Kiss My Genders

To supplement Billie's news about exhibitions, I'd strongly recommend a visit to Kiss My Genders at the Hayward Gallery before it finishes in early September. https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/hayward-gallery-art/kiss-my-genders

See this video by Vincent Honore, Exhibition Curator, and Tarini Malik, Assistant Curator:

I went last week after going to Parliament Square for the XR Youth Strike. I literally bumped into an old friend in the foyer of the Hayward Gallery that I used to share a student flat with in Hulme, Manchester, back in the 80s and we were able to explore the exhibition together. Fantastic to visit familiar photos from Del LaGrace Volcano taking me back to the mid 90s when we shared a studio with Grace Lau and Robin Shaw as founding members of Exposures - a collective of Women Photographers. Since then Del has transitioned, lives in Sweden and is currently MaPa to their two children who they are raising as non-binary.

I sent them this photo of us together! 

Then discovered this interview with Del in the British Journal of Photography: https://www.bjp-online.com/2019/06/any-answers-del-lagrace-volcano/

STAY CREATIVE: Summer Inspiration by Billie Williams

Its easy to fall into a lull over the summer and to let your creative juices stop temporarily however the summer is a great time for you to get inspired, work on your own projects and just enjoy being ARTY without all the pressure! whether you are between years or about to embark on your Film & digital Arts journey in September, these tips are a great way to prep and get those creative thoughts flowing ready for all the exciting work to come but also to keep your artistically active. Building on my advice for you last year here are some more creative things you can do this summer...


GET INSPIRED & EXPLORE ART

Now you have more down time you can visit exhibitions that inspire you, but also visit exhibitions from artists you've never heard of before - something that sounds different to your usual areas of interest. It can be fun to explore new art on a whim, especially if its free (like a lot of the work at the Tate!) A lot of exhibitions are usually in London which may be far for some of you but if you find lots that interest you, you can make the most by doing a bit of a gallery-crawl! Here are some exhibitions going on round London which sound unique, powerful and well worth a visit:


The Culture Under Attack season at The Imperial War Museum, London. Now - 5th Jan 20.
FREE

'A free season of three exhibitions, live music, performances and talks at IWM London that explore how war threatens not just people’s lives, but also the things that help define us. Telling stories spanning 100 years, Culture Under Attack reveals why some try to erase or exploit culture, while others risk everything to protect, celebrate and rebuild it.'
https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/what-remains

What Remains is a new exhibition here, which explores cultural heritage and how and why it is attacked during war through collections of artwork, objects and photographs.


Frieze Sculptures at Regents Park, London. Now - 6th October.

FREE

Londons largest outdoor free display of artwork. This year it includes the artists: Iván Argote, Ghazaleh Avarzamani, Huma Bhabha, Peter Buggenhout, Jodie Carey, Ma Desheng, Tracey Emin, Lars Fisk, Barry Flanagan, Charlie Godet Thomas, Leiko Ikemura, Robert Indiana, Vik Muniz, Zak Ové, Jaume Plensa, Bettina Pousttchi, Tom Sachs, Lucy Skaer, LR Vandy, Joanna Rajkowska, Tai-Jung Um, Bill Woodrow and Emily Young. The sculptures vary from symbolic numbers to a giant matchbox car.

https://frieze.com/article/now-open-frieze-sculpture-regents-park

Kinska: My Opera House at Now Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula. Now - 16th September.

FREE

Artist Kinska turns this gallery space into her own magical realm using many objects installed, such as ceramic teardrops and a wooden house. 

http://nowgallery.co.uk/exhibitions/my-opera-house/

Miss Bugs: Do No Harm at Jealous East Gallery, London. Now - 21st July.

FREE

This is a piece/exhibition about our societies need to consume everything. The artist has made a series of popsicles which are not fit for consumption as a statement on this.

https://www.jealousgallery.com/exhibitions/miss-bugs-solo-show-no-harm-done

Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life at Tate Modern, London. Now - 5th January 20.

