1.1 What is your current knowledge and understanding of film? (For example: watching film, reviewing, photography, making your own films, Youtube channel, film or media course, work experience)

• I understand lenses, cameras, how to make a film. I currently study Digital Production at Middlesbrough College which is a degree level. I have over 2 years of film making experience making short films, music videos and short pieces.

• Do you have specific areas of interest or skills in filmmaking? Include links to film work, photos, music etc.
  Specific areas of interest in flms is cinematography, post production and directing. I would like to be a film maker in the future doing free lance work and bringing in clients. I also would like to work on a film set being cinematographer.

• What role(s) would you see yourself taking on your Academy film? What do you hope to gain from the BFI Film Academy?
  Camera operator, director, Cinematographer

• How would you like to improve your skills or knowledge of film? Give reasons. Do you have plans to further study and work in film?
  What i hope to gain from the BFI Academy is teamwork skills, connections, the chance to prove to myself and get that opportunity to show to everyone what i can do. I would like to further my understanding in directing, film making as this is a brilliant career path to go down. The BFI Academy can teach me that. In the future I plan to be a film maker and possibly being a freelance filmmaker in my early years where I can gain experience.

1.2 Take a role in the production of a short film

• What is your production role?
  I am a Camera Operator and Director 

• What planning will you do?
  I will write a script with my team, do a call sheet and other pre production documents including storyboards, location recces and a risk assessment.

• As a Cinematographer and Director, I will be drawing storyboards which will give a detailed description and a vision of what I want the film to look like. My job is to get the group together as a team and work well so they can all complete the task.

  
  

• What will you do in pre-production, production and post-production? What specific skills do you need?
  In pre production i need to be able to write pre production documents and complete them to a good standard to make the production day run as smooth as possible on time. For post production, I need to have good editing skills when editing and edit it that runs very smoothly.

  As a cinematographer, in pre production I will ensure I have an understanding of what I need to do when it comes to the production. In Production, I will structure my shots with a shot list so I know exactly what I want to deliver. In post Production, I will help the team with my editing skills that I have gained in over 2 years whilst editing at college.

• What equipment will you use?
  For Pre-production, I will use celtx which is a scriptwriting website used to write a script. This will ensure everything is written to the best and everything works.

  For the production I will use Tripods, a Canon C300 and a 24-105 lens. I will use lighting equipment and also LED Lights.

  For Post Production I will use Premiere Pro which I have over 2 years experience.

• What documents will you use and how?
  I will use a location recce so I know what locations myself and my group are using on the day. I will use a risk assessment so everyone knows the risks that may occur on the production day and how we can tackle them. I will use a call sheet with everyone’s phone numbers in my group which also gives the times we are at each location and the schedule of the day 

• What other resources are needed to make a film?
  Include any planning and pre-production work you have been involved with.
  Another use of planning is writing a shot list meaning every camera shot that you use on your production day, you write the different type of shots you will be using and why. Write the effect on the shot you have chosen and why is it better than other shots.

  Costume Design, Makeup Design, Editing, Health and safety

• What other resources are needed in your film production? (For example locations, actors and anything else you will need)
  It’s important to always have spare equipment on the production day in case anything breaks. In previous production shoots I have been on, I have always brought a spare camera, batteries, lens, SD cards. This is just in case anything breaks and I am not wasting the rest of the day trying to fix equipment. This helps with sticking to the schedule and timings to make sure everything runs as smooth as possible.

Gain feedback on how you performed your role and share the feedback

Ask tutors and/or other Academy participants the questions below, you can write your answers, film them or record the audio

• Can you tell me what I did well?
  You did a good job at directing and led the crew very well. You communicated well with the crew and guided them with their roles and helped them through the day.
  By Miles

Laura and James: 'Luke was a confident presence and had very specific ideas about the look and feel of the film that he wanted to make.

Luke has talent, enthusiasm and dedication and was keen to take a leadership role throughout the process. He demonstrated talent as a director and editor. Luke had a vision and worked hard to translate that onto the screen.'

