When I read that Ffresh 2013 Film Festival will be hosted by Glyndŵr University (www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/02/15/glydnwr-university-to-host-ffresh-festival-2013-55578-30332624 ), I thought what a great opportunity this is for all Creative Media students, as not only would Glyndŵr University receive national recognition for hosting this event, but it would also be an opportunity to meet the guest speakers that would be at the festival, (previous guest speakers have included actor/director David Morrissey, Colin director Marc Price, Sergey Dvortsevoy, Philip John, Ben Hibbon and John Giwa-Amu and Roger Burne, Tim Firth creator of Calendar Girls, and Double Negative, a visual effects company which has provided special effects for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2).
When I then discovered that Berwyn Rolands from Ffresh was coming to Creative Futures, I knew this was one session I did want to attend.
Berwyn Rolands was a film fan from an early age, and has enjoyed a varied career over 25 years’ in the private, public and voluntary sectors. He grew up in Anglesey and therefore is focussed on promoting film making primarily in Wales. In 2006, Berwyn Rolands founded the Festivals Company which has a number of high profile projects including the Iris Prize Festival - the world’s largest lesbian and gay short film prize and Ffresh - the UK’s largest and longest running student moving image event. Whilst Berwyn Rolands was the Chief Executive of Sgrîn Cymru Wales (1997 to 2006) he established Ffresh, the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales, the Wales Screen Commission, and the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales (in partnership with the National Library of Wales).
Ffresh was established 10 years ago, the festival features master classes, workshops and panel sessions with leading figures from the film and TV industry. One of the highlights of the Ffresh festival is where it celebrates the best work being created by the up-and-coming moving image talent from around the world, and to provide a vital link between higher education and the media sector. Ffresh awards prizes in at least 14 categories covering outstanding work in fields including Animation, Experimental Shorts, Factual, Fiction, Games & Interactive Media, Motion Graphics, Music Media, Short Shorts and Welsh Language.
Berwyn started off his session by introducing himself and explaining that Ffresh was primarily a link between the film industry and students wanting to enter the film industry. It was an opportunity for learning from your peers, and for students to see what other welsh and international students are producing.
Berwyn went on to explain that to get recognised by the film industry and for doors to be opened you needed more than simply uploading your films on to “You Tube”, you needed a marketing strategy. As I had already discovered from my research this was why Berwyn had established Ffresh.
What am I going to achieve during Ffresh?
• Establish relationships with other students
• Establish relationships with people who have a working knowledge of the industry
• Gain more knowledge
• Make important contacts
Berwyn then went on to talk about how you could enter the Ffresh Festival. There is no charge for entering the film festival awards, and you can enter as many films as you want. You can either submit your entry by yourself or via your university lecturer. Berwyn then explained the process that happens at the festival awards. A panel of film industry judges initially look at every submission and create shortlists for each category. Each shortlist then goes for voting.
Ffresh is now recognised within the film industry that you can include it on your CV. Berwyn then went on to confirm that as a Creative Media student we can volunteer to help at the Ffresh Film Festival to gain even more knowledge of the industry. Every film maker should always welcome peoples’ opinions especially from people within the film industry, so always ask for opinions.
Ffresh being at Creative Futures has inspired me to create a piece of film that would be eligible to enter the Film Festival 2013. I also look forward to the opportunity (as I will volunteer) to gain even further insight into the film industry and to hopefully make some all important contacts.
www.ffresh.com
www.twitter.com/#!/Ffreshfest/
www.thefestivalscompany.co.uk/1041/berwyn-rowlands
Film, Funding and Wales by Adam Partridge
Film Agency for Wales is the only agency for film in Wales, and has the aim to ensure that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are positively represented in Wales but also in the UK and the world. The Film Agency for Wales was established in July 2006 with the aim to facilitate the emergence of a viable and sustainable Welsh film industry, and to promote a vibrant and dynamic film culture.
Adam started off the session, with this statement “Film agency for Wales – it’s my shout!” He went on to explain that funding is one of the most crucial and yet difficult elements of getting your film made. Film Agency for Wales helps with this, but to qualify for funding you have to either be welsh (born in Wales) or based in Wales. This to me, as an Englishman living in Chester, made me feel like this session was a bit of a non-starter, but if I set my business up in Wales I would then be eligible.
Adam confirmed that for theatrical based films, funding is project-orientated. If you are seeking funding than a show reel or another format which shows examples of your work is extremely beneficial. Funding is very limited and therefore it could be advantageous to create a pilot or a short film to assist in negotiations this also provides another example of your work.
Adam then went on to provide us with a list of current film festivals and potential markets for our films.
www.FilmfestivalRotterdam.com/en/cinemart
www.berlinale.de – Berlin film festival – talent lab
www.marchedufilm.com – Cannes film festival – producers network
www.galwayfilmfleadh.com – Galway film
www.omdc.on.ca/page5414.aspx - Toronto film financing forum
www.bfi.org.uk – think, shoot, distribute
A common thread through most of the Creative Futures sessions, was again confirmed by Adam, the need to keep up to date with current technologies. Adam then recommended some websites he had found useful.
www.mediadeskuk.eu/training - media training
www.eave.org – Eave – script development
www.binger.nl
www.torinofilmlab.it
Adam then went to give us his Top Ten Tips for guidance for how to be successful in the future.