£18

Eliasson has created a show at the Tate which focuses on sustainability, which is an urgent and important topic at the moment. He plays with light creating things such as rainbows indoors. It sounds like a very powerful exhibition.

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/olafur-eliasson


KEEP YOUR ART PRACTICE ALIVE!

If you feel inspired by these exhibitions, or anything else for that matter, then push yourself to make something. BE CREATIVE! As photographers, filmmakers and artists this should come easy to you, however I understand it can be hard to have motivation, especially over the holidays, so here are some things to try:

Summer Montage Challenge - Film 10 seconds to 1 minute from every day of the summer. Capture things you have been up to and seen but try to also think about what interest and excites you. Then you can edit and combine all these interesting visuals together to create a summer film unique to you. This keeps your brain thinking creatively even if only for a short while each day.

Daily Photo Challenge - A lot of people will already, sometimes unknowingly, take part in this by posting pictures at least once a day to instagram. However this is a good approach even if you don't post them on social media. The idea is to take one photo a day that sums up that day, by expressing yourself, your feeling or what you have seen/done. You then collect these images together (posting daily if you like) or posting as a series. You can even combine them together to make manipulated images or a montage video of images. This is another fun way to keep you actively creative every day.

Daily Art Challenge - Very much the same as the last two challenges, however you create art work every day which again will only take you a few mins or maybe sometimes longer, but expresses that day or your feelings towards it etc. You can then collect these and post them online, creating yourself an online summer gallery or collate them into something bigger at the end of the summer. Again another interesting way to keep stimulated and creative.

Finish the unfinished - As creatives you sometimes find you start working on an idea or project and you sometimes just loose focus, time or you just forget about it all together. You end up with half-finished pieces, unedited photo shoots & films, or rough sketches and plans that never became more Summer is a great time to revisit these. You can come back to them with fresh eyes and use this extra time you now have to finish the unfinished. Even if it's not a fully fledged portfolio worthy piece of work, its always good to feel a sense of accomplishment from finishing something you have started


CHILL OUT & RESEARCH

All these exhibitions and tasks I speak about are just ideas of how to keep creative and busy, but one very under-rated use of your time is also RESEARCH! As artists you must realise that the best way to become inspired and create contextualised work is to have a field of knowledge behind you. If you find yourself with spare time then look into art from the comfort of your own home. Go online and research art movements you have heard of, artists you want to know more about and anything else that may feed one day into your ideas and works. If you fancy a trip out the house as well then libraries are a good place to take some time to yourself to again research and read into art etc that you may not have found any other way! The best bit about research during the summer is there is no pressure to look into any particular thing, as its not for a project etc, it's just looking at what interest, inspires and excites you. By doing this you'r building yourself up with a wealth of knowledge around subjects that matter to you, which you can then use in future projects making your ideas more fully formed and contextualised at an earlier stage.

Enjoy your Creative Summers!

SHUT DOWN Dance Performance

SHUT DOWN is created and designed by Charlotte Vincent alongside a talented team working with the Vincent Dance Theatre Company. It's their first ever all male production and 'explores the spectrum of modern day masculinity and investigates the pressures, contradictions and confusions of being a man.' They are touring the country with this live performance as well as it being made into a 6 screen video artwork.



We gave students the opportunity to see this show while it was here in Farnham at The Maltings in February 2019. The show was an amazing experience, one that shocked but also inspired and made you question yourself and the way you think about the issues and topics surrounding masculinity. It used so many diverse styles of dance from pop & lock, to contemporary to gestural movements etc to try explore and represent masculinity. Each type of dance was used so specifically to link to the ideas they would explore in that scene. It combined the art form of dance alongside a multitude of others to create this powerful performance. It used Spoken Word, Rap and real life testimonies to make this piece even more charged. The spoken word was said with such passion and really felt like a integral part of the piece, to not only see visually how these men are impacted but also to hear how they feel and drive the piece forward in this sense as well.

