Audience 2ft away 6. Overact technique- Get the actor to act over the top before filming, then tell them not to act when actually filming 6. Minimum of 4 shots, CU, MLS, LS, ES, MS, use depth and be creative 7. 180 degree rule/ thirds rule
Festivals 1. Screeners (Watermark them all) 2. Send the festivals what they need and only enter the relevant ones. Festivals provide (usually free) exposure and possible distributors.
Distributors 1. Get the advice on contracts 2. Internet vs DVD and Blu-ray
Overall I thought this session was really good and I had a lot that I had learned during the session which I can put into practice in my own films and our upcoming short film. Jason Devitt told us about an software for special effects which is free and we can use called Das 3D. We can investigate the software and see if it is ideal to use for our short movie or even or music video. I also got his number so I can contact him for work experience and any other opportunities.
Documentary Production for TV & home video
Anthony Masi Skype Q&A with David Robinson
This session was an overview of documentary production for TV and home video. Our lecturer David Robinson Skyped Anthony Masi who is the owner of MasiMedia LLC. He has produced the horror genre's most successful cinematic television, DVD and Blu-ray retrospectives, including HALLOWEEN: 25 Years of terror, HIS NAME IS JASON: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, THE PSYCHO LEGACY, and STILL SCREAMING: The ultimate Scary movie retrospective.
Anthony Masi also produces independent films, and has written, directed and produced content for the Starz, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Lionsgate, FEARnet, National Cinemedia, the Shout Factory and Mirimax. He got into making films unexpectedly and chose to focus on the horror genre as he is a big horror film fanatic. It began of the 25th anniversary of the HALLOWEEN movies and nothing had been done, so he decide to film a documentary about how it shaped the genre. The documentary came out six years later and that's when he started his company- MasiMedia. Masi told us that making his documentary's are expensive as it cost half a million dollars because actors have to be flown in and to use movie clips in the projects are expensive to use. It costs ten thousand dollars per minute, but it is cheaper to remove the sound and leave the visuals. Each interview takes about half an hour and there is 45 minutes for the documentary plus movie clips, so I lot of editing is used.
Anthony Masi also discussed tips for making documentaries.
Here are the tips:
Lighting- subjects look flattering, a shine under the face always looks good.
Make-up- hire a make-up artist if you can afford it.
Try and interview as many people as you can in a day, if not everyone- it keeps costs down.
Give camera a rest- can burn out.
Get what you need right away.
Tell them to stay the question in the answer and talk slowly.
Edit out erm and like.
Have someone sign the release form before the interview.
Ask questions that aren't listed/ surprise questions.
Don't send the interviewee's clips before the release.
After visiting the MasiMedia website I was able to watch trailers of Masi's work, which I thought was really good and were some of the best documentaries I've ever seen. After the session David Robinson told us about an upcoming opportunity for us to help film a documentary in Liverpool that involves Anthony Masi. I'm really looking forward to helping out with this project and I believe it will be a great opportunity where I will gain experience and network.
Alan Wight is a photographer, who started a business in 1991 as simple conference organisers. The business Cascade has four aspects: event production, meeting support, media and hotels. Cascade's clients include: The National Trust, Iceland Foods, Muller Dairy, Poundland, DWF Solicitors, GAME Stores and many more. He has 25 years of live event experience in the corporate and charity sectors, organising events all over the world for a huge variety of audiences and clients. These include a mass audience of 33,000 computer gamers including liquidation announcements, exhibitions parties with Girls Aloud and taking 900 people to Disney World. Alan Wight spoke to us about 'Production in a Converging World' - how video production , design and live events are all changing and the challenge we face to stay relevant and commercial. He demonstrated how technology had changed from when he founded the business. Some of the examples he gave were: they way people consume media has changed and YouTube has become popular, printing has gone digital, the invention of PowerPoint has enabled people to create digital presentations, better projectors than projector reels and the invention of the iPad, camera and camcorders have gotten better and the invention of Mac's have enabled people to become digitally creative.
