Creative Enterprise Week was a week at University focusing on the next steps for students after graduation, this included industry panels, project pitches and company showcases for potential jobs.
The week started with the project pitches focusing on potential projects working with environmental charities for work experience. At first this seemed like a great idea to be a part of but as the pitches went on the expected workload became greater, therefore making free work less desirable. Despite that I still learnt a lot about my self worth as a filmmaker, not to do a lot of work for free and to have a rate that is both reasonable yet justified. We were given the option to pitch, as you may have guessed I chose not to because of the amount of work expected but I did have a few ideas whirling around that had potential.
We were then given a showcase by the company Perspective Pictures, a digital first creative agency. The company is young (both in average staff age and the years in operation) and focused on the commercial side of filmmaking, creating online branded content for companies, the work included the likes of Huel and TimeOut. It just so happened that they were hiring and offered out interviews to students, the roles being shooter, editor, creative internship and a sound engineer. Due to my previous experience, I felt I was a good fit for both the shooter and editor roles so put myself forward for an interview. It was my first interview for some time meaning I was nervous but excited and tried to portray myself as confident yet not cocky. This seemed to work as I have been called back for a second interview which is very exciting, I just need to get my portfolio and showreel together.
Finally, the industry panel included a recent film graduate and 2 older graduates, all of whom are working in the industry. They all shared the same ideas about entering the industry from university, going out and making films and getting your name out there whilst working on bigger productions. Taking risks is what will get you to where you want to be, it’s something that you can do to expand your horizons and improve your skills. They also gave some tips and trick to help with our graduate project films including the importance of the 1st Assistant Director, something I had witnessed first hand during my work experience on The Windsors (Hardy. J, 2020). I agreed with them, the main problem with student film sets is the lack of an AD and a lot of time is wasted in between set ups and takes. To have a reliable person who is responsible for keeping everyone on schedule is of great importance.
Creative Enterprise Week was an interesting insight into the industry and offered different avenues to explore when it comes to graduating from University. It’s something to consider and take time finding the right path, things may go wrong but there are ways to ‘make it’, one thing every speaker had was enthusiasm and a love for producing films. No matter what they were doing they are all considered filmmakers.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- The Windsors. (2020). [TV series]. Directed by J Hardy. United Kingdom:RAW TV
IMAGES
- Perspective Pictures Website. [online]. Available at: https://www.perspectivepictures.com/
Felix Gibbons Portfolio 