University
University is one possible route to take after college. There are a wide range of films related courses available at universities across the country, making this a very diverse option and allowing you to potentially focus on one aspect of film. University would also be a great tool for putting you in touch with like-minded people, filmmakers and forming contacts. Generating a wide portfolio and gaining experience would also be very possible at university, putting me in good stead for progressing into the film industry. There are also a number of ways to fund university such as student loans and part time jobs, making this a more accessible route in that aspect
Employment
Another possible route would be to establish myself in the workplace. This could be in the form of an editing assistant in a post house, a runner on various film projects or working freelance. This would allow me to start meeting people working directly in the industry straight away and hopefully give me access to plenty of experience in order to progress further. Initially this would be a harder route to take as I will already need to have a certain level of experience in order to work successfully. Also funding this type of route could prove difficult at first as I would be earning minimal income and possibly struggle to cover living expenses as well as equipment costs in some cases.
SWOT
Strengths
I feel that one of my stronger areas is within editing. More specifically my timing and how I choose to put shots together, this is evidenced from Tutor/Peer feedback and some of the stronger films I have made such as the multi camera project and the Spielberg style inspired film.
Another strong area I feel is within the area of sound. I have had a lot of experience with playing, writing and performing music so I feel that that is an area of film that comes quite naturally to me. I feel that I instinctively know the type of music to use in my films and find it easy to cut my shots to.
I also feel like I am reasonably good at analyzing aspects of a film, such as why they’ve chosen a particular shot and the meaning/symbology behind it. This is obviously a tricky area though as everybody naturally has a slightly different interpretation of things depending on their own experiences.
I can sometimes be a bit of a perfectionist at times which can be both a strength and weakness. It is good in relation to making sure everything is right and getting things exactly how I want them to be. But it can also be a hindrance as it can very easily eat into my time.
I feel as though I am also a strong problem solver and will often offer up suggestions or solutions to problems we face in group projects. I would like to think that I am also a friendly person making me easy to work with in a team.
Weaknesses
One of my weaker areas of film and one that I definitely want to improve upon is my camera operation. Although I am able to setup and use the cameras reasonably effectively i’m still not overly comfortable operating them meaning that it can take me a little longer to make sure all the settings are correct. Also I feel like my actual movements and framing could be improved upon as well because my movements/focus pulls are not as smooth as I would like them to be and framing/angles can take me a while because I can be quite picky.
Another area I am weaker in is typefaces (fonts). I often struggle to find an appropriate font for a film or one that I like. I think this may stem from my difficulty with words and spelling meaning I subconsciously try to avoid it.
Public speaking has always been a major weakness of mine. Even though I regularly preform in front of lots of people with various bands I still get extremely nervous if I am required to say or present anything to a group of people. This could be quite damaging to me for things such as getting my ideas forward, presenting a pitch or job interviews. I tend to just suck it up and get on with it but inside am still excessively anxious and find it difficult.
Another weakness of mine would be time keeping. I find it difficult to stick to a schedule weather its because there are distractions or other commitments I have, even just getting too focused on one area and forgetting to look at a project as a whole. This is definitely an area to improve upon as its not only essential for the film industry but life in general.
One more weakness I have would be my lack of commitment to written work. Although I am perfectly able to write and in some cases very well I find the whole experience very dull meaning that I can lack motivation and enthusiasm.
Within in film and also life generally I find that I can be a very anxious person often worrying too much about what other people think or even things completely irrelevant. This can easily become a distraction or stop me from taking risks from fear of failure. Which ironically and annoyingly would cause me to fail.
Opportunities
One excellent opportunity which has already opened doors for me would be my mum’s work. She works as a technician in the Research&Development department for the BBC in media city. This has allowed my to so far get involved in two fantastic projects where i’ve learnt much more about working within the industry. A colleague of my mum is an independent film maker and was part of a 48hr film challenge. This meant that I was able to get some experience as a runner which escalated into a lighting technician. It was also fun to spend the weekend in a disused nuclear bunker in Scotland, which was our filming location. This is the finished film we made.
Another excellent opportunity was when I went to this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the R&D department for some work experience. They were working on a project called Primer which is essentially a new browser based multi camera editing system. This allowed me to work closely with Practitioners within the industry and even edit some live performances of comedy and music shows.
University is an obvious opportunity and potentially very beneficial. Going would open doors to a much larger range of opportunities and also provide fantastic experience as well as strong contacts to the industry.
Relevant to this project Film Festivals are also a really good opportunity as they will put you in contact with other film makers while getting your work out there to generate feedback and a name for yourself.
For my generation social media has also become a really valuable tool. It is now ridiculously easy to release any work you’ve had done and get feedback from a massive range of people. It is also excellent for putting you in touch with people/companies from the industry.
Where we live also offers some fantastic and beautiful locations to film as the lake district has a whole range of settings. Having these locations on your door step is fantastic however it is some what limited to outdoor environments.
Another opportunity which I have recently become aware of would be having access to Lynda.com. This is an online self learning website offering a whole range of videos outlining skills and processes to learn. I have been offered access from both college and a friend of mine so will definitely be taking advantage of that.
During college I have been part of the World Skills team and managed to get to the upcoming final in Birmingham. This will be excellent in terms of getting feedback for our work and potentially to meet some well know people within the industry.
Being able to work alongside people with similar interests and experience I feel is also really useful in developing and improving your skill set. As well as being taught by Tutors that are both passionate and have had real world experience in the industry.
Threats
One of the main problems I will face as a filmmaker is finding work. This is more difficult where I live due to the lake of industry there, meaning that I will likely either have to move away or travel in order to find work that I enjoy.
Competition for jobs in this industry is also a real threat as more and more people each year will be fighting for the same jobs with similar experience.
One ‘threat’ for me would be various distractions or other commitments that I have going on such as the various bands I am in, outside film projects and my job. This is because I can find myself not giving enough time to my college projects, which is what counts, in order to pursue other interests.
A weakness I mentioned before was not being able to stick to a schedule very well because I get caught up in specific areas of the project or sidetracked by other distractions. This is harmful as it means that I can miss deadlines which in the industry obviously isn’t a good thing as it will paint me in a bad light and put off potential employers.
Another ‘threat’ we could be affected by would be the limited access to film equipment and software due to funding. This means that we perhaps don’t have access to the some of the professional equipment used in the industry so are unable to get as much practical experience.
After producing a SWOT analysis and looking at some possible progression routes I have decided that University would be the best option for me.
It will allow me to gain much more experience in a range of areas in film such as, editing, camera work, idea generation, sound and lighting. This will help to further prepare me for a successful transition into the industry while also helping me to decide an area of film that I might like to work in.
Also forming a number of new contacts which could help me in future with film projects or potential employment.
In order to progress onto university I will need to do a number of things.
Firstly researching the type of course and the university I want to attend and possibly attending open days to see what they are like.
I will also have to sign up to UCAS and produce an application through them to send to the various universities I want to apply for. This will have to include some basic information about me, a list of my qualifications and a personal statement from me detailing why I want to apply to university and my interest in film.
Hopefully I will then receive offers from my chosen universities which because they are film courses will likely involve some sort of interview or portfolio review. This means that I will have to prepare a selective portfolio of films and project work to show them
Once receiving and accepting an offer i will then have to prepare myself for next year. Passing my current course at college will be highly important as that will likely be a condition of any offer. In terms of University though I will need to apply for various things such as accommodation and student/maintenance loans.
I will not be able to apply for accommodation until after I have confirmed my placement and will get a notice from UCAS as to when to apply for student loans.
Once all of this is done I simply need to move in and start the course.
Matthew Tucker 