I thought Alan Wight's talk very good, it covered all-kind of methods to be creative in a business which I thought was very good. I think he was very good at creative thinking and I really admired that because it is a vital skill that is needed in the creative indusrty and a skill that I have and put into practice on a daily basis. This talk also showed me I can think outside of the box to succeed in my area of study.
Creating Futures Creatively at TAPE Community Music And Film Ltd
Neil Dunsire
Neil Dunsire has a background in the music indusrty as he was part of a published touring band for over five years. He gained experience working in the arts indusrty and with a degree in Music and American Studies. He is now a director at TAPE currently studying at the School of Social Entrepreneurs as part of the Scale Up program and project managed a number of ambitious arts projects and corporate film contracts. This includes work with Waitrose and the Princes Trust which TAPE were finalists in the Arts and Business Awards 2012. The talk by Neil Dunsire had an insight to the workings of a charitable social enterprise -TAPE Community Music & Film Ltd, working in the arts and media and the different opportunities for volunteers, employees and project participants. We watched a clip from the Waitrose and the Princes Trust project which had a £64,000 budget and the Aire Park project which had a £600 budget. TAPE have their own equipment, however I thought the budget for Aire Park was quite expensive for what was produced on the video. I thought the video was very basic and simple for the budget. Also the sound wasn't good as people's voices weren't clear, and people who were being interviewed was looking at the interviewer not the camera. I picked up on these as I learned these techniques at ffresh. However Neil Dunsire said we are welcome to visit TAPE as the studio is run on a community basis and they have employment opportunities. I think it would be good for me to get some work experience therefore I could go to TAPE for some experience.
This was an interactive session looking at working and improving the chances of gaining employment in the media indusrty. The session was hosted by Phil Hirst who initially was a feature writer for a newspaper group, he then joined BBC Radio Merseyside followed by BBC Manchester. He is currently a producer/director of production indie, Planet X Media producing films and TV series for BBC, ITV C4 and Sky.
After the introduction we was handed a sheet, where we had to answer the questions on the sheet.
These are the questions and my answers:
1. Why do I want to work in the media? To peruse a career where I can work and think creatively and create media that other people can which I enjoy doing.
2. What am I good at? I am good at being imaginative, thinking creatively, working as a crew, working technology, being decisive and drawing.
3. What do I want to do? Initially I want to be a music video director, however as I'm constantly leaning and developing new skills and in areas of my study, I might find a new career choice.
4. What have I got to do to succeed? To succeed I must put myself out there and take the opportunities I am given such as work experience. Networking is key and I can do this by going to events and working hard at work placements. I can use social media sites to promote and market myself. I should also research my chosen career to follow the right tracks to getting that career.
I found this to be very interactive and really made me think about my future and why I want to do it.The session then went on to talk about the chances of gaining employment. Here is what was said:
You must be a graduate
The majority of new entrants happen to be graduates
Significant work experience instead of higher education
Once in a media organisation your starting qualifications are largely forgotten
There will be more jobs for graduates in 2013 and those with no degree will struggle to get jobs
You need to study Media Studies
Divided opinion in the industry about the value of such courses
Strong interest by media employers in specialist subject e.g. Science, Languages, Economics, Politics, Engineering
Stronger commitment and passion for the area often shown by non Media Studies students with relevant practical experience
Need practical experience and know the latest technology such as cameras and software
Networking is key, there is less of a risk to employ a person you know through networking
Need to do work experience as companies will think your a burden as they think you won't bring any skills
Working at the BBC
Mostly not a '9-5' job
Wide variety of jobs
Training excellence
Fast moving environment
Good career development
Creative atmosphere
Pride in your job
Fun
What kind of people?
