Flo Fitzgerald and Sam Bailey stuck in to a Skills Swap

For the Future Producers Gold session on Thursday I took Part in the Animation workshop facilitated by Hannah and Rosie Cooke and Hannah Williams Walton. The reason I chose this session for the Skills Swap was because I thought it would be really interesting to combine the process of my primary art form, which is Printmaking, and the process of animation. I think they complement each other well as they are both processes that use the idea of layering in order to build up a final image, and both have a sense of repetition and careful consideration.

For the workshop we were firstly introduced to different forms of animation, and the concept of animation itself. Rosie explained different reasons why she liked the process of animation and I found this a very engaging way of beginning a workshop. Secondly we were introduced to ‘I Can Animate’ a perfectly simple but very effective software for capturing stop-motion. I managed to find a small lego man, and a green pipe cleaner and instantly thought up a little story to tell – I was overexcited to say the least. Sam and I set to work, me instantly taking the role of director and Sam my right hand man. After only an hour of tweaking, twisting and snapping shots we had a completed animation, which you can watch by selecting the link below!

“Don’t PIck Up Snakes”

I was really glad I decided to take part in the animation workshop, as it made me even more enthusiastic about my initial idea for my Cinekids artwork …

I thought it would be a fun challenge to attempt to animate a multi-layered print. I believe this process would lend well to the brief and to a young audience, as the completed artwork would unfold in front of their eyes, as well as the film being an artwork in it’s own right, making both mediums very clear. it’s a project that will lend to colour, simple images and movement. Using Stop-Motion animation I hope to photograph the different stages of the printmaking process as I build up the image layer upon layer, bringing the printed image to life.

Not only do I think this will be an effective project to undertake in terms of the brief, but will also challenge me in a new way creatively, and develop my own skills both in my primary art form and a new art form.

For my Gold Arts Award presentation this Thursday, I’ll be arguing that Carlisle needs an independent cinema.  Carlisle is the only city in Cumbria, the third largest county in England.  In my opinion, the city desperately needs an arts hub which programmes independent and out of the ordinary films, whether these are documentaries, foreign films, classics, shorts or films by first-time directors – basically, anything that presents a different slant on cinema, and on the world, to what is commonly portrayed in Hollywood blockbusters.

I grew up in a remote hamlet on the Solway coast, and though the cinema in Carlisle was still half an hour’s drive away, it was the closest one to me.  For a while, I was able to go to screenings at the independent Lonsdale cinema, which first opened in 1931 and in its time hosted performances by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as a commercial multiplex.  Unfortunately, the Lonsdale closed in 2006 and has since become derelict; the only cinema in the city now is the Vue cinema, which offers the standard blockbusters and little else.  Although the Tullie House Museum offers a programme of alternative cinema on Monday evenings, this isn’t nearly enough for a whole city.

Several towns in Cumbria do have thriving cinemas and arts centres, such as the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal and Zeffirelli’s in Ambleside.  Keswick even has its own successful film festival.  Movements like ‘North West New Wave’ show there is interest in filmmaking and cinema in the North West, and the University of Cumbria, which has a campus in Carlisle, runs several film and media courses.  I’m certain that there is already an audience for an independent cinema in Carlisle.

However, there is a tendency for Carlisle to be neglected in terms of what it can offer culturally.  The Lake District, Newcastle and Manchester have all become strong cultural centres over the years, but Carlisle continues to be left behind.  As a result, I will be looking at what the benefits of independent film are, why Carlisle lacks an independent cinema and what one could do for the city.  I will argue that there is no reason why people in and around Carlisle should miss out on the chance to broaden their horizons and gain exposure to some of the most challenging, imaginative and thought-provoking films the independent sector has to offer.

Sources

http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/resources/cinemas/north-west

http://northwestnewwave.wordpress.com/

John Hurt advocates independent cinema in Keswick: http://bit.ly/1d21eCT

Plans for the Family Arts Festival (FAF) are well under way. After we were handed the project we have less than a week to get copy for the broacher…meaning we had to know as many artists as possible and at least have some sort of theme to run with. Interesting start. With a massive push, and the help of Hannah’s and Rosanna’s watershed e-mails we managed to get a good response from the artists and performers we were hoping to programme.

We will keep our focus to 4 key events, giving each member of the team an event to focus on. I will be working with The Rolling Stones – sadly not THE Rolling Stones, however it’s not quite the family festival vibe we’re going for.

http://www.guerilladanceproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/GDP_RollingStones_2012.pdf

Confirmation is still pending but we’re hopeful. This week we’ll be honing in on budgets, room booking and securing our artists.