• What were the challenges and how did I deal with them? How did I work within my team?
  The challenges were the weather such as we didn’t need a lot of sunlight during the time we were scheduled to film so we as a crew decided to film the playground scene an hour later when the clouds had covered the sun.

Laura and James: 'The group changed the direction of the script they were working on. Luke was not keen on the new direction. Initially, he withdrew from the conversation. However, after some reflection, he worked to implement the vision of the whole group in spite of his misgivings, demonstrating maturity and team spirit in a potentially difficult situation.'

Do you have any advice or areas for my development?
There’s nothing really we could have done, we checked the weather forecast but always be prepared for a backup plan incase something goes wrong. 
Laura and James: Luke impressed Scott Coulter, the cinematography mentor, with his enthusiasm, knowledge and confidence. We recommend that Luke stays in touch with Scott and seizes any production opportunities that arise.

We recommend that Luke continues to make his own films with his peer network.

1.3 Review own technical skills and use of equipment

• What did you do in your role?
  Do you agree with the feedback? Give reasons for your answers.

• How well do you think you carried out your role in production? What were your strengths and what were your challenges?
  I did a very good job at being director on my groups production. I was able to keep everything on time and on schedule. I was a good leader and helped the rest of the group with what to do and keep everything and everyone on track. I was also a camera operator for 1 shot where I filmed perfectly to the type of shot my group and I was looking for. 

• In what ways did your technical filmmaking skills develop over the course of film production?
  I filmed with a shoulder rig and had practice in one of the previous productions in the first group’s production. I knew how to stabilize myself with the correct stance of my feet so I can keep the camera as still as possible. 

• How far has your knowledge and understanding of film production developed?
  Massively with the use of planning and keeping to the schedule. My camera knowledge has definitely improved with using different cameras to what I have been using. I’ve learnt more use of having the perfect weather for your camera shots and the effect it will have. I have gained more knowledge on camera shots and the effect of using them. For example, closeup shots create more tension because we are closer to the subject.

• Give examples (consider your knowledge of: technical equipment, on-set processes, production documents, post-production)
  
  Production documents include scripts, risk assessments, call sheets, storyboards, shot lists, contributor release forms and location recces. 
  
  I will edit on premiere pro as part of my post production, I have been editing on premiere pro for 2 and a half years.
  
  I know and understand lighting and what lighting I need to use to make my shot look better and the effects they have in my shots. 
  
  I know how to stick to a schedule and to make sure the whole crew is as comfortable as possible making sure the day runs smoothly with everyone at their best potential. 
  
  

• What is it like working in the film industry?
  (Consider hours, travel, freelance, working on set and budget. What are the pressures? What are the positives and negatives?)

  
  The positives to working in the film industry are it’s a great way of life and I really am excited to see what the future has for me. The opportunities in getting in the industry is brilliant with social media being so popular, exploring and finding connections is much easier. The negatives to being in the film industry is traveling, needing the right budget for the films and long hours.
  

• What qualities do you need to work in the film industry? (E.g. Showing initiative, taking responsibility, good time management, knowing your specialism, having good communication skills)
  Give reasons for your answers.
  
  A good quality you need to work in the film industry communication and teamwork. One of the most important things in making a film is the use of the crew and being a team player and doing your part so everything runs smoothly. You need to be a good leader and to be able to speak up, this is important because it shows good leadership and you are able to help everyone and be independent. You need to be punctual. This means showing up on time every day and always turning up.
  

• What have you learned about the working culture of the industry from masterclasses and working on your own film production?
  
  I have learnt that a film would not be the same if it didn’t have a crew, everyone playing their part and communicating with each other makes a film as good as it is. Having a leader is important such as a Director who can be able to direct and be able to take control and run the day to the best standard. 
  

2.2 Describe a range of key job roles and responsibilities in the film industry

Research 5 different roles in the production department and summarise them. Explain how the roles work together.

Director - Direct the whole crew and give orders on what everyone needs to do and is the boss.

Camera Man- The camera man films everything and listens to the director and takes the orders. They use their camera techniques and skills.

Sound Operator- The Sound operator is in charge of the audio and manages everything to do with it. Some carry boom poles and raise it above and captures the best audio.