Thorough research of organisation and job
Enthusiasm and passion for the area
Broad general knowledge and curiosity to learn more
Practical work experience
Determination and persistence
Is an opportunity for the BBC to get involved with the wider community; to spot new talent; and to assess an individual's potential. They also play a part in developing the industry's future skills base and diversity.
How I can get in
Top tips:
1. Don't always go for the obvious
2. Make a statement, stand out
3. Be persistent
4. Sell yourself
5. Make them know you are the right choice
"If you demonstrate an interest in us, we'll demonstrate an interest in you"- BBC
Why do you want it and how to make the most of it?
Imagination vs reality- gain an insight into the industry and to learn about different jobs
Learn skills that will make you more attractive to potential employers
Gain confidence
Make a good impression and ask the right questions
Top 5 tips: 1. Make it count- make the effort, put 100% into media course, work experience or project. Work hard and wok 'smart'. 2. Make friends- not what you know but who... now more like it's what you know, can show, and who you know! 3. Make media- short films to hone your skillset and practice them, work with friends/on own, get access to cameras and edit software. Buy if necessary. Watch television! 4. Make your own luck- jobs won't come looking for you, it's Mohamed to the mountain, find out what's happening then target your effort, people, resources. 5. Make it to the finishing post- determination is essential, get used to rejection, pick yourself up and go again. Impresses people. Ask for feedback. Tweak what you do. Learn from mistakes. Refine your message. Then look for the next opening. Have x lines of inquiry out simultaneously.
Overall I really enjoyed this session, as it was more interactive then previous sessions and I learn't a lot in the hour.
Design Studio Overview and Insight (Fashion)
Jane Davies
Jane Davies is a fashion designer with own label, project manager, freelance designer, TV presenter and fashion advisor. She has exhibited Premiere Collections NEC, sold to independents across the UK, orders from 2 department stores, global coverage of collection, large design contracts and job offer from Ungaro. Jane Davies started off studying at Newport Collage of fashion and went on work placements. She then opened her own shop and sold to private clients. She designed children's wear, swimwear and jersey pieces. After her shop getting destroyed she then had to pick herself up from a all-time low and went on to be fashion advisor and became very successful. Jane Davies talked about her experiences in the fashion industry and the challenges she faced and how she overcame any obstacles. I found this session very motivating because she explained how you can get over hard time and how to ease stress, which I found useful because sometimes thing don't go as expected and we have bad days. She taught me to always think positive even when its hard to. She also talked us through some of her collections and what she achieved from them.
Opening Address-What's current in the creative industries?
Sarah Mair Gates
Opening address was the first talk which was introduced by Dr Stuart Cunningham who also gave talk on what's current in the creative industries and Skillset Cymru. Skillset Cymru is the Welsh arm of Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the creative industries. It is also a industry body with funding from government and industry. It works with the indusrty, sector bodies and government departments to ensure that training and education is responsive to sector needs. Skillset Cymru is overseen by an industry National Board for Wales made up of independent production companies, broadcasters, trade associations, unions, sector support organisations and Skillset support organisations. I thought it was interesting to learn about what's current in the industry at the moment because I need to know all about the indusrty when apply for jobs so I know what's good and bad.
Sarah Mair Gated who was from Creative and Cultural Skills and a representative from Creative Skills Cymru, gave a talk about Creative and Cultural Skills. I learn't that they are a Sector Skills Council for: performing arts, visual arts, craft, design cultural heritage, music and literature. They do research, development of national occupational standards, apprenticeships, careers information and events, national skills academy and industry relevant training.
Key Note address- Painting over the cracks
Professor Paul Haywood
The next talk was by Professor Paul Haywood, who I thought was an excellent speaker as he really tried to connect with the audience and engage us in his talk. However I didn't really find his talk too relevant to my course but it was interesting that he touched on media city in Salford and the re-branding of Salford. I found media city an interesting topic, because it is goal was to become a leading international hub for the creative and digital sectors. It is a vibrant place to work and live and also the new home for the BBC, ITV, Coronation Street, SIS, University of Salford, Lowry Outlet Shopping and over 80 small businesses.I think this part of the talk was relevant to me because my course is media-based and also I have visited Salford keys and seen media city on a Geography re-branding trip. Much of Paul Haywood's talk was more art based but I still found the talk interesting.