Last weeks session on audience feedback was brilliant. I’ve realised I can get a bit geeky over things like this but it was so nice to be taken back to that analytical way of thinking even for creative companies. I’ve spoken to so many people who have said art and business don’t go well together, as far as I’m concerned that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think both balance each other perfectly and neither one can work effectively without the other. Reflecting on work can be a hard thing to remember to do, particularly when there’s lots of work to be done with restricted time and budgets. It’s certainly a area that I’d like to expand on if I ever get a bit tired of standing out on site in rainy fields, although I can’t see that happening any time soon.

For now though, onwards to the next session and FAF-ing about

Today I have been doing further research into Arts Organisations that I would like to become involved with in order to further my professional development. I have undertaken a range of design based work placements in the past but am now seeking knowledge about producing arts events and managing arts organisations.

I have been in touch with the producers of a new Contemporary Performance Festival (‘Strike A Light’) being held in September and they have taken me on as a marketing intern. I think it will be fantastic to learn about a new area of the arts industry and I will hopefully have the opportunity to take a lead role in developing the festival. I think the event-marketing workshop, that we had recently, is going to be hugely valuable and am currently refreshing my memory of the key points.

I am really looking forward to working alongside the two female producers; finding out more about their careers and gaining advice about the industry. I am really hoping this internship will open doors and be hugely beneficial in broadening my knowledge of the arts.

My first blog for a while but since I was on holiday last week at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival I hope you will forgive me. Well that’s not strictly true as I was also doing ‘research’ into immersive and interactive theatre for the Gothic Film Festival I will be working on.

Yes I too am working on the BFI Gothic: Dark Heart of Cinema Festival at the Watershed along with the other six brilliant Future Producers who make up our team responsible now for not only an immersive pop-up cinema experience, but additional ‘fringe’ festival events.

I too am also one of the guys on the Future Producers Plus who two weeks ago found out about how we can get the Gold Arts Award and help the Watershed to develop promotional material for their Cinekids workshops. The promotional piece, which will count towards the gold Arts Award, will have to showcase not only our Cinekids promotion ideas, but also our our primary art-form combined with a new creative skill.

As my main art form is writing there are some clear challenges with how I can show those skills off using another creative form like photography or film-making.There are easy options like writing a script for a short promotional video, but I’d prefer to maybe try something different and more inventive. Something more imaginative that perhaps also helps shows the links between cinema, creativity and English. Or that could be biting off more than I can chew?

The prospect of work experience for the Gold Arts Award, having to do a few days work experience in a creative industry of my choice, may also prove challenging as September will soon be upon us. The worries also over how the Gothic team would be shaped and the roles we were assigned while I was away in Edinburgh also haunted me. As although I knew this in advance and took steps to make sure I contributed to early discussion, I was a bit worried of being left on the fringes (irony!) in terms of my place and role within the festival when I returned.

However, I did leave behind a bit to think about in terms of an immersive and interactive theatrical game and film screening event on our Gothic group’s facebook page. I outlined an idea that came to me in the night that I thought also helped show off my creative skills and the type of role I would want within the team.

the idea revolved around the idea of turning the Watershed into a laboratory that had just made major breakthroughs in the scientific community by combining elements of science and technology with the Dark Arts. A lot of what I created took into account what other producers had suggested in their pitch and I also looked in incorporate elements of the PM Studios like use of their technology and their magician in residence in the idea. The foundation for it all however, was one of the corner-stones and landmark films of Gothic cinema. James Whale’s Frankenstein.

When I got home it was relieving to read and speak to everyone and discover the wide range of focused thought that has evolved around researching the Dark Arts and Gothic films beyond the BFI’s designated film list. Given the time we have until November and array and extreme variation of ideas we had for the festival this has been the best approach in terms of helping our group to see what’s possible and what isn’t. It has also meant I’ve been able to contribute as well and feel part of the team despite my week away.

Yet as a team we still are yet to fully form. One thing that did stick out to me during our Tuesday workshop on evaluating our success was that we have different ideas of who will benefit from the festival. Combine with some of our discussion thus far on the potential films and events for the festival, it seems to show our joint experiences have yet to fit together and that we are on different lines of the hymn sheet.

This is natural though given we have yet to form a solid direction for which we will all fall behind, which will come in time and given the amount of ideas and varying experience is no surprise. Once we have the right film/s to build our ideas from then things then the more explosive magic will happen.