Location Manager- The location manager scouts out locations to film for the production and is in charge of a team of location scouts that all help find locations.

Casting Director- The casting director finds the cast by advertising and holding auditions. They choose who they think is suitable to the role in their production.

These all work together from starting from the pre production where you plan everything and going to the production where everything is filmed and everyone is working together.

2.3 Outline the potential progression routes into the film industry and wider sector

• What have you learned about potential progression routes into film and connected creative industries? Research the following routes:
  

• Apprenticeships - You could be an apprentice for a film production company, for example channel 4 might need an apprentice on their team to help with the media.
  

• Entry-level jobs - Earn a degree through University or pass a college level course and making sue you come out with the best grades possible and start applying for jobs that are looking for them requirements.
  

• Studying at university - Study at university and earn a degree at the end of it. Find connections whilst at university and be open to meeting people and that's how you can kick off your career.
  

• Online opportunities (e.g. entering competitions, sharing work, networking) - Competitions that film companies put together. Enter one of the competitions and you can impress people and make new connections.
  

• Film festivals - Competitions such as film festivals, you could submit your own film into a local film festival and get noticed through there.
  

• BFI Film Academy progression (residential courses, BAFTA mentoring and Future Skills) - Pass the course and make new connections that will help getting a wider range of options in the future.
  

Personal Progression Plan

• What areas/ specialisms in creative media would you like to work in? - I would like to work on a film set in the future as a camera operator. I've always been passionate about making films.

• Would you like to further study film / creative media?

  Yes, I want to complete my three years of university and then look for opportunities that will come about.
  

• What courses interest you? Give reasons
  

  Film courses because it teaches me everything I want to know about being a filmmaker.
  

• Which local media companies would you be interested in working with? Give reasons

  
  

  I would be interested in working with Newcastle Film Club with the opportunities that come about. The production days look really good as well.
  

• What are the options for making your own content
  I can book out camera equipment at University using a website designed to book out equipment. I have various options of what I would like to take home and I can make some content using them.
  

• What would you make and how?

  
  

  I would make short films and music videos with mates from university. I would make use of the lighting equipment the University provide that would make my scenes much better.
  

• What are the options for funding and distribution? What networks will you join?
  Hopefully find something with the BFI Academy and hope to keep impressing people.

  
  

• What do you hope to gain from these networks? Are there other opportunities you are interested in? What are your next steps?
  Finish University and and find connections.
  
  Learning from Masterclasses
  
  (It’s worth briefing the industry speaker in terms of giving detail about their role and their personal progression.)

Industry Speaker: Laura and James 

• What is their job? What does it involve?
  Directors and screenwriters 
  

• How did they start working in film/media?
  Becoming a runner on a set in London 
  

• What have they done in their career?
  Make short films , scriptwriting, directing
  
  What have you learnt about working in film/media?
  Opportunities come when you put the hard work in.
  

• What opportunities for your own progression have you found out about?
  
  BFI Academy 

• Industry Speaker: Scott Coulter

  
  

  • What is their job? What does it involve?
    Scott is a Director of Photography and he is also a camera man. Scott works on productions in the industry as a Director of Photography.

  • How did they start working in film/media?
    Scott started making his own films and became a runner on small productions and worked his way up.

  • What have they done in their career?
    Scott has recently worked on a new ITV series called G'WED and was a director of photography. Scott was also a cinematographer on a tv series called Man Like Mobeen.
    
    What have you learnt about working in film/media?
    I have learnt that everyone needs to do their role and work together and all be confident and have great communication with each other.

  • What opportunities for your own progression have you found out about?
    I have found local film companies such as Newcastle Film Club and Smoggie Films who I could potentially contact at a time.
    
    
    
    

• What are the different teams in your production?

  Costume Team - These people design the costumes and choose what our subjects wear in the film.

  Makeup Team - Our makeup team use face paint to make our subject more creepier using dark colours and scary use of makeup.

  Camera Team - The camera team operate the cameras and are the eyes of the film.

  Sound Team- Our sound team capture the audio and grab the best audio they can using boom poles and microphones.

