I always knew that earning a degree was something I wanted to achieve for myself. My mindset has always been study what you love and then if you are lucky enough you will give yourself the best possible start to obtain something that might eventually pass as a career. In my mind I was working in Morrisons before, and would be during University, so the acceptance that I still would be post graduation was an easy pill to swallow. The reward, for me, has always been in the journey.
My first year at Middlesex University was a big learning curve. I knew I loved film but was unsure of which direction to take. Unsure, I focused my energy on my theoretical modules which I found engaging. Analysing and dissecting film, media and culture via theorists such as Richard Dyer and Susan Sontag set the ground work for my development over the next few years, informing my essays and understanding of context. I found tutorials regarding referencing invaluable along with camera and lighting workshops. If I had known at the time there were several other workshops available I would have signed up. This is an issue I brought up later in the year when I became a Student Representative. Twice annually the media departments hold a meeting where students, lecturers, heads of department discuss the successes and failures of each course and module. I feel this is an important process to create a dialogue, even if the progress is slow, at least we are being given a platform to have a voice.
My first year at Middlesex University was a big learning curve. I knew I loved film but was unsure of which direction to take. Unsure, I focused my energy on my theoretical modules which I found engaging. Analysing and dissecting film, media and culture via theorists such as Richard Dyer and Susan Sontag set the ground work for my development over the next few years, informing my essays and understanding of context. I found tutorials regarding referencing invaluable along with camera and lighting workshops. If I had known at the time there were several other workshops available I would have signed up. This is an issue I brought up later in the year when I became a Student Representative. Twice annually the media departments hold a meeting where students, lecturers, heads of department discuss the successes and failures of each course and module. I feel this is an important process to create a dialogue, even if the progress is slow, at least we are being given a platform to have a voice.
Year one module in particular had a strong effect on me. MCS1000 asked us to create a campaign to raise awareness about an issue we felt passionate about. This project greatly informed me as a designer, producer and team member. It also brought to the forefront my social conscience which since then has been an element that informs my work as a filmmaker. Our campaign was called alt ctrl del and our mission statement reads as follows;
"We are altctrldel. We believe that people require honest information to help them eat healthily. We know that with impartial, accurate and uncomplicated facts the general public will become more food conscience which will lead to increased personal health and a decline in illness. We deliver our message through the simple concept of alt, ctrl and delete,
- alt = alternate your food
- ctrl = control your portions
- del= delete the bad stuff
These steps allow change through the education of individuals by individuals."
Initially I was just the graphic designer for marketing materials but as I began to see a lack of motivation within my team I took a more prominent role within my group. As a self appointed producer I began gathering peoples contributions and chasing up others that were behind. I learn the hard way to choose your teammates carefully as we barely scraped by in the module, when in reality our campaign was very straight forward. Having an opportunity to prove myself as a designer and having my peers like my creations gave me confidence in my work. Even though I was occasionally annoying and rude to my teammates under those circumstances, I've learnt the lesson that this was not the best way to get people to do what you want. During that project I found I enjoyed the role of producer, which is something I would gain more experience of within a different module.
That year MDA1916 was my only module that allowed me to gain experience in filmmaking. I found my course was generally very heavy on the theory which, at the time, suited my lack of confidence with the practical elements. Naturally I played to my strengths when perhaps I should have actively pursued projects that would have given me the new experiences I wanted. Within this module our brief was to, in groups, make a 2min film with only diegetic sounds no dialogue. My role within the group was as the producer which I found challenging because of creative differences with the director who had elaborate ideas, which we had no budget to fund. I'm very sure Directors and Producers generally disagree about most things so this didn't bother me too much, all I was concerned about was getting the film made. I remember on the day of our shoot the director was a no show so me and the editor between us co-directed most of the short. Sometimes peoples priorities are not the same so you have to do what you can do get a job done. Luckily for our second shoot day our director was present and liked our style, continuing to listen to our input throughout.
As my first short as a producer/director, with Tick Tock, I felt like I'd found an avenue that I really enjoyed. A nurturing, collaborative and creative space worked well for me and my team during that shoot and is now the way I work best when filming. At the time my film and media studies over other modules were informing my knowledge and creativity daily so the next obvious step was to put those theories into practice during the upcoming year. And that's what I did.
- Representing and voicing concerns of others at Student Representative meetings.
- Applying the rules of referencing to my essays.
- Developing an understanding of how to critique cinema.
- Processing the basics of film theory and applying them to my own work.
- Discovering a film shoot is best when a well oiled machine.
- Viewing directors as auteurs and broadening my film experiences.
- Agreeing to disagree with others, whilst being respectful and working towards a compromise to get a job done.