I feel like this show is one that will be perceived differently by everyone but the biggest divide will be how men perceive this show, compared to women. As a women myself watching this, I felt on edge at times almost wanting to cry for the way these men were demonstrating the most simplest of issues to us, at times almost feeling bad for the part I may have to play in these issues societally. However at other times I found myself smiling and even laughing at the obvious but comical stereotypes we were also being presented with. This show really is a rollercoaster of ups and downs and that is what made it so exciting and impactful, really making me think about the way men and masculinity can be thought of in current day society and the problems this presents. It was an experience not worth missing and I would encourage anyone, even if not into dance, to go see this.

Other people have said:

‘Once again I was blown away by @VincentDT. #VDTShutDown is fearless, meaningful and so relevant. Everyone needs to see it.’ Audience Feedback, London.

'SHUT DOWN seems to present simultaneously a manifesto, a rebellion, a cry for help, and a mapping of the many identities ‘a man’ could take on.’ Exeunt Magazine.

'This was my highlight of the Festival – honest, thoughtful, funny, gut-wrenching.’ Audience Member, Brighton Festival 2018

Written by Billie Williams

Pictures from:

https://dancetabs.com/2017/11/vincent-dance-theatre-shut-down-london/

https://www.vincentdt.com/project/shut-down/

Quotes from:

https://www.vincentdt.com/project/shut-down/

https://www.vincentdt.com/project/shut-down-installation/

Artists Fighting Climate Change - Guardian - art and culture

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/20/artists-fighting-climate-change 

Billie Williams visits The Big Shoulders International Student Film Festival in Chicago

After making my Graduation film last year (17/18) I used Film Freeway to enter it into a number of film festivals. My film is a personal experimental art film and therefore isn't obviously suited to any particular festival. After doing research I entered a number and it paid off as I was fortunate enough to be selected for The Big Shoulders International Student Festival in Chicago which is run by DePaul University. I was selected as a screened film and a finalist in the Experimental Film category. This festival promoted a diverse range of films wanting to showcase both student films and film makers all pushing forward and showing skills in their relevant fields. All film makers were invited to attend.  I took a gamble and decided to go as they were offering accommodation for my visit and access to many other exciting events along with the festival. I booked a budget flight, got myself ready to go - and I am so glad I did as it was an amazing experience! If you ever get invited to attend a festival (and you have the time and funds) I would highly recommend this. I had the best week meeting other young film makers and students who were all trying to reach a goal similar to mine. Here is a summary of the week:

- I arrived on Wednesday 30th January and was met by my host/buddy Katie, who was a film student at DePaul University. The festival had provided a host for anyone wanting one and I was fortunate enough that mine met me at the airport. This took the stress out of travelling and allowed me to talk to her about her film work and student experience. We spoke for many hours about films and life as a student. She took me sight seeing for the first two days so I could take photographs of the city and experience Chicago. This was difficult however with the polar vortex happening and it being -26 degrees. We still made the most of it though. I saw the bean, went to china town, went up Willis Tower and more. It was such a fun time.

- On Friday 1st February the official festival activities began. We started off by going on a tour round Cinespace studios. This is a large set of studios where TV shows such as Empire, Chicago PD and Shameless have/are filmed. We got to see some of the studios that DePaul students get to use and learn it. It was amazing to see and also such a good opportunity that these students get to work in this large professional studio space. 

- Later that day we were then invited along with DePaul students to an advanced screening of the film 'Fighting With My Family' directed by Stephen Merchant. The film was great to see, especially being a British film coming from a British Director. I found this however meant that a few jokes were only laughed at by myself and a few other British filmmakers that attended due to a very British dialect and specific jokes. The best part was that Stephen Merchant himself attended and did a Q&A session afterwards. It was inspirational to hear him speak about the ways he works and find out about how stressful film sets can be even on a much larger budget for a feature length. 

- We then had another screening afterwards we were again invited to with the DePaul students. It was to see three short films by Qui Yang and Constanze Schmitt, including the 2017 Winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or for Short Film, “A Gentle Night". These films were very artistic in style and therefore really interested me. Director Qui Yang has such a unique style using very minimal but long choreographed shots which really pull your attention into the detailed but implied stories. We had a Q&A session with them both afterward which allowed us to learn a lot more about their working processes and really inspired me to keep pushing my own style, the way he has pushed his.

