UNIT 1A

UNIT 1A - Identify and Plan an Arts Challenge.

For my arts challenge I will be working within a team to make a short film as part of the BFI network course I was enrolled upon. I have been given the role of Director, and below I have identified what I think will be my strengths and weaknesses in this role.  I have also outlined the details of the challenge and a short action plan.

I want to achieve the Silver Arts Award with the BFI to help to make my application to University stand out.  I am applying to study Film Making and I think the Silver Arts Award will help to demonstrate a greater understanding of the film making process and more developed skills.

My Strengths:

1.     My first strength is that I enjoy a challenge of holding a position of authority;

The Director role is one where you have to lead, organise, and direct a full film crew so that everyone works together to create a high quality finished product.

2.     My next strength would be my communication skills, I believe I am able to put my points across clearly, but also I know when to listen to others;

A Director needs to utilise clear communication so that all member of the crew know exactly what needs to be done.  The Director needs to communicate their vision for how the film will be when all the work is done.

3.     I feel I am a creative person;

I have had some previous experience of making a film, and I am able to picture what the end product will look like.  This will be helpful for when we are handing the clips to the editor for post production.

4.     Another strength is my decisiveness;

A Director needs the ability to be able to make the right decision for a particular situation, quickly and effectively.

5.     I think a strength that I would definitely try to pass on to others in my group will be my drive and ambition;

I am enthusiastic about the challenge, and am prepared to do whatever it takes to make the best possible short film.

6.     I believe that I can work well under pressure;

A Director needs to remain calm and focussed, even when the pressure builds as tight deadlines are approaching.  I will be able to make sure that everything is completed in the time given to us.

7.     Finally, I am open minded, and open to the ideas of others;

This is very important as many great ideas will come from everyone in the group during filming day and I believe it is important to listen to everyone's input.  The Director should not be the only person providing the ideas, but they should make the final decision on which idea will be the best.   

My Weaknesses:

1.     I recognise that my organisational skills could be stronger;

I think I am more suited to the role of director than, for example, the role of First AD (Assistant Director) who definitely needs to be well organised. I enjoy being able to think quickly, and resolve issues as they arise.  I am not as good at stopping potential issues in advance, but I will try to improve this throughout the challenge.

2.     My second identified weakness would be my ability to multi-task;

I prefer to give all of my attention to a specific matter, rather than having to divide my attention over lots of different matters simultaneously.  When we are shooting a scene, this could mean that I would only be focussing on the acting, whereas I should also need to be paying attention to the lighting, the scenery, the sound, etc.

3.     Finally, it is a weakness that I lack some deep subject knowledge - particularly concerning screenwriting and narrative;

I am working on this, but it is mainly due to the fact that I am a very visual person, and find it difficult to set up shots without the help of a good storyboard or with an experienced First AD to assist me.

The Challenge:

The challenge is to create a short film, by working together as a film crew, under supervision from BFI staff and with instruction from industry professionals.  

I attended the BFI course because I wanted to become more specialised in film and to find a role that was suited to me.  I also wanted the chance to work with high quality, industry level equipment that is hard to come by for beginner filmmakers. I want work as part of a cohesive team of people I've never met before but who are also as interested in filmmaking as I am.  

We have been given a screenplay titled 'The Times have Changed' written by Robert Wright.  My individual challenge is to fulfil the role of Director, to oversee the artistic and dramatic aspects of the project and to and visualise the screenplay and storyboard - and help to steer the crew to making the film as good as possibly can be.

Finally, I want to attain the Silver Arts Award, a Level 2 qualification open to people aged 11 to 25.  The Silver Arts Award is based around creating a portfolio. 

The Action Plan:

Here are the steps I planned to take in order to complete the Silver Arts Award:

• FIND A CHALLENGE:  I first heard about the BFI film academy from my Media Studies teacher at Hampton College sixth form - in Peterborough. My teacher had never thought about informing students about this opportunity before as the course is based in Cambridge (which is a 1 hour train journey from where I live).  However, when my film was shortlisted by the 2017 MediaMag Film Award, and was screened at the Southbank in Lindon, he suggested the BFI film academy course to me to expand my media knowledge and skills. 

• APPLY TO THE COURSE:  My journey started by completing the application to the course, which I did in my spare time out of school.  I sent my finished application to the people that run the course, and was invited for an interview at the Picture House Cinema in Cambridge.  On the 12th of October I attended my interview which went very well as I felt confident was able to show that I would be very engaged and have a strong passion the film making to the course leaders.

• ATTEND THE COURSE:  During the 21st - 29th Oct 2017 half term break I attended the British Film Academy (BFI) network course at Long Road 6th form college travelling by myself on the train each day.  We learnt how to work together as a team to make a short film, with great instruction from staff and industry professionals.

• SHOOT THE FILM:  Towards the end of the course we shot the film on location in Cambridge - this was a great experience for me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

• SCREEN THE FILM:  The finished film was put together by the editor, and was eventually screened on the 29th November 2017 at the Cambridge Arts Picture House cinema to a small audience.  I really enjoyed seeing how all of our hard work had paid off, and the end product looked very professional.

• EVALUATE THE PROJECT:  Directly after the screening, our crew was invited to the front of the cinema to be involved in a short question and answer session.  We were asked to explain our roles, and what we had learnt as part of the process.  This blog documents my experience gained whilst completing the BFI course and making the film - it will be used towards gaining my Silver Arts Award.