I’m hoping their will be magic also with our Future Producers Plus brief after this week as the workshop I took part in with Luke on film-making was very eye opening in a lot of ways. Yet I think when it comes to the eventual creation of a Cinekids promotional piece I am considering doing something involving either photography or graphic design (something I hope that will be slightly easier to accomplish that with film) to look and create a marketing idea around the idea of a ‘picture says a 1,000 words’.

I also have thought about where I would like to do my work experience placement. The connections I’ve had this year across different aspects of Bristol’s theatre scene from tech, stage management to directing leave a lot of options. However, one thing I have not yet had a chance to do is learn how a theatre company, venue or production company is run. Something that maybe a long way down the lines I would also like to do.

It’s going to be a busy week, but if you don’t mind, I got to get on and watch some more Gothic films.

I’ve had a pretty hectic this week as I have undertaken a placement at Greenbelt Festival, mainly making giant birthday candles to decorate the festival site. I have also been trying to keep on top of watching films and doing research for our Gothic season events. I have been hugely impressed by everyone’s commitment to the project so far and the fantastic ideas that have arisen through our discussions. I am currently watching one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen (recommended by someone in the group) and am absolutely loving it. I’m really enjoying having my eyes opened to so many new things.

At yesterdays Future Producers Plus session, Luke led a filmmaking workshop, which was absolutely fantastic. It was very well organized, thorough and fun. I feel I learnt a huge amount in quite a short amount of time. It has definitely inspired me to undertake some filmmaking myself. I am really looking forward to starting my Cinekids art work but am going to make a decision as to what to create after Flo’s print making workshop.

With the recent releases of blockbusters such as Pacific Rim and Star Trek: Into Darkness boasting ‘strong female characters’ in their casts, I have seen much online debate regarding the representation of women in film. As a female actor, this is an issue close to my heart, and I share the growing concerns among many of my generation of film lovers and filmmakers, as well as some current industry professionals, about the future of women in the film industry. Indeed, the issue of women in the film industry extends not only to the representation of women on the silver (and small) screen, but also the roles of women behind the camera.

In 2012, 4.1% of directors and 12.2% of writers of the 100 top-grossing films were women, according to a study by the University of Southern California. Given such statistics, the film industry, particularly the world of film studios, appears to be very much male orientated in who produces and makes films for mass audiences. While the independent film industry has shown great promise for female filmmakers, particularly documentary filmmakers, studio films still seem stuck in a male mold. Though many of my director idols are indeed men (such as Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan and the Coen Brothers), such gender inequality is worrying, not only because I am woman interested in following a career in the film industry, but also because of the cultural impacts such inequality entails. What could the impacts be of essentially viewing the world through an exclusively male lens? How does this effect perceptions of gender and personal identity?

These are some of the issues I wish to explore and debate in my presentation to the Future Producers. Hopefully, with the help of Powerpoint, it should be an interesting experience and topic of discussion. Below are the links to some interesting articles and resources I used for research on the subject.

http://womensenews.org/story/books/130810/stumbling-blocks-persist-female-film-directors#.UgwLEJLVCh0

http://www.voanews.com/content/women-independent-films-growing-not-on-par-with-men/1632912.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-levart/women-in-film-a-prevailing-imbalance-continues_b_3721640.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_cinema

Discussions about the Encounters projects have started to gain momentum.  For the Fresh Flix screening and workshops, our team, made up of myself, Luke and Matt, are targeting an audience of young people aged 15-19.  We have also joined forces with our fellow Encounters teammate Christina, who is working on the Children’s Jury project.  We’ll be watching the films chosen for the Children’s Jury Award and helping her come up with workshop ideas.

The Fresh Flix plan for Saturday 21st September is (loosely) the following:

10.00am – Fresh Flix: Shoot from the Hip screening
11.05 – Q and A with one of the directors
11.30 – Break and segue to W3 from Cinema 3
12.00 – Comedy Writing Masterclass
13.00 – Lunch
14.00 – Self-Portrait Filmmaking Workshop
17.00/18.00 – Finish

We have yet to confirm the facilitators of the workshops; at the moment, the possibilities are Jesse Armstrong (of Peep Show and Fresh Meat fame) leading the masterclass and Sam Firth leading the filmmaking workshop.

My role will be to present the Q&A sessions and to aid digital documentation via blogging, collecting audience responses, interviewing people and so on.  Matt will be in charge of the ‘Comedy Writing Masterclass’ and the budget, and Luke will lead on the filmmaking workshop.