- In the evening we were then invited to a private welcoming party for all the film makers and festival organisers and helpers etc. It was a great chance to meet and bond with all the other film makers and other students from DePaul. We all came from different places and all had very different films with unique ways of working and we spent many hours all talking about this. I have made some really talented contacts around the globe and I even handed out my business card to some of them. This was a great networking event, plus free food and open bar!

- Saturday 2nd Feb was the actual day of the film festival. Everyone was really excited but also nervous as we finally all got to screen our films to an audience and to each other (having met each other but not seen anyones films yet). The festival was split in two halves of the day, programme 1 followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, then a short break and onto programme 2 and a Q&A. In total I watched 21 films including mine and it was amazing! I truly enjoyed each and everyone film and all for different reasons. There was such a great variety of films ranging from documentary to experimental, from animation to drama and so on. Many were strong in style and/or in the message that they were sharing. Watching my own film on such a large screen in front of a brand new audience was more exciting but also scary than I had even thought it would be. My heart was thumping the entire way through but thankfully the applause at the end let me relax as I knew that it had been well received along with all the other films. Besides bumbling my way through the Q&A (would always recommend having answers slightly prepared) everything ran really smoothly. If you are like me and don't enjoy public speaking then prepare yourself and think about what you may be asked. I only wish I had done this a little better as I was able to give answers but I know I can do better, but there's always next time anyway!

Here is the awards list:

Best Documentary: The Canadian by Fabian Lopez

Best Narrative: Yasamin by Julia Elihu

Best Experimental: Mommy's Lullaby by Anna Spacio

Best Animation: The Hoopoe and the Owls by Narges Haghighat

Best Screenplay: Innae (Perseverance) by Akram Shibly

Vincentian Prize: Dreamer by Jordan Berns

Best of Fest: Salty Blood by Sixmarling Then and Isabella Brenton

Even though I did not win my category or an award (cash prizes for each included!), I was just privileged to be able to be in the festival and be given this amazing opportunity to meet so many talented people and get to take part in so many activities while here. Every film that won a prize really deserved it and every film involved was there for a reason. 

- Lastly the weekend was seen out with an After Party involving everyone who attended the festival. Again free food and open bar but also this allowed us a chance to receive feedback first hand from members of the jury, DePaul students, festival organisers and members of the public. I was overwhelmed by the amount of nice and positive feedback I received. Someone even said my film was her favourite and other people said that the emotions in my film were strong. 

I am so happy to have attended and I really would encourage others to enter and attend this festival because they really do make an effort to look after you and offer you amazing opportunities. I have made lifelong friends and amazing connections across the globe and I also came back feeling more motivated then ever to continue working on my films in my style.

Written by Billie Williams

2019 Alumni Event & Private View of Milieu? in the Hockey Gallery

Another fantastic event attended by Will McGregor (who showed a sneak preview of his new feature - shh!), Ben Burdock (producer at Pulse Films), Iain Whitewright (editor at Whitehouse Post), Sam Heasman (freelance cinematographer), Laura Thomas (Freelance TV Co-ordinator - BBC, Channel 5, RDF and more), Shahid Abu (Audiovisual Tech/Engineer at Media Powerhouse), Charlie Akehurst (FX Technical Director at MPC) and Thomas Doukinitsas (Motion Graphics Designer at RT UK)

Accomplished careers in the creative industries were discussed along with tips for our current students to find work during and after their studies. Everyone agreed that you should get paid but perhaps occasionally take an opportunity to help someone for free and learn new skills. Also use your network - make work with your friends. Some of the most simple and best advice is in the presentation above - WORK HARD & BE NICE TO PEOPLE!

After a Q&A we went to the Hockey Gallery for the Private View of Milieu? our Y2 exhibition:

Students explore maps and networks as metaphors, through inventive and imaginative interpretations of space, memory, identity, surveillance, cultural anthropology, ecology and sustainability. Spanning video, animation, multi-screen film, spoken word, video games and installation, the work in the exhibition illustrates the breadth and interdisciplinary nature of the course which enables students to consider social, personal and political concerns through film and digital art. Harnessing creativity to technical know-how, intellectual curiosity to social responsibility, Film & Digital Art affords students invaluable opportunities for individual and collaborative expression and experimentation.

