Day One
Film-making with Michael Lennox
On Tuesday I got the chance to partake in a three hour master class learning about Film Making. Michael Lennox was leading the Masterclass. This was a really amazing opportunity for me as Michael is a very well known local film maker and is a recent graduate of the National Film & Television School. He has directed a number of short films to date, a number of which have been screened worldwide and received award recognition. Michael was currently back in N.I working on his first feature film Patch of Fog which is scheduled to begin filming this Autumn.
Firstly he held a discussion with everyone, just giving advice for improving ourselves in the Film industry. He said whenever he was in Northern Ireland he took advantage of every single opportunity to learn more about the industry and participated in as many Cinemagic master classes as humanly possible! He explained that by doing this it allowed him to really decide what he wanted (or really didn't want) to do in the film industry. This is some advice I would definitely translate to my own experience as I'm still currently unsure about what I want to do. He said a useful resource for us would be N.I Screen, as they are the company that give funding to up and coming film makers in N.I. We then continued by watching some of his short films; 'Boogaloo and Graham' and 'The back and beyond'. Two very different but original and brilliant short films. We were able to ask questions about the filming and production of the films and overall Michael gave a very informative and interesting talk and I definitely came away from the session with a lot of ideas for my own short films.
Day two
Terry Bamber
Terry has worked on many well known films as a production manager and an A.D such as World War Z, Indiana Jones, Luther, Lara Croft:Tomb Raider and 101 Dalmatians. He was truly a genuine, hilarious and inspirational person. He focused mostly on the work ethic of working in the film industry and gave us some brilliant advice. He gave us so many motivational quotes I decided to make a list!
Terry Bamber Quotes
- 'Pursue with all your heart and determination'
- 'Don't believe that if you haven't achieved your original goal you are a failure'
- 'Never be worried about making yourself look a fool'
- 'always show genuine appreciation of other people's work'
- ' Be a leader, not a boss'
- 'Always be honest, deliver more than you promise but never promise more than you can deliver'
- 'Never be afraid to say sorry'
- 'No one is irreplaceable'
- 'Every long journey starts with a small step'
I walked out of Terry's master-class feeling very inspired to try me best to make a career for myself in this industry and armed with lots of new advice; always look for a script and suitable location for filming first, pay attention to every small detail of work, don't ever let work/stress get on top of you, don't let people exploit you- never work more than five days for free, always have a good phone manner, keep on top of risk assessments.
Some handbooks he recommended for developing our knowledge of film were; 'The complete film production' by Eve Light Honthaner, '\my magic carpet' by Micky Moore.
Day 3
Film Production with Gareth Ellis-Unwin and Jessica Mallik
Gareth Ellis-Unwin is an Academy Award and BAFTA winning Producer. After winning a BAFTA nomination and both a Spirit and Dinard award for his first film Exam, Gareth went on to produce the critically acclaimed The King's Speech. The record breaking film picked up the TIFF Audience award, 7 BAFTAs including both Outstanding British Film and Best Film and 4 Academy Awards, including Best Film. The film went on to become the highest grossing British independent film of all time.
In 2010, former sales agent, Jessica Malik partnered with Jessica Parker to form Pari Passu Films. Her most recent credits as Producer or Executive Producer include Zaytoun, Ghosted and Estranged as well as having a number of films in development including FEST with the BFI and Women in Temptation with Bedlam Productions. In her previous guise, Jessica Malik handled international sales on many feature films including the box office smash The Woman in Black, multiple Academy Award winning Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, Paul McGuigan’s Lucky Number Slevin, Peter Howitt’s Sliding Doors, Matt Reeves US DVD chart topping Let Me In, multiple Academy Award nominee Peter Weir’s The Way Back and numerous other films with budgets ranging from $5m-$40m.
Jessica and Gareth explained to us the break down of making all films;
- First development takes place, you have to find a way to release an overview, finance the film, find a target audience and secure the rights of the film.
- The concept of the film then needs to be established, cost needs to be discussed and devising a budget.
- A script-writer is then employed to write a script and a director is contacted. The concept for the film is pitched to possible funders (Creative England, BFI, Channel 4, Fox, pararmount ect.)
- The film can either be independent or taken up by a Film Studio.
Jessica and Gareth wanted to emphasise how preparation and pre-production is key in film-making. We all watched a clip from a film Gareth had just worked as an Executive Producer on 'Kajaki', a modern British War Film based on a true story, that is due to be released in November 2014 to coincide with Remembrance Day. The film was filmed in a hot climate and he wanted us to spot any potential problems there was on set, which we could then relate back to making our own films. Some of the problems were the language barrier, health and safety with the animals present on set, the heat and local religion and sensitivities. This exercise showed us that preparation and solving potential problems before they happen are key when making a film.
Gareth also brought his Academy Award with him and I GOT TO GET A SELFIE WITH IT! HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE!
Day 4
Leon McGeown-Fee
Leon McGeown-Fee is a Northern Ireland based Production Manager who's credits include: Dani's Castle series 1 & 3, Sesame Tree, The David Meade Project, The Greatest Knight, James May's Head Squeeze and the Irish leg of Amazing Race for the US network CBS. Leon has also worked as 2nd Assistant Director on Blandings and the Furchester Hotel. Leon's most high profile PM credit was on production for global superstar Rihanna's We Found Love video, shot on location in Belfast in 2012.
I really enjoyed all the master-classes but I think Leon's was definitely the most informative for me. She talked about the importance of being proactive with your life and career path and gave us brilliant advice for tailoring our CV's to the job we were applying to. She explained how first impressions matter when it comes to working in the film industry and we should always present ourselves in a professional way and with the right attitude as those were qualities people would remember.
She gave us useful links for looking for jobs in the industry;
-Knowledge and Kays
-N.I screen
-Linked In
-Screen International
-IMDB
-Dairy Service
- Northern Visions
Some advice she gave us for our CV's was to keep the CV to one page and make sure it was clean and easy to read. If it was possible she said to print our CV on coloured paper to make it stand out. She also said to mention if we had our own car / driving licence, and if we had done a first aid/ lifesaving course. I also found out I could include my acting experience on my CV as all those sort of skills are relevant to the film industry.
She gave us interview advice also, she advised us to look up the person interviewing us first to find out any interesting projects they're working on, to dress smart but casually, to always be 10 minutes early, bring a clean copy of your CV, have a notebook, ask a few questions; about the film, responsibilities and the duration of filming. She also made it clear to NEVER ask the rate of pay when at an interview.
Overall I had an amazing time at the Cinemagic Master-classes and I learnt so much! I got the chance to meet lots of new and interesting people and develop my knowledge and skills for making my own short films. It was an amazing opportunity to get a key insight into all the different roles in the film industry!
