Goals – Overall, I would love to enter the profession of cinematography, learn different styles of camera work and learn complex techniques/settings of professional-grade cameras. I also have an interest in directing, which I’d love to improve on, working my way up the industry.

Plymouth College of Arts

Film and Screen Arts – Plymouth has lots of amazing equipment including underwater cameras and film cameras. The campus is also in an amazing area with a lot around.

Falmouth University

Film – The first year of the course is mostly focused on culture studies, the campus has incredible equipment and facilities also including the location.

Anglia Ruskin (Cambridge)

Film – This course includes critical aspects and lots of different areas of film, including use of 16mm film and looking into a range of genres. Screenings of student films are done a lot which would help to network and get my work out there.

University of Central Lancashire

Film Production – Lots of interesting modules are taught, one of which is “thinking through film” with lots of practical projects.

Farnham University

Film Production – The first year is a lot of practical work and preparation with a range of skills while second year gives a sense of real events and documentary work.

Hereford College of Arts

Film Making – A lot of practical work is done on this course also giving a lot of experience on all aspects.

Bournemouth University

Film Production and Cinematography – Focuses a little on camera work but also touch on directing and producing both small and large projects.

Top 3 Universities for me – Plymouth, Falmouth, Farnham
Plymouth and Falmouth are both places I’d love to study as their specifications seem to include a lot of areas I want to learn about and are mainly practical. Farnham is extremely practical and allow you to focus on a specific job role in the second year which is useful for me as I have wanted to study somewhere more inline with cinematography.

My Plans for Further Education and Work

My overall goal is to become a cinematographer for an independent or large-scale production company. I plan to develop my technical and personal skills by attending university which will also allow me to explore a broad range of roles in film.

While studying at university, I want to build a strong portfolio that I will use to show to small companies or student productions that might be hiring and looking for a camera operator or creative input. From this, I can improve on my CV, get professional experience and network. I’ve received some resources from my tutor that make it easier to find jobs like this, for example Mandy.com and Shootingpeople.org. Additionally, I’ve registered a LinkedIn account and started to network with a few people in the film industry, but I hope to build up my network more to where I have good connections for getting into the industry and learning from people who are already established creators.

Regarding which university I’d like to study at, my top pick is Plymouth College of Art because the Film & Screen Arts course is the closest to what I imagine myself enjoying learning. The modules include a lot of practical work which is great for me to get the experience I need with different technology and putting the theory I learn into practice, but with this, I will be taught relevant contexts that I find interesting. 

From 17/12/2020, I’ve finished applying to my tops picks of universities via UCAS. It’s taken a lot of research and thought to decide on whether I did want to attend university and, even more, which ones I’d like to go to. I definitely believe this is the right thing for me to do as it will give me the opportunity to work in some professional environments with established companies, while also allowing me to learn more about contexts, a wide range of roles and even other creative subjects (like ceramics) – especially if I’m able to attend Plymouth University. 

I plan to take opportunity presented to me, or that I seek out, to get as much into the film industry as possible while I’m studying. If I succeed in doing this, it will create a much smoother transition when I come to the end of University and start to seek work. Any work experience, whether it be paid or volunteer, I want to take advantage of as it might provide me with connections or just practice for the future which will help me a great amount to get a taste of the responsibilities of people in the business. An example of this, is the BFI Film Academy course that is running for six weeks every Saturday from January. I’ve applied to this and really think it will be a great starting point to networking and the experience that I mentioned.

The BFI Film Academy course: https://www.resource-productions.co.uk/training/

Self Reflection & Progression

Strengths

One of my strengths is making sure situations are fair. I want to give people equal opportunities and ensure that others get the recognition they deserve for what they put into something also I pull my weight whenever I am working in a group setting. I believe fairness is an important aspect in the film industry to make a production run smoothly, working as a team to complete it.

I am also a creative person with a lot of ideas that I would love to turn into films. Thinking of different ways to get camera shots or position the microphone is something that I would have no problem with which is helpful considering I would like to become a cinematographer. I believe that my creativity works well either with or without a brief and I would be able to bounce off of others’ ideas to create something great.

My analytical helps me to depict the techniques used by other film makers, fuelled by some curiosity to ask and find out exactly how something was done whether that be an immense special effect or a small camera movement. I can take these details that I learn and use them to produce my own take, showcasing little tricks to people who will be hiring and looking for something different. I usually watch documentaries and behind-the-scenes of a range of movies in order to do this but also ask the people around me, like tutors, to learn more.

Weaknesses

In situations such as speaking in front of a large group of people, I tend to get mess up on my words, which sometimes makes me appear unconfident. As a result, I have learnt to be aware of this fact and I now use mental exercises so prepare for circumstances like these. This has resulted in a much more calm mannerism and less anxiety about making a mistake.

Sometimes I don’t take opportunities that could be a great help for me due to small thoughts of failure or nervousness, however I have worked on this a lot by focusing on the positives outcomes to come from these experiences. Thinking more about the useful lessons and practice I will get out of opportunities I would have turned down in the past, I am able to encourage and push myself and have applied or asked about chances surrounding film and just common situations.

Jobs in the Art Department & What they do

The Art Department plays a key role in the creation of any type of production and incorporate a huge number/range of jobs in its different sub-departments including props, wardrobe, set design, animal handling, make up and a lot more. Everything is looked over by the Art Director who has a long list of responsibilities on and off set.

To become a successful Art Director you must have major visualisation skills along with communication abilities to enable you to see a design clearly in your mind while being able to describe it to the rest of the team to allow them to begin the planning and construction, making it into a reality. Personally I would love to be able to be in a position where I am the one to coordinate a large team of creative people. The amount that relies on the Art Director could be stressful but it would give you control and freedom over the image that would be created on-screen.

Although a lot of the Art Department’s jobs are concentrated during pre-production as it mainly consists of the design and construction of a set and atmosphere, production calls for them too. Some members must be on set to ensure that nothing strays away from the original design and feel, assisting actors with their props and the set.

In around ten years, I would love to be working on a film set for large or small productions. Although my goal is to become a cinematographer, looking into the jobs within the Art Department has opened up more career paths that I had not thought of before.