 Digital Dystopia by Pip Brett

Our student curators Brodie McBride and Ance Priedneice have done an amazing job of planning and co-ordinating the exhibition with all the Year 2 students helping out and our TA Billie Williams providing valuable advice too. Big thanks also to Laura Rowe, the UCA Gallery Technician, for her help and patience. The exhibition is open until March 16th so please come and visit.

Grace Patey

Junaid Zaheer

Avery Stimson

Greirson Award - Preston Hartley nominated for Best Student Documentary

Following Preston's success as one of 12 young people to be mentored for DocLab, his graduation documentary film was nominated for Best Student Documentary against three others all from the National Film School. Our Y1 Leader Anne Parisio accompanied him to the Award Ceremony at the South Bank on Monday 5th November and here is her review:

"Recent DFSA graduate Preston Hartley was invited to the prestigious Grierson awards at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank on Monday 5^th November for two completely separate reasons; having already won a place on the Grierson DocLab scheme and then again because his graduation film had reached the final 4 nominations for the best student documentary.

Considered the Oscars of the documentary world and now in their 46th year, the Grierson Awards celebrate the best in documentary film-making. Winning a Grierson carries prestige and allure for factual filmmakers across the globe. (see Preston’s special mention) [https://griersontrust.org/about-us/news/2018/2018-the-final-nominations-are-announced.html] This is an incredible achievement and Preston’s nomination provides him with the perfect introduction to the professional film and TV world. It was quite a glitzy affair with all the key industry movers and shakers in attendance, including Sir Trevor McDonald who would be receiving a special award, channel commissioners, production companies, and the very best of factual programme makers and documentary directors.

By co-incidence I had worked with Preston’s Doclab mentor (Emma Hindley from Brook Lapping) during my broadcast career and so I was invited to join him for the award ceremony. Whilst we had dinner together I put in a word for the DFSA course, explaining that our multi-disciplinary and bespoke creative approach provided our graduates (like Preston) with a portfolio of skills well suited to the industry. Then it was off to the Queen Elizabeth Hall - Emma knew almost everyone there and from the minute we stepped through the door worked tirelessly to introduce Preston to contacts who might give him that important first step to establish his career as a filmmaker.

Although Preston seemed somewhat dazed by the new world he had been catapulted into, I was impressed by his networking skills and am certain both his hard work and Emma’s introductions are going to bear results very soon. 

When it was time to join the awards ceremony we were on tenterhooks – Preston’s was the only undergraduate film against 3 NFTVS MA films all produced overseas. Preston joined his DocLab colleagues and I sat with Emma and the head of Brook Lapping development. The early awards seem to favour UK subjects which made us hope Preston’s raw emotional film journey might have some sway against the glossy overseas subjects. 

The presenter said it was a close call, but in the end the judges chose a film which explored the manufacturing of fake news in Macedonia, commended for its relevance to contemporary events. We were disappointed for Preston not to gain the ultimate prize but as Emma pointed out, the expectations and pressure on the winner is immense and in many ways to be seen as someone who has potential and can be nurtured is a more attractive proposition for most potential employers.

When I left at 10.30pm Preston was still busily networking…. Well done Preston."

This achievement not only demonstrates the wonderful possibilities for all our talented and hard working students, but also reflects the expertise of our lecturers who dedicate themselves to supporting students to achieve their very best outcomes alongside tutor techs, learning support and other colleagues across the whole of UCA. We are all very excited for Preston and eager to hear news as his career progresses.

