Hi all,

Hoping you are well,

Just a reminder that the deadline for the first draft of your portfolios is this Friday. This week’s questions focus on Opportunities in the Industry and Next Steps.

Below are the questions for this week:

2.3       Outline the potential progression routes into the film industry and wider sector

What have you learned about potential progression routes into film and connected creative industries? Research the following routes:

• Apprenticeships
• Entry-level jobs
• Studying at university
• Online opportunities (e.g. entering competitions, sharing work, networking)
• Film festivals
• BFI Film Academy progression (residential courses, BAFTA mentoring and Future Skills)

Personal Progression Plan

• What areas/ specialisms in creative media would you like to work in?
• Would you like to further study film / creative media?
• What courses interest you? Give reasons
• Which local media companies would you be interested in working with? Give reasons
• What are the options for making your own content?
• What would you make and how?
• What are the options for funding and distribution?
• What networks will you join?
• What do you hope to gain from these networks?
• Are there other opportunities you are interested in?

What are your next steps?

Learning from Masterclasses

Industry Speaker:

• What is their job? What does it involve?
• How did they start working in film/media?
• What have they done in their career?
• What have you learnt about working in film/media?
• What opportunities for your own progression have you found out about?

Hi everyone,

Well done for working so hard on your first edit session today.

Many of you still have a lot of NCFE work missing from your portfolios. The deadline for all NCFE work to be completed ins January 30th, so please ensure your portfolio is completed in full by this date.

The questions for this week can be found below. For this week, you’ll need to ask someone in your team to review how you performed your role during the shoot weekend. You’ll also need to reflect on this feedback and discuss ways you feel you developed as a filmmaker, and the areas that still require improvement.

1.3       Gain feedback on how you performed your role

• Ask tutors and/or other Academy participants the questions below, you can write your answers, film them or record the audio
• What did I do well?
• What were the challenges and how were they dealt with?
• How did I work within my team?
• Do you have any advice or areas for development?

1.4     Review own technical skills and use of equipment

• What did you do in your role?
• Do you agree with the feedback? Give reasons for your answers.
• How well do you think you carried out your role in production?
• What were your strengths and what were your challenges?
• In what ways did your technical filmmaking skills develop over the course of film production?
• How far has your knowledge and understanding of film production developed? (Consider your knowledge of technical equipment, on-set processes, production documents, post-production)

Please do ask someone else in your team to review your skills for you, and let me know when you’ve uploaded this week’s work.

Do also ensure that you’ve worked on any feedback Lucy has given you.

Best wishes,

Nora

Showing at Showroom: Layla (Dir., Amrou Al-Kadhi)

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re well, and enjoyed the collection of Short Films we watched on Saturday, as well as the Director’s Masterclass with Milda Baginskaitė.

Please find below the two questions to be answered for this week’s NCFE:

First Question:

2.1       Explain the working culture of the film industry

This question can be found on the ’02- Professional Development & Industry’ section.

What is the working culture of the film industry like?

What is it like working in the film industry?  (Consider hours, travel, freelance, working on set and budget. What are the pressures? What are the positives and negatives?)

What qualities do you need to work in the film industry and why?

What have you learned about the working culture of the industry from masterclasses and working on your own film production?

Second Question:

Learning from Masterclasses

This question can be found on the ’02- Professional Development & Industry’ section.

(Industry speakers will be asked to give details about their role and their personal progression.)

Industry Speaker 1:

What is their job? What does it involve?

How did they start working in film/media?

What have they done in their career?

What have you learnt about working in film/media?

What opportunities for your own progression have you found out about?

Production Diary

As with every week, please record the date and answer the following questions for your Production Diary:

• What did you do?
• What have you learnt?
• How have you worked with others?
• What do you need to develop?

Or alternatively do a SHOOT DIARY that covers only the shoot weekend.