The aim of the project is to get young people engaged with film and inspire them to come up with their own content.  At the minute, one idea is to target young people with a more general interest in film and television for the screening.  This is because a screening can accommodate more people than a workshop, and the range of films are of a broad enough spectrum to interest a variety of young people.  The comedy masterclass is slightly less broad in its appeal, but depending on the speaker, could still attract a large audience.  The filmmaking workshop is far more specific – thus it makes sense to target young filmmakers more concertedly, as there will be a limited number of places and the workshop requires a more substantial interest in film production.

After doing some research into potential ways of reaching our target audience, it seems best to focus on Bristol colleges and sixth forms, particularly those which offer film/media-related courses, youth organisations such as the Creative Youth Network and 1625 Independent People, and filmmaking groups like Kollective Media.  Advertising in the events sections/newsletters of these organisations, as well as developing a strong social media presence, will attract the age group we need.  In addition, advertising in the local press, like the Bristol Post, could be a useful way of reaching parents, who may then suggest the event to their teenagers.

We’ll need Charlie’s help with some of the documentation, and I’ll need to speak to Gaia Meucci, the Short Film Programmer for Encounters, to get tips on presenting the Q&A.  Our main resource requirement is equipment for the filmmaking workshop, which Watershed is able to provide.  Without knowing who the facilitators will be as yet, it is difficult to say whether the budget will need to be reworked.

The more momentum the project gathers, the more I realise how much there is still to be done in quite a limited amount of time!  Next up – finalising the event details and starting to think in greater detail about how we make sure we reach our target audience.

This past Thursday, I was introduced to the Gold Arts Award as a part of the Future Producers Plus. Not only is the Award a great qualification, but the process of acquiring the Award is, in itself, a brilliant scheme to increase one’s knowledge, skills and awareness of the creative arts in a wide variety of means.

Part of the Unit 1 exercise for the Award requires developing new arts skills through the use of one’s existing artistic experience as well as exploring another art form to produce a new, original piece of work. Choosing my primary art form was somewhat difficult as I’m the sort of person with the curiousity and interest in numerous artistic fields. My real difficulty lay in deciding between writing and acting, as such mediums are my particular favourites as well as the mediums I have the most extensive experience in; after all, I chose to study English Literature at university, which is a subject that feeds both my love of literary and dramatic artistry. After much thoughtful consideration, however, I decided to follow my love of drama and chose acting as my primary art form. Indeed, it was my years of experience of acting on the stage that inspired me to follow a career in the creative arts and take up a degree in English Literature; I have always felt drama and literature to be inextricably linked, for so much of the films and theatre we watch is inspired by literature, and vice versa. As well as having performed in numerous amateur plays, such as Arhur Miller’s The Crucible and Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, I also possess a GCSE in Drama (A), an A-Level in Theatre Studies (A*) and a Grade 8 in LAMDA Drama: Duologue Acting (passed with Distinction), academically demonstrating my passion and extensive experience in acting.

The secondary art form I want to explore more is one I am really passionate and excited about; film-making. I am, and always have been, a dedicated cinephile, which has complimented my love of story-telling through both performance and the written word. In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in the process of making films, and it is a field I am particularly keen to follow a career in; indeed, I am going to be studying a module on Screenwriting this coming year because of my fascination with the process of film-making. I already have some minor experience in making short, amateur films such as spoofs of television shows and films, but I’m really looking forward to learning more about the technicalities of film from Luke such as in using more professional-grade cameras.

I feel that both the art forms of acting and of film-making compliment one another really well. My intention for delving more into the art form of film-making is in order to view the creative process of producing a visual narrative from the production’s genesis. Having been an actor for many years, I have been able to engage in creative productions from the point whereby a plot has already been decided upon and nuanced. As a film-maker, I want to develop a narrative from scratch, while also bearing in mind how the narrative will be performed via the art form of acting. I also wish to explore the difference and similarities between performing on a stage and performing to a camera, and how a narrative can be translated to an audience via recorded images; how the flow of edited scenes influences the flow of the narrative.

To utilize both these art forms, I hope to create a promotional video/trailer for the Cinekids events at the Watershed in response to our brief for this section of the Gold Arts Award. It will be great to help enthuse young children about cinema and film, as I was when I was little. Well, littler.

The second session of the Gold Arts Award Programme focused our research and thinking into three areas; form and communicate a view, get involved in the arts world and research and review.

