ENTER FILM FESTIVALS:
I only began to get involved in the idea of film festivals after my second year was completed on the course and even then it was only 1 or 2 that I applied to. However since graduating and knowing I needed to make a career and a name for myself I have entered a bunch more. Now I realise that I could have got myself and my name a lot further if I was more willing to do this during Uni. Mainly I didn't enter film festivals a lot because I was too nervous; I felt like rejection must mean my film was bad, however I soon learnt this wasn't the case. Sometime you just need to find the right festival and the right audience for you, for example I have had the same film be rejected from 1 festival and then go on to win another which it was much more suited to it. Another worry and issue for students when it comes to film festivals is always usually money. However while your a student you can enter Student Film Festivals which are much cheaper or free and also usually there are student entry rates into normal film festivals which will be cheaper/affordable... It's almost like the film industry and these film festivals want young talented filmmakers to send in their student films... Wink Wink Nudge Nudge! What I also found more than helpful was finding out how to find the festivals for you. I came across an amazing website for this called Film Freeway! One of the best things you can do is sign up to this website for free and then get searching. It has thousands of film festivals from all over the world listed on it and you can search through them all using loads of different search parameters; meaning you could get certain locations, certain types, certain prices and even just find the free entry festivals... thats right, many are free to enter! You can also then do the whole application process to these festivals via Film Freeway by setting up an account which is surprisingly simple to do and uploading your work privately onto here. Also you want to keep in the loop with the tutors and teachers as they will very often know of film festivals themselves and even at times suggest these to you. Now that you have no excuse get out there and start spreading your work. (Just always remember to read the rules and the Terms & Conditions of the festival when applying so you don't waste your money applying if your film isn't applicable to the festival or competition.)
ATTEND SCREENINGS & EVENTS:
This will and has probably been said to you a lot but its good practice. The tutors will quiet often send emails about events they know of and I must admit I never always paid attention to these. However I realised as I got towards the end of my studies that these events and screenings were more useful to me than I realised. Not only did these events and screenings allow me to see more films and artwork but they allowed me to build my knowledge and my ability to evaluate and critique the artists work and this is a well sought after skill in itself. Being able to professionally have a discussion with other creatives about the work builds contacts, connections but also lets you learn from other artists successes and maybe even mistakes allowing you to further develop your work but also your communication skills. Its a win win! Also remember not to only get sucked into Film and Photography screenings and events. Expand yourself into art events in general as their are lots of transferable skills, themes and knowledge to learn form other art practices. For example even just going to the Tate Late is an exciting art event in itself. The Tate Modern is open late on the last Friday of every month and you are aloud to explore the galleries of modern art work at night which is a new vibe in itself but also they sometimes open up the tank rooms below were they have films projected, music playing and a bar (very underground cinema-ish). Alcohol, music and free art; what more could you want from a Friday night. Also London itself is a great city that your close enough to in Farnham that you can visit easily via train (Get a student rail card or a group ticket and its cheaper to get to). As a student any time you go to London you should utilise the whole day by finding things to see and trust me, art is fairly easy to find in London. Any of the major galleries will usually have free exhibitions as part of them and you can also find many independent small galleries in old shop spaces while walking round the streets. This is particularly common in the arty areas of London such as Shoreditch, Hackney and Hoxton. Go get exploring and have fun!
FUNDRAISE FOR FILMS :
I made the simple mistake of never officially fundraising for many of my own projects in and out of uni and instead using my own money (...well my student loan!) however this always left me far too skint which made things stressful! Yes; I learnt many life skills like budgeting to the max on production and in my own life, however I could have achieved so much more at a less stressful price if I had the nerve to fundraise. I will admit not every film project will warrant fundraising, but the more ambitious projects do! Why should a lack of money stop you fulfilling your filmmaker dreams... It shouldn't! Make sure you are getting people to invest in your film and therefore you are making your goals a reality. Some of the ways people raised money on other projects I was involved in varied greatly, however as long as you get the job done its all good. Indiegogo is a website which I have seen and heard many a successes via such as the 2018 graduation film 'Girl Happy' which raised a lot of money through this website by creating marketing material on there and then advertising it around as much as they physically could. Social media pages were set up everywhere for it too (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and this along with events worked to get them the money. As mentioned events are another good way to raise money, people tend to opt for simple cheap things like cake sales which is all good if it works but a word of advice; maybe avoid doing it in the uni quad all the time as we began to see a new fundraising cake sale etc in the quad every day at busy times of the year. Instead maybe grab peoples attention by doing it somewhere more student friendly and fun... like a pub! Many local pubs and establishments are happy to speak to students and allow certain events like well planned fundraisers as long as it will get people through the door and buying their drinks. Just remember there isn't any harm in asking, and most places are understanding as farnham is a student town.
SHOUT ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS:
Before I get too into this I firstly need to mention don't be cocky! But instead be proud of what you have done. So many times when things were going really well at university for me or I had made/achieved something I was really happy and proud of, most of my friends and family etc outside of university didn't even have a clue about it. This is because I never liked to publicly post things about what I was up to on social media pages or advertise my flickr and youtube etc because I was worried that firstly it would come across as bragging or that nobody would really care that much. However as time went on I realised that this was stoping my work from getting out into the world in general and it stopped my achievements being noticed even by potential employers or colleagues. You never know who may find you online and what platforms they may use so you need to use all the platforms you have at your disposal to talk about your current projects, advertise them, post your work if you want to (remember to consider copyright etc) and let people know what you have and can do. This will also work wonders for your confidence as it lets you keep track of your own progress and reinforces to yourself how you are doing. Sometimes people like to have separate professional social media pages to personal ones so do this if it makes you feel more comfortable. Lastly keep your Youtube, Flickr, Instagram, Linkedin etc up to date because it encourages you to want to show it off more, especially to people you may meet at events and may be networking with. (Linkedin is really useful so make sure to get one set up!) Basically be loud and be proud but do it respectfully!
KEEP BUSY:
Summer is a good chill time and make sure you do spend some time relaxing. However too many times would I spend weeks putting off doing anything uni or work related and then by the end of the summer I would feel disappointed that I hadn't got more done so don't make this mistake. You can keep busy by working on the above but also by working on things which interest you or potentially things that are new for you. Even if your relaxing having a nice time off, find hobbies you enjoy and ways to keep your mind active so you don't start forgetting useful knowledge and skills. I began spending a lot of the summer working on photography projects and occasional low key personal film projects. I would work alone on these and even though I am not a camera operator I would film things myself. You should think about doing the same. Even if your not a photographer or a camera operator you can learn so many transferable skills that will help with other roles that may interest you more. By practicing these skills it will help in the long run especially in helping you develop a keen eye for exciting and interesting visuals and building your own authentic style too. Just test yourself and have fun, use the summer to focus on projects that are for you.
Hope everyone is having a good summer!
Written By Billie Williams
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