1. Audience research
2. Select your project for the right reasons
3. Remember that the screenplay is the most important element
4. Build up relationships
5. Cornerstone strategy
6. Don’t run before you can walk
7. Know the value of your project in the market place (budget the project then find out what the perceived value is)
8. Make it less than its value
9. Know when to give up
10. Remember the last 10
Adam then brought the session to an end by recommending two books
• The International Film Business by Angus Finney (ASIN: B003KVKX08)
• The Film Business Handbook by Mike Downey (editor)
and advising us to check out Cyfle (www.cyfle.co.uk)
Although I am glad I attended this session, as it covered a lot of basic information, I did appreciate the handy hints but felt that overall the session wasn’t that memorable compared to some of the others I have attended at Creative Futures.
www.filmagencywales.com
The MEDIA Programme: Funding, Networking and Training Opportunities by Judy Wasdell
MEDIA is the European Union's support programme for the film, television and new media industries based in the UK. Media has three branches: MEDIA Desk UK (London), MEDIA Antenna Scotland (Glasgow) and MEDIA Antenna Wales (Cardiff).
The MEDIA Programme offers many different funding schemes, each targeting different areas of the audiovisual sector. They have schemes for producers, distributors, sales agents, organisers of training courses, operators in new digital technologies, operators of Video on Demand platforms, exhibitors and organisers of festivals, markets and promotional events.
Judy Wasdell is based at the Media Antenna Wales office in Pontypridd. She has over 20 years experience of working in the film and TV industry. She has previously worked for Producer/Director Richard Attenborough on four of his feature films as well as for Alan Yentob at the BBC.
Sadly this session was cancelled, I hope we get the opportunity next year to hear her speak at Creative Futures 2013, as I was looking forward to hearing about funding schemes in England as well as Wales.
http://www.mediadeskuk.eu
Digital - Fluid Film by Dan Fox
With the ever changing world of multimedia, this session intrigued me, as the session description said it was a look at how digital technology has changed the nature of film making and how we have to adopt new work practices to stay ahead of the game.
I discovered Dan Fox was another graduate of Glyndwr University, graduating with First Class Hons in Moving Image in 1999. He is joint owner of Chat Noir Productions Limited with another Glyndwr Moving Image graduate Mark Ellingham. Chat Noir Productions was established in August 2003, based in Neston, Cheshire it provides the North West with the very best creative video services.
Chat Noir Productions started off with its first very own feature film entitled Dreamscape, whilst producing corporate video projects for local clients. Dreamscape has secured distribution in the USA through a Sales Agent. The knowledge and experience gained in this project has strengthened their skills for future projects, which has benefited them as their clients coming from all over the UK. In 2009, Chat Noir made the switch to a full HD pipeline and embarked on some of its more challenging projects.
www.chatnoirproductions.co.uk
Added to the benefit of Dan’s experiences through Chat Noir Productions, his graduation film “Vendetto” premiered at the New York International Independent Film Festival and won Best International Short Film. Daniel is currently developing a second feature film which will go into production later this year.
With this background, I was looking forward to hearing what Daniel had to say on digital fluid film making. Dan started off with a few interesting background facts regarding the film making industry.
• Films today are getting bigger and bigger budgets
• Technology is changing films and processes
• The use of Greenscreen is increasing over the last 10 years
• Producers are having an increased say in films, and this is leading to more visual effects being used
• There is greater flexibility with digital than original film (35mm film)
Dan predicts that Red camera is the future in film making. The film industry is definitely being led by technology development. For example: technology has eased the ability to create the effect “Matte Painting”, by using computer graphics rather than the traditional format of painting a landscape on glass to create the illusion of an environment, this has made the film industry lazy as technology takes control.
Dan suggested we should empower ourselves by watching more films, watching for the special effects as the more references we had the greater our visual integrity would be, and this in turn would improve our own film making skills. He asked us not to accept things how we deem them instead of how they really looked. Photographs can so easily contain elements to trick us into thinking they are real, Dan asked us not to get fooled into how technology tells us it is.
Dan said he felt the last 15 years of film making hasn’t been as outstanding in innovation as it might of, technology has enabled mistakes in filming to be corrected easily in production, where years ago the film stood on the ability of the crew to get the lighting, sound and direction just right as it was filmed onto the 35mm film. Today it relies on digital effects, whether to enhance or to correct, Dan feels the Digital and HD cameras are taking the skills away from the film makers.
Dan’s plea was to us was to get back to basics, to ensure our skills are honed in the old skills as well as the modern technology as it gives you a greater grounding and knowledge and could be the difference between us and someone else’s work in the future.
As I reflected on what Dan had told us, it brought to mind the iconic film of 1994 “Forrest Gump”. Most people if asked about the film will remember it for two reasons, one is the quotation “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” And the second is the watching of the feather as it floats through the air to eventually land at Forrest’s feet. Although part of the feather’s flight is real the majority of is computer based imagery even to getting the feather to land just at the side of Forrester’s foot. Sometimes technology can improve the finished result but I can understand where Dan comes from that the pride in producing a spectacular film is diminished if too much computer based technology is used.
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