Form and communicate a view – For this section I intend to deliver a presentation looking at the lack of talent development programmes in the arts for young people in Cardiff.  Bristol’s offer for young people interested in developing careers in the arts is far greater and I believe that if Cardiff could better support emerging talent, a more vibrant and youthful cultural arts scene is sure to develop.

Get involved in the arts world – Much of my previous experience is within photography organisations and so I’m keen to use this opportunity to gain more of rounded insight into the arts world.  As I am already in the process of organising volunteering at g39 in Cardiff I may focus on this experience for the programme, however I would really like to become more knowledgeable about performance art and so I’m interested in contacting In Between Time.  Equally, it would be fantastic to gain experience volunteering at the Arnolfini and so I have some thinking to do!

Research and review – The first part of this section is to interview an artist or arts professional and my initial idea is to try and interview Karen MacKinnon, the new Director of Artes Mundi International Visual Arts Exhibition and Prize.  Karen has been working as an international curator based in Wales for the past sixteen years and as I hope to progress towards a career in curating and/or programming, it would be a fantastic opportunity to gain an insight into Karen’s career and ideas for Artes Mundi.

At the end of September I will be heading to Venice on the Wales in Venice Invigilator Plus Programme.  Reviewing exhibitions is a skill I would really like to develop and so whilst in Venice, I’m going to challenge myself to write a review a week, which will amount to three reviews in total.  I will also be carrying out my own research as part of the Invigilator Programme, which will consider international engagement between the represented countries at the Biennale and so I would also like to include this research in my portfolio.

One of our tasks for the arts award is to interview someone that inspires you. I’ve been having a think about who this might be, and it’s hard because I already work with loads of really inspiring people who I’d love to talk to about their work history, motivation, and passion but I feel like I should use this to contact someone who I don’t know as well to make the most of the opportunity.

To help us with this task Grace and Paddy from Watershed led a 40minute workshop on how to record an interview. I’ve seen them both conduct interview in Watershed before and I’m always fascinated watching them because there’s nothing like pointing a camera at someone to make them become incredibly self aware and normally quite uncomfortable, however they always capture really great footage and make the person they’re interviewing relax. They taught us the technical side and about the equipment which is super handy and also framing, and ways engage with the person you are interviewing. All things that will help with the filmed interviews we have to do later on in the course.

I think I’m going to try and interview Sharon Clark the literacy manager of Bristol Old Vic. I know her a bit already, as she’s a Studio resident and I volunteered during one of her productions, but it would be nice to take the time to properly ask her more about her role at BOV. I guess I identify with her quite a lot as she writes herself, seems to have similar interests as me and used to work at Watershed. I also absolutely love BOV’s spoken word night BlahBlahBlah and would be interested in chatting about how that’s programmed. Alongside that I’d love to chat to the guys at Mayfest and find out more about the festival as it’s one of my favourite Bristol events. The problem with this section is there are so many brilliant people whose brains I’d love to pick. Narrowing it down is the hard part, but I’m going to spend some more time doing research and make a choice later on in the course.

This section of the arts award has also made me think that I’d quite like to arrange to have some one to one sessions with people in Watershed that I don’t have as much contact with and have a chat about their career paths. I did something really similar at Blast Theory who I interned and freelanced with and it was really invaluable.

One of first tasks for the Future Gold Arts was to identify our primary art form. I found it quite challenging deciding what to pick because although I love working in the creative industry I see myself in a producer role rather than creating things myself. I decided to go with playwriting in the end because I guess that’s the most creative of my skills.

The only problem is I haven’t actually written anything new myself in about a year now. I have a couple of half finished plays I need to work on but I know they need a lot of work and they’re pretty personal so I find it really hard to be subjective about them and show them to people for feedback. I guess that comes from a fear of them not being good enough, as I had really good feedback and responses to my early work while I was at university. Then coming out of university I was lucky enough to have work shown in a couple of competitions, took part in young writing courses and worked with some amazing, inspiring and supportive people. I feel like there’s a bar I’ve set for myself and people will be disappointed if it turns out I’m not actually very good. In reality this fear is just holding me back and I need to remember that writing is a learning process and you can only get better if you continue to do it. So that’s what I plan to do.

Our brief is to create something with our primary art form to promote the Cinkids programme at watershed, inspired by a secondary art form that you’ve learnt from someone else in the group. I’ve signed up to learn about Design from Zoe, and Photography and art installation from Lily and Rosanna. I’m interested in all three and think it’s a great chance to challenge myself and learn some new skills.

