Trepidation at entering into the unknown is a familiar state to most of us. Less familiar, however, is noticing that feeling dissipate within minutes of arrival. As you may expect with a group of excited and passionate young people, conversation was easy to come by. Over this past weekend, this band of strangers has turned into a bunch of the friendliest faces. Our guest speakers were a wealth of information and positivity, and our captain Hannah H sets us up with the perfect environment to learn and create.
After years at university, entangled in group meetings where hours could be spent deliberating a powerpoint layout, it was a revelation to spend bursts of time with small groups of my fellow Future Producers in which presentations and concepts were created in minutes from bouncing thoughts around the table. With each person bringing a unique skill set, I found it fascinating to discover how problems and ideas were approached differently by everyone.
This was an important realisation for me: I’m no longer worried that I don’t come from such a creative background as others – not only am I learning huge amounts, but I know my input is as valued as everyone else’s because of my past experiences, not in spite of them. For example, never would it have occurred to me that I could help shortlist a film festival programme. But I loved it! It was extremely interesting process to distance from my feelings for a piece and instead address the requirements that fit our target audience of 12-19 year-olds. Our group discussion showed how one message could mean completely different things to two people. I guess the main point here is that opinions are individual, and are meant to provoke discussion. There’s no right or wrong opinion, but through discussion we can distill them into the most appropriate course of action, or, as with the shortlisting, the best possible choices for our brief.
Aside from shortlisting, we participated in a presenting workshop to hone our pitching skills and deal with those possible (probable!) nerves. The preparation tips I picked up were of particular use, and climbing repeatedly out of my comfort zone strengthened my confidence in public speaking.
I’m genuinely excited by the potential of what the coming weeks hold for the Future Producers. Electric December interests the marketing and promotions side of me – how to engage an online audience, using face to face marketing to drive people to the website and participate, etc. Live events are a passion so I would love to co-produce a film event such an Electric December Launch party, the Encounters screenings or a launch event for the fascinating Gothic Season. I’m looking forward to finding out more.
*One less significant thought that has consumed me since Sunday: how many cooler films I could have announced as my favourite than the beloved Sound Of Music. What will my future be? I wonder…