What did you do?
Today was the first session of the BFI Academy and we got through so much in such little time. I met with Paul Frasier (a screenwriter known for the film dead Mans Shoes), Caroline Cooper Charles (a producer) and Rebecca Mark Lawson (another producer with her own production company called ‘Tyke Film’ which is located in Sheffield).
With Paul Frasier we discussed characters and the Arcs that stories have. In this set time we were all split into small groups and we each would wriye a paragraph in the 3rd person about a character/ a location/ or even an event, before passing to the person next to you. Eventually the paper that we each started with, got back to us and we had a complex and unusual story by the end. The aim of this activity was to learn the fundaments of a story and the arc the plot and characters, take when they come face to face with problems – as we realised earlier that day that every story has a problem.
Next we had a session with Caroline Cooper Charles, a producer who came in to talk to us about the process of film making, including pre-production, production and post-production and the roles involved with each of these stages. This was a more independent part of the day, as we were expected to contribute in figuring out what roles in films production belong where. I found this really useful as it allowed me to find a deeper understanding of exactly what goes on in production.
After lunch we had our final session with another producer named Rebecca Mark Lawson, who had produced the documentary ‘Irenes Ghost’ in 2018, which which won the prize for Best Feature Documentary at the Filmstock International Film festival, 2019 as well as two other wins ans two nominations. She discussed with us the correct layout and fonts to be used in scripts to prepare us for the scripts for our very own short film. We then watvhed 2,20 a dystopian short film.
What have you learnt?
I feel as though through today’s session I have generally further developed my knowledge of the film world and the processes and different jobs involved in order to accomplish a finished product.
How have I worked with others?
In the time where we worked together to complete tasts I feel as though I worked well with thise around me, listening to their ideas and generally keeping an open-mind, yet also staying focused on the task at hand. I also contributed to discussion and so I felt that I was putting myself out there more than I usually would and for that I feel proud as I have fully come out of my comfort zone.
What do you need to develop?
I feel that after today I need to develop massively my knowledge and variety in the short films that I watch, so that I may find it easier when it comes to making my own. I will also research more into other films generally by looking at shot lists and scripts used.
BFI Film Academy NCFE 
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