'How not to be a designer!'
Robert Ball
Although I found this talk was more targeted to deign and graphic students, I got some good information on how to create a good portfolio. Robert Ball shared his experiences in the industry how he made it into the industry and what not to do when your in the industry. He told us to keep our portfolio simple, and it shouldn't take long to load and leave your best work to the second page but put your other good work on the first, like a sandwich. Also don't include any idea or roughs in the portfolio but keep them separate and handy include they want to look at them. And of course your portfolio should be well presented. I thought these tips were useful. Other advice that Ball included was to enter student award because it helps get you a job, always work hard in an placement as it could be rewarding at the end of it, ask for help from others and try to avoid getting inspiration from the internet Instead go out and find something without the use of internet sites such as Tumblr.
To Imagine, to create, to Learn
Yann Seznec
The last talk of the day was To Image, To Create, To Learn by Yann Seznec from a company called Lucky Frame. Yann Seznec had appeared on Dragons Den pitching his idea of a Wii remote sound loop, but was unsuccessful. Yann came across to be very interested in his own work that you could tell he was really passionate abou, which was important because in the creative industry you have to come across as passionate and enthusiastic. Seznec also showed us some of his work including: mushroom spurs that included a laser and he spurs triggered instruments to play, gelkies which are chips and components in jars and also the weather cage in Bangor. He then went on to talk about interaction and interface and how he used interaction and interface on children in Scotland in a workshop with coloured paper as part of a music game. Seznec finished off by going through the apps Lucky Frame has created. The apps that have been created were games about creating sound: Bad holet, wave trip and mujek.
Pink Floyd's The Wall was the most intriguing and imaginative albums in the history of the rock genre, released in 1797. Not only did they produce a music video for The Wall but also a British live-action/animated musical film was made which featured each song off the album in 1982. The film was directed by Alan Parker and the screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters. There is little dialogue in the film as the film is mostly driven by Pink Floyd's music, but it is rich in symbolic imagery and sound. In total the film contains fifteen minutes of animation by Gerald Scarfe who is an illustrator and known as an political cartoonist.
The Wall analysis.com has a complete detailed analysis of every song on the album which was featured in the film. I found this website very useful as I found the narrative a bit confusing in places so I could carry out research to see the artist intentions and meaning to the song and how it is represented in the film. http://www.thewallanalysis.com/main/
The narrative follows Pink Floyd from a young child in post-World War II England to a self-imposed isolation as a world famous rock star, leading to a climax where he an emotional breakdown and a destructive time. I found the narrative to be quite confusing and didn't understand it when I watched it. After watching the film and a discussion with friends who I watched it with, we all had different interpretations of what was happening in the film. I also didn't find the narrative too exciting and instead I found it dull and grim. I wasn't too keen on the animation even though it thought it was clever how it changed from live action to animation in shots and how it was symbolic. However I did like the visuals in the film as they were very unique at the time the film came out which for me was one of the best aspects of the film.
Overall I think the film was good at the time when it was released but today I don't think it was that that good as technology has moved on. I didn't like the film but I thought it was revolutionary to have a music video for The Wall as well as a film that features every song of the album. Its a great idea to publicise the band and it's songs. However I'm not sure I this could be achieved today as there is much more artists out there and to achieve this the artist would have to have a large audience and is very well known. It would be nice to see this in the industry today and I know that some artists have had a movie about their self such as Katy Perry: Part Of Me and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.
