BFI Film Academy

BFI Film Academy

The British Film Institution is open to young people from anywhere in the UK and from any background, the BFI Film Academy offers a real chance for talented 16-19-year-olds to be part of our future film industry. The BFI Film Academies are a national network of organisations tasked with delivering high-quality, industry-led courses, with the aim of training and inspiring the next generation of British film-makers. Each academy will take place on 7 separate full days which offer the chance to undertake a level 2 (Silver) Arts Award, take part in trips, screening events and bespoke career guidance. The courses will each culminate in a film premiere event organised by the participants. Culture works will be running 2 courses offering training for every film industry role, from writing and directing through to production, sound design, editing and camera. There will be opportunities to work with external professionals such as writers, directors, cinematographers and animators.

Participants where split into 2 groups, one was making a fiction short film and the other was making a documentary, they all had to be 5 minutes including credits and the sponsorships, the genre of the task was sci-fi and we had a challenge to produce a short film in under 5 days (Incl. Planning, Production and Post Production). I chose to join the fiction group because I felt that I'd be best suited for the task, but then again I wasn't challenging myself to choose documentary. Our tutor for the fiction group was called Guy Myhill (Director, made his first feature film called 'The Goob' this year), we sat down and discussed our strengths as young film makers and we decided to make 3 short films, 1st in which I directed/Camera Work, 2nd which I did Camera Work/Edited and the 3rd was animation which I didn't contribute to due to 2 members of the group being very skilful in that area. There were 6 of us, 3 boys and 3 girls. We had a deadline which we had to meet which was all the short films would have to be completed by Friday 5 o'clock and we had to start on Monday, we worked 10-6 every day that week to complete the productions.

The short film that I created was called 'Ebony' and was based around the idea of personifying a alien in the woods using just sound and the actor we used. The actors name was called Liam Walpole and he starred in Guys feature film so we had the option of using him which worked very well went it came to shooting on location on Tuesday due to the trust that Guy built up with Liam through the production of his film. The film that I edited and did camera work for was called 'The Revenge Cycle' it was based around how people affected by criminals can punish them how ever they want, and it involves a son deciding his dads fate in prison. At 5 o'clock on Friday we sat down and viewed what documentary was up to and everyone gave feedback, stating what they enjoyed and what they thought of the initial narrative of the storyline. On December 6th there will be a film premiere which our short films will presented to family and friends, and as a special guest Joe Wright the director of Anna Karenina, Atonement and Pride & Prejudice will be watching them and giving us feedback.   

Being unsure about whether or not to apply for the Film Academy, I can now say that it was defiantly the right decision to make due to the fact that you get to work with other aspiring young film makers, constantly surrounded by professionals and learning from them and either teaching them new things and getting hands on experience with the equipment that they provide you, whether it was cameras, editing equipment or boom mics. Every year members of previous years come back and help with the production side of the Academy and I hope that they ask me to come back so I can assist and share what things I've learnt and offer my support to them the best way I can. 

The BFI Film Academy also offers extended opportunities as you can apply to the NFTS (National Film and Television School) which allows you to have a residential 2 week course where you also create a short film along side professionals and have master classes from top industry professionals. The course is very competitive allowing 66 people from around the UK the chance to be picked, but if you go through the BFI first you have a stronger chance of being picked as they look for Academy students first rather than people who haven't gone through it.

Ebony

Joe Wrights (Director) Comments

'Ebony' is unsettling yet utterly compelling viewing. Economical in its delivery, precise in its use of location and light, and ultimately as chilling as any great ghost story'