As I missed the first session I was also volunteered to help run a session about creative copy writing with Jenny. I’ve reviewed theatre before, and have to blog quite a bit for work but I’m not sure how qualified I am to teach others, but it will be a great learning curve and fun at least. I’m really looking forward to see some of the work that’s produced from it.

Our second Future Producers Gold session is upon us, and after our introductory session last week I have had some time to go away and consider how I might like to approach the different sections of the award.

In terms of my own arts practice, although I feel lucky to have quite a broad arts experience, I am going to choose printmaking. This is a practice I have been developing recently, and something I hope to continue and improve upon. I enjoy the fact that I am learning a traditional skill, and although I am not planning to make a career out of this practice I hope it will be something i’ll continue to develop. I am going to facilitate an introductory printmaking session as part of the skills swap, and have decided to learn about animation. Although this is a skill I have had experience of in the past, it is not something I have done for a long time, and would love a refresher. I also think it will compliment my own arts practice, and have ideas of animating a multi-layered print as a way of tying the two together.

As part of the ‘get involved in the arts world’ section, I would like to use this opportunity to gain more of an insight into the world of immersive cinema, live art and performance. This would hopefully also develop my understanding of the possible roles and career paths open to me. Although printmaking is my main arts practice, as I said previously it is not something I am planning on pursuing a career in, and therefore I think focusing on something of interest to me in relation to my career would be extremely valuable. My initial thought is to try and get involved with Compass Presents. I am really excited by the multi-disciplinary work they do, and being part of the BFI Gothic season group, I will be hopefully working alongside them anyway, which might put me in good stead to gain some experience.

If I was able to work with Compass Presents I could also tie it in with the ‘research and review’ section, for example going to one of their events eg. ‘The Calagari Experience’ and interviewing one of the members of the team who’s role I might take a particular interest in…?

Tonight as part of Gold we have done a short ‘Filming an Interview’ workshop, which has been very useful in terms of understanding what equipment we will use, how to use it, and what research we should do beforehand. Also we got some good tips on how to position the interviewee and how we should talk to them etc…

I am now going to go home and watch The Wicker man for Gothic film research reasons… I may not sleep well.

At this week’s Tuesday Future Producers session, we were given the chance to get stuck into our project of choice. I chose to work on Electric December; also working on the project are Rosie, Sam, Nicola and Ella.

We had two really useful conversations – one with Claire Stewart, Watershed’s Digital Communications Manager, and the other with David Redfern, Watershed’s Online Publicity Manager. They gave us a thorough introduction into the highs and lows of the last 15 years of Electric December, and helped us understand the boundaries of what we could do, especially in light of the fact that we’ll be working with young people and first-time film-makers.

We decided that the first thing we needed to do was get a comprehensive idea of the back catalogue of Electric December entries, so that we can use them as publicity and inspiration for this year’s event. We split the past 15 years between us, taking three each – Sam the oldest ones, Ella taking the next three, Nicola taking the 3 after that, Rosie the three after that and then myself taking the most recent. We’ll all note down prominent themes from these.

We assigned ourselves some other tasks as well. Nicola – who we discovered has a love of time lines (!) – will make us one, marking roughly what we should be doing at each stage of the run-up to December, and other relevant events (current and historic!) that could form part of a publicity drive (especially on social media). Sam will be getting in touch with Maddy from the Watershed to investigate the possibility of getting the contact details of past Electric December participants. I will be researching possible networks – online and offline – that could be interested in Electric December, with a view to building an enthusiastic and interactive community around the event (inspired by DepicT’s success in doing this). Ella and Rosie – as the most artistic members of the group – will be brainstorming ideas around branding and website design. Obviously, everyone will keep their thinking caps on to come up with bigger and better ideas as well…

In the last session we presented our pitches for the projects we wanted to work on, and listening to what everyone else had to say was really interesting and exciting because the group was so fuelled with energy and creative ideas.

I pitched to work on the BFI Gothic season – the challenge is to create an Immersive Dark Arts cinema event at the end of November which will appeal to and engage 18 – 25 year olds. This project resonated with me because of it’s scope for incorporating live performance and visual arts, and also because the concept of immersive cinema has really grabbed me creatively. I also thought this project would compliment another project I am doing with Encounters outside of Future Producer. I am part of a team producing an immersive cinema Fringe event at The Birdcage in September, and being involved in both these projects I know that I am going to learn a lot about this particular field. The opportunity to work with Compass Presents was the clincher – I am really interested in the cross-diciplinary creating new and innovative experiences, and to work alongside these guys is going to be incredible!