I also know a Korean artist who have released three music videos for a song, for example T-ara. T-ara released three music video's for their song Day By Day which was released in 2012. There was a dance version, where all members dance choreographed moves for their song, and two drama versions, which also feature other songs off the Day By Day album. I really liked the drama versions I though they were a good idea and different to having just one music video. However it is not the first time T-ara have had more than one music video for their songs.
Originally the promgramme was going to be hosted by Nik Powel, who co-founded Virgin records with Richard Branson but had to cancel to fly out to LA for the Oscars. Instead Chris Auty stepped in for Nik's absence.
Chris Auty started his professional career as a film journalist,
running the film department of Time Out. From 1984-85 he was European
Editor of The Hollywood Reporter. In 1991–99, he was Managing Director of Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded
Picture Company and served as a producer on several of its films. In 1999, he became a founding Board Member of the UK Film Council (The governing body responsible for all public funding of film in the UK). From 1999, Chris Auty became CEO of the Virgin-backed Film
Consortium. In October 2001 Chris became Chief Executive of the group incorporating The Film Consortium- The Works Media Group plc (an AIM-listed company). Under his leadership
the company developed its international rights business, and in 2005
successfully launched a new UK distribution subsidiary, which secured a home entertainment output deal with Universal
Pictures UK which has released over 30 films to date. He is currently leading the Producing department at the NFTS
which offers a diploma in entrepreneurial, that covers the fields
of television, film, theater, music, publishing, games and online
entertainment taught by executives from each industry.
In the session Chris Auty talked through what a producer is, why be a producer, how to become a producer and his experiences in the industry. I found Auty's talk very beneficial because I was able to gain an insight to what being a producer does and the work it evolves as I didn't know what a producer was before attending this session. Also he gave out information on NFTS London (National Film and Television School) which I didn't know anything about and didn't know it existed. His talk about this prompted me to carry out my own research on the school and see what master courses they do. I visited the website and had a look at what courses they offer, I'm not sure which course I'm interested in yet but its an option in keeping open for after I finish university. http://nftsfilm-tv.ac.uk/
Chris Auty explained what is a producer? He describes a producer as a ring-master or ring-mistress who finances the film. The producer is also involved with the script, director and casting of the film. This was useful information for me as I didn't know what a directors was. After that he explains why you would want to be a producer. He says that it can be fun but at the same time it s intellectuality simulating as you have massive local engagement with places. Also by being a producer you get a sense of achievement and pride when finished, relationship with artists and you get to experience an incredible journey. Auty made the benefits of being a producer very rewarding and persuading. Next he explained how to become a producer and a better way to become one than how he got to become a producer, which was by being a film critic. He advised to go to film school (NFTS) and study there. Again I found this advice useful as he recommended going to film school if your thinking about having a career in the film industry and I hadn't come across film school until he mentioned it. Auty finished off by recommending films that show making a film. The films he suggested for us to watch was Get Shorty and Cock And Bull Story. I think I should watch these films as I'd like an insight on what its like to make a film in the industry and it would benefit me when I cone to make my own films.
The insiders: How To Get Ahead in TV
The insiders: How To Get Ahead in TV was all about how to get your foot in the door in the TV sector. In the session the answer to the question of how to get ahead in TV is answered by a panel of experienced industry professionals, the speakers include Laura Cotton (Script and development editor, Becoming Human), Eryl Phillips (Producer, Rondo Media) and Nick Goding (Producer, Shameless and Trolliled).Although I'm not too interested in TV unlike film I thought it would be be a good idea to attend because the industries are quite similar in some aspects and therefore I could learn something.
The session started off by the panel discussing how TV has changed as on-demand services have changed how we consume media and is beginning to change traditional methods. The genre of programmes on TV are also changing and its seems that reality TV is killing TV dramas. This was interesting to listen to as I had looked at this in depth for my A2 level media and I felt conformable with what they were discussing because I have good knowledge of this topic.