FIVE FILMY ARTY DFSA THINGS that all DFSA'ers & Creatives alike should do/check out

Here I have used my past DFSA experience to help me compile a list of things that DFSA'ers (but also fellow minded creatives alike) should be getting involved with, partly because its fun but also because it will really help you develop and expand your knowledge. I know some sound obvious and others may sound dull at times but trust me, I have learnt from the mistakes and successes that were made when I was on the course. It always works out better for creatives who are prepared to utilise tools to enrich their knowledge and accessibility, who will push themselves out their and who will speak up and get involved. So since its the summer and many of you may have some spare time on your hands get reading and get going.


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

DFSA Graduation Day

Graduation day is a ritual for anyone graduating and is a day you think about numerous times through out your years of studies, I know I did! That's what makes it such a surreal day by the time it finally arrives and you find yourself part of this ritual that you've been waiting eagerly for. The day is full of so many emotions ranging from nervous to excited and happy to sad that its all over. Either way it is a day that wont easily be forgotten. For DFSA ours took place on the 25th June in London, with swelteringly hot sunshine.

Preparing for graduation day is one thing in its self. You find yourself asking your class mates what they are going to wear, who they are inviting as their guests, what are their plans afterwards etc etc. As much as you can discuss all these things and try and plan it down to every detail, it will not be how you think it will.

You arrive at the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank; an amazing venue in London with a lovely views of the Thames. You are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of so many other nervous and excited students all trying to make final adjustments to their outfits, pick up their caps and gowns and get their photographs taken, all with friends and family fussing over them! Thankfully their were plenty of staff on hand to tell you where to go and what to do so it made getting through the pre-ceremonial preparations a lot easier. I soon got my tickets, got my cap and gown (which thankfully they will put you in, otherwise I wouldn't of had a clue!) and then got my professional photo taken. For those of you that don't know, the certificate you hold in your professional photo is a prop and your certificate doesn't actually look quite like this.

As the time of the ceremony looms closer the nerves begin to build. What did not help was being stood in a cap and gown in temperatures of 30 degrees trying not to overheat. It was genuinely like wearing a coat in summer. Having some drinks and conversation soon eased my nerves though and getting to see all my class mates all dressed up and excited was amazing! Soon it was time to enter the hall and to everyones delight it was beautifully cool and air conditioned. It was also stunning inside with the stage and screen up front being centre of attention. The most lovely surprise once we were seated was that the screen was playing a video of highlights from the university which some lucky DFSA students work appeared on. This was amazing to see our work shown off in such a big way. All courses would clap and cheer for their work when it appeared and it was a great way to fill us all with energy.

The ceremony was really thought out and flowed well with heart felt speeches of congratulations from the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. We were even lucky enough to experience not one but two chancellors. Not only was our old chancellor, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes there, but we were also joined by the new chancellor who was appointed in front of us: the artist Magdalene Odundo. This was a privilege to be a part of.

Despite all the lovely celebrations I couldn't help but begin to panic as they got closer and closer to calling DFSA up to receive their certificates. It was the thought of having to walk across the stage with such mass attention on you as you shake hands with the chancellor and receive your certificate. I was the last DFSA'er to do this as I am last in the register (W for Williams!). It soon came round quickly enough and I was sent out on stage. Thankfully I was wearing trainers which made it easier for me to get it over and done with quickly. As I walked (speedily) I did start to feel an amazing sense of pride to be up on stage receiving my hard earned degree along side all these other amazing creatives. Some people really took pride in this moment making their walks across the stage seem more like performances; having a little dance, making us all laugh or even filming the whole thing on their phone as they did it!

Before I knew it the ceremony was all over and done with and we were fully fledged graduates. This was the best reason to celebrate so DFSA soon headed up to the bar for free bubbly to celebrate alongside our teachers and tutors who had all been their watching us. The celebrations were well underway with many pictures being taken, many drinks being had and laughter and conversation filling the bar. The pride the teachers had for us was genuinely amazing and also the pride we had for each other and for the way we had all gone through this experience together. It actually began to get quiet emotional with heart felt goodbyes as people started to leave with their families. We will be sad to no longer spend time with each other and I am hopeful that some of us will be seeing each other in the future and working together at the heights of our careers! Thats the dream!