Unfortunately I wasn’t very confident in my presentation, I felt a little thrown by all the wonderful and inspiring ideas that had come beforehand and this made me think completely differently about what I wanted to say. However I did get selected to be part of the BFI Gothic season team, therefore I’m guessing that I did manage to communicate my enthusiasm and excitement for the project! I think the selected team is going to be great, we have a good mix of interests, backgrounds and knowledge, and to be honest I feel a little intimidated by the collective talent and experience, however I can only learn…

Only a few weeks in to Future Producers and already I am getting a sense of where this could all lead, which is very exciting. I am beginning to understand now what it is I might want to do as a career – it just needs focusing and fine tuning and this is what the rest of the year, and my time with Future Producers is going to be about. I am looking forward to really getting a grasp on the different roles involved in producing a project, and hopefully begin to get a real understanding of where my strengths lie within those roles.

The prospect of public speaking and presenting to an audience is one that strikes fear into the hearts of many, and I count myself as one of them. But despite the raised blood pressure and anxiety of having our pitches filmed, presenting our ideas for the numerous strands of the Future Producers Program was an inspiring and (dare I say it) fun experience.

What I took away from it was how truly talented and creative a group of people my fellow Future Producers are, and it really humbles and excites me to be working with and alongside you all. With such a diversity in skills and experiences, it feels like I’m in a true hotpot for exciting creativity, an environment I think the Watershed strives to and succeeds in maintaining.

My existing enthusiasm for the BFI Gothic Season strand was only furthered upon hearing the ideas pitched by others interested in the season. As I sat listening to the other pitches for this ghoulish strand, I could already feel a good sense of shared ideas and interests. As I heard mention of mad-scientists, symbology and folklore, my anxiety of my own ideas potentially being laughed out of the building were abated. My fellow ‘Gothics’ stunned me with their wide range of ideas, and even more so by how, in many respects, we already seemed to be on the same wave-length. Undoubtedly, we’re going to have to reign in many of our ideas, which, coming from a person who has always tended to think big, will be a challenge, but one I relish.

All I can say is, Bristol better prepare itself, because something very wicked this way comes!

I have to admit, it’s taken me some time to process, but I think it’s time I reflected on the events of the past week.

Tuesday’s session was, I think, a tough one for most. We had the opportunity to work with some of the presentation skills we’d acquired the previous week to lay out our initial thoughts and ideas regarding the project we wished to work on. As previously stated, I had settled on the Electric December season, however I struggled to share my thoughts coherently – perhaps being dazzled by all the discussion prior to my presentation. I attempted to contribute my ideas of using social media tools such as Instagram and Vine to garner interest from what could be a under-privileged audience, and mentioned the questionable branding of the website – which it seems was a collective worry of the Electric December team. These submissions from myself and the valuable ideas of others asked the question of WHO is the audience of Electric December? It’s clear the season needs a revamp and I’m excited to be part of the team to pioneer the reconceptualisation. I’m happy with the group I am to be working amongst – I believe we all have attributes that will be beneficial and will compliment each other.

Between the sessions, I managed to go on a solo cinema trip to watch Frances Ha at Watershed. If you haven’t seen the film already, I’d suggest catching it whilst it’s still around! The character of Frances was not only charming but very identifiable. I loved the scenes where she is in Paris, and it reminded me of some solitary adventures I had in Barcelona last year. It’s refreshing to watch a film with a female protagonist not having to rely on a romance plot. There is also a theme of fighting for your dreams, whilst retaining a sense of reality – a very inspirational film indeed.

The Thursday session, which was our introduction to the Gold Arts Award, left me feeling quite anxious if I’m to be honest. I’ve had a very patchy education and the idea of fulfilling criteria with a qualification as an end result has evoked a sense of dread in me. That being said – I couldn’t be more eager to get stuck into the workload!

It was quite an ordeal to suggest where my talents lie, as I am a jack of all trades, master of none. I somehow got roped into leading an animation workshop. As the week has gone on, I’ve become less worried about this, and instead seen it as a challenge to better my own knowledge of the subject. Animation is a perfect way to utilise many other skills too. There are others who specialise in photography, print making, design, and film-making, who will all be able to find a way to adapt to this discipline. I have signed up for workshops in design and copy-writing which I hope will broaden and hone certain skills I possess.