  Directing Team- The include the director and the producer who are in charge of the whole production and they tell everyone what to do and keep everything running smoothly.

• How do they work together? For example, how did your team work together to prepare for the shoot? Also, during production and post-production?

  The directing team included the director and the producer who would help everyone on set and be good leaders so everything is well managed. They would tell everyone what to do and get the day to run as smooth as possible. The sound team and camera team would listen and be well prepared for the instructions. The production team would be well prepared on the day with what there setting up.

  
  

• Why is it important that production teams work well together?

  Good communication will help massively with getting everyone to work together and everyone to work to their best potentials.

• Give an example of when your production team/s worked well together.

  When we all communicated with each other before we start recording. As a Director I communicated with everyone to make sure the camera was recording and the sound was picking up sound. When everything is done and ready I shouted 'Action'.

• What can happen if there isn’t good teamwork?

  The days schedule will be messed up and you wouldn't be able to complete everything in the day. This wouldn't be good for the production.

• Was there an example of when teamwork could have been better on your film production? How did this affect the production process?

  We could've of used another 30 minutes of what we had left and maybe been able to film at the front of the building to make the transitions more cleaner from walking into the building.

3.2 Identify the qualities needed to work well with others

• What are the most important qualities for working well as part of a film production team?

  Communication, Teamwork

• How did you show the following, give examples:

  Good timekeeping
  Being reliable
  Sharing ideas

• Good communication

• Safe working

I shown these over the weeks of being in the British Film Institute Academy. I have shown good time keeping with my preparation on coming up to the production day. I managed my time well with structuring everything and working together with my team. I was reliable with working as a director to my team and showing confidence and committing to be a leader. I shown I was sharing ideas through working together with my team and drawing storyboards so everyone gets a visual picture of what we want the film to look like.

3.3 Describe how you worked with others collaboratively on your film production

• How did you work with others in the crew?
  Give an example of when you worked well with your team.

  Directing and helping everyone communicate with each other therefore they could do their job to the best of their abilities.

• Were there any problems you needed to overcome? Give examples: How could you improve your ability to work with others?

  I need to be a bit more prepared and know exactly what I am doing and maybe do a big talk with my team just to keep them recapped on everything on the production day.

Demonstrate good health and safety practice when working on film productions

• Why is health and safety important when working on film productions? What are some of the key safety issues relating to film production?

  Health and safety is important because it makes sure everyone is as safe is possible and everything is kept organised and no one gets hurt. One of the key safety issues relating to a film production is fire hazards with wires everywhere. Fire extinguishers should always be present on a film production to prevent fires from spreading.

  
  

• How did you apply good health and safety practice when making your film? Include your risk assessment and explain why this is important.

  Risk assessments are important so we identify the potential risks that may happen and that we are fully prepared in case anything happened.

4.2 Explain why copyright is important in the film industry

• What is Copyright?

  Copyright is taking someone's piece of work or what they have ownership over without permission.

• Why does copyright law exist?

  To promote to the owner of a certain work.

• What kind of work is covered by copyright?

  Music, videos, photos etc.

• What might happen if you were to use copyrighted material in your film? How can you make sure not to infringe copyright law in your film?

  You would be in risk of getting sued for using a copyrighted piece of work.

  Ask for permission from the owner.

• How has copyright law and other IP regulation affected your film production?

  We can't use certain music in our film due to copyright.

5.1 Review and critique at least one short film production

Film Title, Director, Country, Year.

• Story outline (1 or 2 sentence summary)

  What is the film about, is there a theme or message?

  
  

• Describe the genre (if fiction film), or style (if documentary). How was sound used?

  
  

• How were camera techniques used?

  
  

• What was the editing style?

  
  

• Describe the setting/ location/ mise-en-scene.

  
  

  
  

• Who is the film aimed at?

  
  

• How did the film make you feel? Did it work well?