1st Year Class Photo of us as baby DFSA'ers

3 Years later - Us as Graduated DFSA'ers

Written by Billie Williams
Photos by DFSA'ers

DFSA 'The Collective' Private Screening in London

On the 19th June a group called 'The Collective' formed of DFSA students, presented and screened there work at a self organised event in London in the heart of Hackney Wick at The Yard Theatre. It was an event many of us were keen to hold and be a part of, including myself, along side many other talented members of the class. Our determination and pride in our films along with the leadership of a particularly determined student, Katherine Whetton, led us to fundraise, arrange and have this celebratory evening where everyone involved was able to show case their achievements and work in London. 

As a small yet eager class many of us were determined that we wanted to show off our work to audiences outside of Farnham and the University. We were keen to push our work out there and also celebrate how much our final tough year of university had paid off with all the work we had produced and were proud of. A group of us banded together to make this happen and under the leadership of Katherine Whetton, who took matters into her own hands, we formed a group know as The Collective. The members consisted of: Adeleke Adewale, Arturs Reinholds, Billie Williams (Me!), Colin Chan, Daniel Carter, Ethan Salley, Jay Hayes, Logan Gourlay, Maisie Mok, Natalie Hodgins, Nicole Harman-Smith, Preston Hartley, Sugini Nageswaran, Tarald Tvedt, Umor Hussain, Ivan Uzunov and Katherine Whetton.

As a group we then had meetings to decide and organise many thing, one of the most important being location. We chose London because what better place to showcase our films than in this busy city where film is thriving. In particular we eventually narrowed it down and picked The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick. The Yard theatre was a really cool quirky space tucked in amongst bars and many other business in a industrial estate. We were able to showcase our films in this contemporary and urban setting (very underground cinema ish!) After some fundraising and input ourselves we had enough money to book it and a date was then set. We then invited along our guests to join in the fun of this celebration and also advertised on Social Media to try and tease in new faces. Then with some final preparations such as programmes made by Katherine, everything was set.

With 10 of us on hand to help we rallied together to make the night run as smoothly as possible and make sure fun was had. Before guests arrived a sound and screen test was done and Programmes were placed out ready. Myself and Sugini began checking off the guests lists, welcoming in our finely dressed guests and class mates ready to celebrate this showcase with us. With drinks and conversation flowing we proceeded into the theatre space to seat our guests and begin the show!

Katherine was our presenter, on hand to introduce the films for those unable to attend and guiding everyone through this emotional rollercoaster ride of films. We had everything from documentary moving through to some experimental artistic films, the more serious dramas, dance and music videos and some skilful animations. See below an image of a well used programme from the evening:

It was a wonderful evening and the highlight for me was seeing everyone get to introduce their own films and express so much pride and passion in what they do. The thank you's people gave were so thoughtful and well deserved and the explanations behind some of the pieces were so in depth and intriguing. The development of everyone is amazing, compared to where we began as a class of nervous and slightly unsure students to now being a group of artist hosting an event and proud to speak up about our work and express ourselves.

I did however find the idea of presenting my own piece very daunting as I knew I was going to be speaking to completely fresh faces about my work without them having any knowledge on who I am and what I do. I did try and keep my cool though and with some helpful words of wisdom from our photographer and former student president Tomm Morton I was able to get through it. The rest of the evening was a breeze and everyone was able to enjoy themselves and watch some inspirational films with their friends, families and even teachers right along side supporting and celebrating with them.

This was such a good experience to be a part of and I am so proud to have showcased my work along side so many other creative individuals. It was a pleasure to work alongside them for this event and for the past three years and I can truly say that we have come such a long way together! To any other creatives who want to gain experience, push themselves out there and get involved with other like minded creatives I would encourage you to put creating an event like this on your to do list. Also it may be worth mulling over the fact that Digital Film and Screen Arts could be the course for you!