I’m keen to crack on with the next session to cement my understanding of the qualification. In the meantime I’ve been thinking of novel ways of grabbing a CineKids-audience’s attention with the use of animation.

It’s not that daunting when even the simplest of methods will do 🙂

On a last note – in a discussion about the attraction of being a facilitator of art, Zoe and myself have thought an interesting way for a group-wide collaboration would be to create a zine project. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Well, my first blog post. Admittedly I’m slightly behind the rest of the group, not for lack of wanting to write this but mainly trying to find the right words. I have been overwhelmed with the talented people that I’m working with and the commitment and passion that everyone is bringing to the programme.

After working for the past year, Future Producers is a nice change of pace. After the ‘fun’ of my third year at University I thought I was done with all learning related activities, what I’ve come to realise about myself is that I love learning, whether that’s leaning new skills or just debating and getting a different perspective and being given the opportunity to be creative again.

After the first Future Producers Plus session, I started to think about my role in the industry and what I want to gain from this experience. We were asked to talk about our primary art form….err… yeah….so I’m not what that call naturally gifted in that department. Around me I have very talented film makers, writer, graphic designer to name a few and I had to name my art form *blank look*. I can tell you what art I’m interested in and what I love, what I find thought provoking, what I’m passionate about but none of which I could call my art form. I’ve always thought as myself as a facilitator for creative people, not as a creative person myself, so I think this is a good starting point for me to develop my skills and really make me look at ways in which I feel I can be creative.

I’m very excited to be working on the Family Arts Festival with Louise and Hannah, I think the 3 of us with our different skills and backgrounds will bring an interesting mix to the project. We’re all meeting early on Tuesday to have a tour of the pervasive media studio and get the ball rolling with ideas, let’s see where it takes us!

I thoroughly enjoyed last Tuesday’s session where we were all given the opportunity to pitch for our chosen area over the next few months. The Gothic season really stood out to me from the start, so this was my chosen area to pitch for. I felt pretty unprepared for the presentation but I think after our presentation skills workshop I managed to convey my ideas relatively successfully. It was absolutely fantastic hearing everyone else’s ideas and seeing how enthusiastic everyone also felt. I am so pleased with the other people I’m going to be working with as they all seem to be hugely creative and I think the group is going to have a great mix of talents and skills that will hugely compliment each other. I’m really hoping my event design background will be of benefit to the project.

I’m currently watching films from the Gothic season information we were given and am really enjoying researching the genre. I’ve also been looking at the company ‘Compass Presents’, who will hopefully be mentoring us through the project and am really looking forward to possible discussions and collaboration with them as their work sounds amazing.

I’m over the moon to be working on the project and cant wait for the ideas to flow.

After a lot of deliberation, I eventually decided to go for something different and pitch for the Encounters Festival (as opposed to the BFI Gothic season) at last week’s Programming Pitch session – specifically, the Fresh Flix section.  Having been to several creative writing workshops, I understand how important collaboration and sharing ideas is for young people trying to learn more about the creative industries.  Because all the films in the Fresh Flix selection have strong narratives and tell their stories in very different ways, I thought it would be interesting to build a workshop around the generation of ideas and how the initial kernel of an idea can be shaped into a narrative.

In the pipeline as well are Matt’s idea of a comedy writing masterclass, and Luke’s pitch for a filmmaking workshop focused on the creation of ‘self-portraits’, perhaps drawing on the work of Sam Firth.

I’d also like to be involved in Digital Documentation in some way (joining Charlie’s team of one), whether it’s through covering events, getting feedback from audience members, conducting interviews or helping out in any other way I can.

Future Producers Plus

Though I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the Gold Arts Award, it turns out that the process sounds like fun.  And also work.  But fun work.  The brief is to create a piece of original artwork which promotes the monthly Cinékids screenings, using our primary art form but incorporating other skills we’ll learn as part of the course.

My main art form is writing, but I’d love to learn the basics of filmmaking (essentially shooting and editing, I really know nothing), so I’ve signed up for Luke’s workshop.  I’m also keen to gain some scriptwriting skills, which I’m hoping James will be able to teach me.

At the minute, my ideas are centred on creating a script, perhaps to accompany a short live-action film.  What I learn about filmmaking will help me develop something that will be stylistically suited to the screen.  I’m also thinking about scripting a performance piece (which could potentially be performed by current Cinékids, or just children generally), but no doubt I’ll change my mind multiple times before the final decision is made.