From coursework to the big screen: Frank’s film festival experience
Film and TV student Frank shares how a second-year project at LSBU became Muse, a short film nominated for two awards at the London Art Film Awards. He reflects on working as part of a creative team, seeing their work recognised and how the experience has inspired him to take his filmmaking ambitions further.
Can you tell us about the film festival you recently took part in and the film you were involved in? What was the festival about, what was your role, and how was LSBU involved in the opportunity?
The film festival we took part in was the London Art Film Awards, this is an annual film festival based in London and highlights film excellence from around the world. Muse was nominated for Best Student Fiction Film as well as Best Supporting Actor. The film was written by Emma Sidwell and directed by Jacob Perry. My role was editor / colourist but I also helped support other departments during production. The film was made for my ‘Fiction Film’ module in my second year at LSBU. The brief was to make 6-7 minute film of any genre / topic so we had quite a lot of creative freedom, which allowed us to experiment quite a bit and often go out of our comfort zones to produce something amazing. Muse is a psychological drama about a relationship that throughout the film crumbles as the girlfriend wanted to create the perfect image of her ideal partner. In the end, when she’s finished with her “project” she murders him in his sleep.
What made you choose to study Film and TV at LSBU? Were there particular aspects of the course, facilities or industry connections that stood out to you?
I’ve studied Film and TV for a few years now at college in Manchester and for a year at a different university in Manchester but I always knew I wanted to be in London. When researching different options I eventually decided on LSBU because the course sounded the best out of all the others, as well as this it’s in the heart of London and has great connections to the British Film Institute. The different pathways definitely solidified it for me as I wanted to focus on editing and being able to do that here is perfect for me as it allows me to expand my knowledge and experience in post-production.
Before joining LSBU, what experience or ambitions did you have in film and television? How has your journey developed since starting the course, and what would you say has been your biggest achievement so far?
Before LSBU I studied Media at GCSE level which allowed me to go onto Film and TV at UTC@MediaCityUK in Salford. After this, I continued these studies at Screen and Film School Manchester for a year before eventually deciding to change and move to LSBU. I always knew I wanted to get into filmmaking from a young age and being at LSBU is helping so much with achieving that goal. In my first year I had a Documentary Practice’ module which I kind of took advantage of to make a film I’d been wanting to make for a number of years. We had to make a 5-minute documentary about whatever topic we wanted and I pitched mine on a Manchester based collective I was a part of at the time called ‘dogworld’. When mine got chosen to be made, I went back up north and spent just over a week there filming everything I could. I then went on to turn that into a 2-hour observational documentary titled ‘dog eat dog world’ that was a huge success. I even made and sold out a DVD copy of the film with bonus features and everything, which is something I’d never imagined me doing in my first year at LSBU. Over a year later people still recognise me from that film and tell me how much they loved it so I’m extremely grateful for LSBU for that opportunity.
How has your course helped you develop the practical skills and industry experience needed to pursue a career in film and television? Are there any particular projects, assignments or experiences that have made a difference?
My course has helped me in so many ways with practical skills and industry experience from the various modules it offered. One that really helped was ‘Professional Employability’ which helped me understand how to get access to the industry and get roles on set with professionals. I worked on a short film set with director Max Clendaniel on his film ‘Dummy’ which was such a fun and informative time as I got to see a professional shoot and workflow and even made connections with opportunities to work on his films more. As well as this, other modules allowed me to learn how to use and understand different cameras and how to get the best image when shooting which was perfect for me because I hadn’t used many of the cameras they have to offer.
How has taking part in the film festival helped you progress towards your career goals? Has it given you opportunities to showcase your work, build industry connections, gain recognition or develop your confidence?
The film festival definitely helped me achieve my goals in film, as simply being nominated gave me a push to submit to more festivals and make more films for said festivals which will allow me to reach a larger audience and gain connections I’d have never made before. Even just the opportunity to showcase my work in front of other artists and professionals gives me such pride in my ability to create something unique and impactful. Recognition definitely gives me so much confidence because when people feel something so strongly towards something I helped bring to life it proves that I must be doing something right.
What are your ambitions for the future, and how is your experience at LSBU helping you take the next steps towards achieving them?
In the future I would love nothing more than to carry on making amazing films and other art for people to enjoy and tell others to go and check out. LSBU is definitely helping me towards that goal as it’s teaching me step-by-step how to get there while also giving me the opportunities to help get there with the creative briefs and experienced industry professionals that teach us. I’m looking forward to work on final year films and see them on a big screen at the BFI in front of my peers, family, friends and other industry professionals that could then connect with me and help me get my foot in the film industry.