Written by Billie Williams

Photography by Tomm Morton

Journeys & Gender - Second Year Exhibition

For the first term of year 2 DFSA, the class was given the artistic assignment to make a project following the theme of Maps and Networks. Students took this theme to different lengths, thusly, the output of the unit deemed that the collective has been called Journeys & Gender, covering the mediums of photography, video art and sculpture. The ideas developed over several weeks following individual tutorials, group brainstorming and ending with a peer assessment. The results included feminist creations such as anecdotes from young women leaving university to the world careers and a dual screen piece showing women's powers and experiences. Demonstrations of journeys were presented in multifaceted meanings, including an intrinsic documentation of depression and a photo gallery of a young boy growing up.

These are just a few distilled descriptions of a larger body of work exhibited in the spinal corridor at UCA Farnham. There are sixteen works installed to be viewed before the exhibition ends on February 1st, along with next weeks alumni event when graduates can explore the work alongside the creators.

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"Students explore the metaphor of ‘maps’ and/or ‘networks’ to investigate narrative and non-linear ideas through inventive and imaginative interpretation of conceptual themes. Spanning photography, video, animation, multi-screen film, participatory artwork and installations students explore a host of themes including the expression of sexuality, shifting perceptions of global and social issues and metaphorical travels." Rosie Gunn - Course Leader Digital Film & Screen Arts BA

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Artist Statements

Savina Simmons

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not is a mixed media piece reflecting upon a journey from childhood to a place of creative development, invoking a feeling of nostalgia. Using elements from the home and replacing items to create an uncanny effect, this piece represents a journey that is not necessarily what it seems. 

Ciara Rose Goldfinch

Four Lives (Varied Colour)

An insight into four individual women’s experiences whilst at turning points in their lives. Told in their own words and represented by different colours.

Alice Ball & Danielle Winter

Avert Your Eyes

This twin screen video installation explores the themes and ideas of women, sexuality, power and experiences.

Suzanne Bellisio

Lost in Communication

A comparison between how we communicated and networked in the 1950s is compared to the modern day. Even though technology is useful, is it bad for us? Do we keep getting lost in communication with each other?

Adelaide Somers

Face Up

This video documentation of my performance was designed to put people on the spot and ask them to confront the choices as to what they say online. I wanted to show that the words you say leave marks on those you say them to. 

Holly Probert

Support Network

Building off the work of artists such as Zawadzka, Rankin and Biennial, I have created this piece to represent the network of support that exists around me and to remind you that everyone is surrounded by the ones who helped build you.

Lorna Moseley
Chanced Impressions 
This installation uses fingerprints to explore identity and criminality. The sound explores the concept of selective hearing; what we choose to hear or not. 

George Pryer

Fuck My Gender

Influenced by Duchamp and his concept of the ‘readymade’, this sculpture attacks the metaphysical idea of gender. In a moment of self-discovery this sculpture confronts societal fascination with the gender and genitalia of the transgender community, in hope that the artist can detach themselves from the ‘psycho-sexual’ and biology.

Jodie Lambert

De.personalisation

An exploration of losing a sense of yourself and trying to find your emotions again. 

Jack Gunn

Frownland

Frownland is a dystopian world where everything seems broken. The blues of lingering misery interrupted by an overwhelming wave of red lines. The gloom lit night is long when in sorrow, but the morning always comes like a switch.

Luca Balivio

Light trails are formed into a journey through familar spaces in Farnham and London to create a metaphorical map that joins places of personal significance. 

Paige Armstrong

Joseph Palmer & Nina Sayuri Noreiga Sato

Turn Around

This is an experimentation of perspective and the representation of unspoken communication, where we break the boundaries between language and understanding.

Oliver Wilshaw

Emotion’s World

Four characters express their emotions and behave as opposites to each other but the story isn’t one that has a defining narrative. It is set in a fictional dream world full of symbolism, of ideas and of possibilities.

Jacob Howard & Ben Manning

Mind Out

Delving into the human brain to explore the creative right side and academic left side and how our thoughts and emotions are affected by the two working together.

 

  

Gareth Loughlin (in the stairwell at the end of the Spinal Corridor)

Boundless and Bare

Inspired by poetry by Percy Shelley, this piece documents the admiration and exploitation of nature. An observational work that investigates mother nature as its own entity, and human interaction with it.

Written by Gareth Loughlin and George Pryer