Advice for young filmmakers...
Simon says....
My advice to others looking into film, or anybody who wants to do something along the same lines, is that all you need is determination and ambition.
You can pick up most skills on the job, I don't know that I have an extraordinary natural talent for filmmaking, but I have an interest in film, a will to tell stories, and the drive and determination to do what it takes to make it in film.
Be prepared to work all day and all night to meet that deadline, be prepared to spend all night on a set in jeans and T-shirt for the cause, and be prepared to muck in at the lowest possible levels.
Nobody walks into directing, and to make it as a director you've got to prove you know how it all works. Learn how to operate a camera back to front and smoothly, learn how to operate the sound control, the boom pole, learn how to edit using Final Cut Pro, learn how to coil cables - and learn how to make the tea! You need to understand how everything works before you can start telling people how to work it all, and you need to prove yourself before you can start calling the shots.
Simon's Background
At just 19 Simon has a wealth of experience behind him, which stood him in good stead at his Bournemouth interview.
- Started out on Mobile Media
- Continued at Media Circus
- GCSE Media
- GSCE Drama
- A levels in Media Studies, English Language, and Theatre Studies
- Two BTEC awards in Video Techniques and Acting
- Production Assistant on the award-winning The Child and Me.
- Joined YourFilm and helped provide the group with technical skills, whilst developing his own practice
- Got placements on projects independently and through YourFilm
- Flux project assistant
- Currently directing a film made on SouthWest Screen’s TOR project
- Worked as Scriptwriter, Lighting Technician, Producer, Editor and Lead Actor on Rite of Passage, a film made with YourFilm.