  
  

Lights Out is a figure scaring an innocent woman who is getting ready for bed. It is about a woman who is getting ready for bed but is unexpectedly interrupted with a dark figure who creeps up on her. The genre of this film is horror. This a short film, the sound has been used as being very disturbing with the sound getting quieter and louder. First, we are introduced to sounds of rain. The use of footsteps and the lights being switched on and off are very effective in this film. We get sudden noises of loud music creating jump scares. The use of music is designed to create the film more intense and scary. There are sounds of the door creaking which makes the film more disturbing to the viewers leaving the viewers confused and worried. We hear the figure running to the door that gets louder indicating they are getting closer to our subject. The camera techniques were used well with the use of medium wide shots, closeups, medium shots. They were used effectively where they create tension the further we get into the film. The editing style was good which was designed to have people on the edge of the seats. They used jump scares very well with loud noises used very effectively. The location and setting was used with a bed, the corridor, the light switch, the bathroom door which  is a very small setting which makes it a little claustrophobic which makes it a little unsettling for the audience. This film is aimed for adults due to it being horror. This film made me feel a bit uneasy with the use of sound effects and loud jump scares. It worked very well because of the sudden noise. I would recommend this film if you are a horror fan. It is very effective and is shot very well.

Date:

1. What did you do? - I was a director and a camera operator.
2. What have you learnt? - I have learnt how to work as a team and communicate with a team.
3. How have you worked with others? - Being a team leader and showing leadership so everything is run very smoothly.

4. What do you need to develop? - To be more prepared.

OR Write or film your SHOOT DIARY for your portfolios.

Please include production photos, any behind the scenes footage, scripts, storyboards and other key production documents and a link to the finished film.

What was your role in pre-production and what did you do?

I came up with the idea along with others on what genre we were doing and what the film was going to be about.

What was your role on the shoot?

My role was being the director and camera operator for one shot of the film.

Briefly explain what happened each day of shoot.
What equipment and skills did you need to apply to your role?

I needed to apply camera operating skills knowing what I needed to do to use the camera. I needed to know camera techniques and what shots I would like in our film and what works best. I needed to know how to be a good team leader and to be able to take charge over the team.

How well prepared do you feel we were for the shoot?

Explain. What changes had to be made and why?

I was very prepared for the shoot, my team and I had drew out a story board and had filmed scenes on an iPad so we could visually see how our film was going to look like. We had written out a shot list for each scene so we knew exactly what we were filming on the shoot day. We made a couple of changes with the location of certain scenes but this was made because of timings and not being able to manage it on the day so we stuck to a location nearby.

Did you have any feedback or advice from tutors / others on set? In what ways did you improve your own knowledge and skills?

I improved my knowledge with the advice they gave me about being fully prepared on the shoot day with pre production and the use of planning. I loved the advice they gave me.

Who did you work with on set? How do you feel you worked with others on set?

I worked with everyone in the BFI Academy and we all worked as a team and communicated with each other. We all got on with each other and had a good time.

What did you learn about how a film crew work together on a shoot?

I learnt that everyone has their own role and if everyone works together, the result is amazing.

Briefly explain how you followed good working practices for filmmaking? (Time management, health and safety, being reliable and coping with on set demands.)

I followed good time management working well and keeping track with time. I made sure everything was safe and made sure I did risk assessments with the rest of the team so if any accidents were to occur, we could deal with them well. I did a good job at being director and was a great team leader.

Overall – How do you feel the shoot went? What went well/ didn’t go well? What would you improve on?

I think the whole shoot day went well with good time management and I was able to run the production as smooth as possible and have everyone have a good time whilst doing their job. Our camera shots were very good with the use of planning with storyboards and shot lists. The sound team did brilliant with capturing great audio. I think we could improve on coming a little bit more prepared with deciding what scenes to shoot first with the weather forecast but the whole shoot day was a great success.

• How did they start working in film/media?

  John studied at the University of Sunderland in 1983 doing Model Making and then started small productions.

• What have they done in their career?

  Batman Begins, Lore, The Lost Girl, now teaches Creative film and Moving image Production at Northern School of Art.

• What have you learnt about working in film/media?

  There are multiple roles in the industry and production design is crucial within film

• 
  What opportunities for your own progression have you found out about?
  
  BFI Academy