2.3 Potential progression routes into the film industry and wider sector

In terms of specialist areas, I would ideally love to woke predominantly as a writer/director as I feel that my strengths lie in the conceptual area of film-making – creating stories and characters. I subsequently enjoy the experience of physically being on set, collaborating with everyone else to create the visual language of the film.

Studying creative media in the future is definitely an option I’m considering. I’ve been doing some research into various different schools and found several courses that could be of interest; Falmouth University has various different courses on film production and has a school of writing. The National Film and Television School also has several courses that revolve around directing drama. Whilst I do intend to keep my options open, I would personally prefer to learn through experience.

Although I would really like to work in film production for a living, I think starting as an independent filmmaker seems the more realistic and logical choice. With YouTube and Vimeo being such popular and accessible distribution platforms, creating my own content with the intention of realising it on the internet seems a sensible option. Hopefully, the BFI Academy and other similar opportunities will leave me with a good network of friends that I can collaborate with to create short films, music videos, maybe even features.

Considering the fact that I’m most comfortable with prose and scripted narratives, I would love to make fictional short films. Keeping in mind the films that inspire me, they would have to not only be in the drama/comedy genre but also have a science fiction or fantastical element to them. However, whilst these are the breeds of story I feel I am the most comfortable with telling, I want to challenge myself as a filmmaker and so I may very well branch out into different genres and experiment.

Since I am more invested in being an independent filmmaker, funding would be difficult to come by. However, after doing some research, I have found that there are many different options available when it comes to getting money for a project such as crowdfunding, film grants or just saving money and paying for it yourself. In terms of distribution, as mentioned previously, the internet seems to be the most logical choice considering it’s accessibility and popularity as a platform. I may also consider applying for film festivals.

There are a few other opportunities available that seem really great. The NFTS residential specifically is a really intriguing prospect and appears to be the logical next step after I finish the BFI course. I may also consider looking for some sort of entry level work just to get some experience on a set. Whilst doing that, I’ll simply continue to make films and challenge and stretch myself.

Group Research