They then went on to discuss what you need to be successful in the industry. They emphasized that in the industry they look for people with huge amount of enthusiasm, hard working, multi-skilled, those who take opportunities, has experience in different areas be a team player, have a bunch of contacts and is good at networking. All theses points are something for me to take on-board in the next few years. I will defiantly be looking out for opportunities such as entering festivals and for work experience on sets either TV or film and get involved in more than one area as I think it would show how enthusiastic I am and I've got experience in different areas. The panel also discussed, what makes a better director? They said that a better director is sympathetic with all areas of departments. Again some how has experience in all departments not just one area of a department. They also said someone who is willing to learn more or doesn't know how to do something and achieves it in a new way, which is better than the traditional way and that way then moves the industry forward. This tells me that I should always be on the look out on how to create something in a better way. Finally they suggested ways that would be good to start off in the industry and an idea route. They began by saying to follow your heart and your interests is a good idea. They believe that studding a creative degree i.e a creative media degree as you learn how to use equipment, a chance to learn and play, learn how to work with actors, create a name for yourself on other platforms,to understand the academic skills and also university will give you maturity that other people who haven't gone to university don't have because you have learn't to live on your own. After hearing this I believe that I am on the right path to start off in the industry because I am at university and doing a range of the points made in this speech. Terror in 20 seconds!
Terror in 20 seconds! was a competition by ffresh to attempt to make the scariest short film ever. Filmmakers we asked to submit an idea for an original horror short film as well an 20 seconds clip that gives the audience a flavor of what to expect. In the programme we attended the shortlisted films were screened where five filmmakers were invited to give a 5 minute presentation about their ideas in front of a panel of horror experts who had to make an decision of who will win and receive £500 towards making their full film. The panel of experts includes Jason Davitt (Artist, Screenwriter, Director, Editor), Gareth Bailey (Founder and director of Abertoir Horror Festival) and Nia Edwards- Behi (Assistant director of the Abertoir Horror Festival and contributing writer to Brutal as Hell). I thought attending this session will help me with creating horror, tension and suspense in my short film that I will have to make as part of my current assignment.
The first film to be shown was Talent Show 58 by Nathan Moore, about a nightmarish talent show.The film was in black and white and was quite abstract which was influenced by David Linch. Although I found the clip scary in one place and made me jump this wasn't my favourite clip of the session because I didn't find the narrative too interesting.
The second 20 second clip was Hollow by Karl Rees and Laura Vanstone, which was about a girl finding broken dolls. I liked this clip the best out of all of the others, as I thought the narrative was interesting and I was curious to see why the dolls were there and why was the girl finding them. I liked the props and mise en sene for the clip I thought it was effective and worked well with the genre. As I didn't see the awards show finale I didn't know which one won so I looked on the ffresh website and saw Hollow had won, so I was pleased that they will be getting the £500 to make their original horror film idea about an abandoned building with a dark past.I posted the 20 seconds clip for Hollow below.
Textual harassment by Jarrad Owens was the third clip to be shown which is about digital stalking that puts the viewer in the middle of the action. It was influenced by reality as the filmmaker suffered from a similar situation. The full length film would be good because it could be used for bulling campaigns and raise awareness of this sort of theme.
After that the next clip to be shown was Bethany by Victoria Rodway based on her idea about a flesh eating plant that gives eternal youth in return. The filmmaker expressed that the influence for the film was from fairytales such as Snow White and Cinderella and features post-femmine body horror. I found this clip used some good special effects that added production values to the clip. I thought the clip was fascinating to watch because of the special effects.
The last clip to be shown was The Butcher by Tom Dolby and Rhys Davies. The film is based on a butcher whose prize winning sausages contains meat from an unsavory source, humans. I quite liked this idea because its different and has an inventive narrative. I like how its quite sinister and relates to the current horsemeat scandal in the media as it shows this is a quite realistic film.
New Welsh Talent
New Welsh Talent was a talk from three of Wales' most promising directors, who talked about their recent work. Jamie Adams was there to has worked in a variety of roles from editor to producer. He has just completed work on his feature debut Jolene:The Indie Folk Star Movie starring Craig Roberts and Fresh Meat’s Charlotte Ritchie. London Film School graduate Hefin Rees cut his teeth on a series of short films including Beached, before directing Gwaith Cartref for Fiction Factory and Teulu for Boomerang. Finally Ryan Andrews appeared onto the UK film scene last year with his feature debut Elfie Hopkins which prompted numerous journalists to note that Ryan was a talent to watch out for. I found this session very interesting and I got a lot of it as I'm quite interested in producing music videos and one of the guys talked about his experiences of creating music videos and thing I could do to get started in the industry. The speakers expressed like many people have in ffresh that you need to work as a team and not on your own in the industry as you can bring more ideas together and team work. By doing this you can meet new people and friends which will allow you to network and bring loyalty so you can work with these people again and give you opportunities in the future. Many Poole don't like sharing their ideas, however to succeed in the industry you should learn to share ideas and accept ideas of people, which will help create a good dp and writers. They also said that social networking is key for you to establish yourself. Twitter is a good place to start as you can build a brand for yourself and create your style. I didn't know this but I have good knowledge on how to use Twitter but now I know I can use this to advertise myself and get myself out there in the industry. I thought that it was very useful to know this. I learn't that you and represent yourself by getting an agent who is great for people in the TV and film industry or by a production house who is for music videos and adverts. Again I didn't know this and now knowing production houses specialise in music videos this is handy for me to know in the future when I'm trying to make it in the industry after university.They said if your looking to get into the music video industry then I should shoot loads of music videos as this will help me develop my own style and I should put these on my show-reel My show-reel would be important because I need a good one as I will show this when I go to interviews and employers would rather look at this than a CV. I learn't that if I was wanting to go into the music video industry then I should have a visual show-reel that is around 2 minutes long. This way employers can view it in their spare time and should be able to play one tablet, laptops or mobile devices so its easy for them to access. Finally the speakers went on to say that you have to grapth and it takes time to establish yourself and get where you want to be in the industry especially in TV. You should be humble to the task and perform jobs the best you can. The session ended with this quote "If anyone knows how the industry works, then their lying". I think this quote is right as its hard to get into the industry and if this wasn't hard then people would know how to get into the industry easily. Overall I found this session very beneficial to me and my future because I hardly knew anything about the music industry and I felt that I learned a lot. It's My Shout
It's my shout is an award scheme that takes place each year, where trainees involved with the “It’s My Shout” Film/TV training scheme get free training as Actors, Set/ Costume Designers, Camera/Sound Technicians, Hair/Make-Up Artists, Grips, Assistant Directors, Production co-ordinators, Construction craft persons, Chaperones/Drivers and Runners and more. This training, provided on location alongside film professionals, gives individuals a step onto the ladder of the film/ TV/ Media industry and because all of the films they work on are commissioned and supported by industry companies, everyone involved have a broadcast quality film for their CVs or show reels at the end of production. This year is the 10th anniversary and in the session at ffresh we watched this years It's My Shout films. We watched six films called, Fetch, Dragon Chasers, Buddha Boy, Walk Or Fly, Telling Tales and The Mob. I thought all the films were very and they was commissioned by BBC Wales which I thought was significant because the BBC is big in the industry. After the session I had a chat with Victoria who was at the session and from It's My Shout. I asked her how to get involved as was interested to get experience in an department and network with new people and earn BBC credit. She gave us a business card and recommended that we go to the It's My Shout website to apply. Victoria also suggested that I should apply to be a assistant director after explaining a bit about myself. I think it would defiantly worth while applying and I am going to apply.
Overall I found ffresh very beneficial to me as most of the sessions related to my course and gave me plenty of advice for the future and how I can get started in the industry. I found the days inspiring and very interesting I will defiantly be attending next years ffresh festival.