That’s everything for this week! Please do drop us an email if you have any questions regarding this: bfi.academy@srws.org.uk

Showing at Showroom Cinema: Blitz (dir., Steve Mcqueen) 2024

Hi all,

Hoping you are well and enjoyed this week’s camera & sound masterclass with Darren. Thank you for all your hard work! It was great to see you working collaboratively in teams with one-another.

Please find below the questions to be answered for this week’s NCFE:

2.2       Describe a range of key job roles and responsibilities in the film industry

You can find these questions and answer them under the ‘Professional Development & Industry’ tab on your blog

• Research 5 different roles in the production department and summarise them.
• Explain how the roles work together.

5.1       Review and critique at least one short film production

You can enter your film review under the ‘Film Review’ tab on your blog

Film Title, Director, Country, Year.

• Story outline (1 or 2 sentence summary)
• What is the film about, is there a theme or message?
• Describe the genre (if fiction film), or style (if documentary).
• How was sound used?
• How were camera techniques used?
• What was the editing style?
• Describe the setting/ location/ mise-en-scene.
• Who is the film aimed at?
• How did the film make you feel? Did it work well?
• Would you recommend it?

You can write the above as a review, or answer the questions individually.

If you missed them, you can find Week One’s questions here: https://bfiacademysheffield.movie.blog/2024/11/09/week-one-class-of-2024/

As with every week, please record the date and answer the following questions for your Production Diary:

• What did you do?
• What have you learnt?
• How have you worked with others?
• What do you need to develop?

Or alternatively do a SHOOT DIARY that covers only the shoot weekend. You can find out about the shoot diary here. 

That’s everything for this week! If you have any questions, please leave a comment or drop us an email at bfi.academy@srws.org.uk

Showing at Showroom Cinema: Bird, 2024 (Dir., Andrea Arnold)

Hi BFI Film Academy class of 2024! We hope you enjoyed the first sessions of the course.

Here are the questions for this week, to be completed as part of your NCFE qualification.

We don’t expect you to know loads about film at this point! You can be honest, and use this as a journal to showcase your development throughout your filmmaking career on the course.

1.1       Describe areas for development in your current knowledge, understanding and skills 

You can find these questions under the ’01 – Technical Skills Development’ heading on your blog. Please answer these questions there.

This needs to be completed at the beginning of the course and again at the end of the course.  It can be completed as a blog or vlog provided you answer the prompt questions.

• What is your current knowledge and understanding of film?  (For example: watching film, reviewing, photography, making your own films, Youtube channel, film or media course, work experience)
• Do you have specific areas of interest or skills in filmmaking?
• Include links to film work, photos, music etc.
• What role(s) would you see yourself taking on your Academy film?
• What do you hope to gain from the BFI Film Academy?
• How would you like to improve your skills or knowledge of film? Give reasons.
• Do you have plans to further study and work in film?

Production Diary

This can be found under the ‘Production Diary’ heading on your blog. Please answer these questions there weekly.

If you are choosing to do a weekly production diary (rather than the shoot diary in week 6), please also record the date and answer the following 4 questions

• What did you do?
• What have you learnt?
• How have you worked with others?
• What do you need to develop?

Please do pop us an email (bfi.academy@srws.org.uk) if you have any questions, or need any help with this.

I look forward to reading your responses!

CONGRATULATIONS! you made it through the shoot weekend!

we’re incredibly proud of all the hard work you’ve put into bringing these films to life. thank you for all your hard work, courage and tenacity.

Please do remember to complete your Shoot Diary while the weekend is still fresh in your head! You can find the shoot diary questions, plus this week’s module (gain feedback on how you performed your role) below! 

Have a lovely Christmas and New Year. Thanks again and see you 13th January!

Shoot Diary

Please include production photos, any behind the scenes footage, scripts, storyboards, other key production documents, planning and pre-production work you have been involved withand a link to the finished film.

What was your role in pre-production and what did you do?

What was your role on the shoot?

Briefly explain what happened each day of shoot.

What equipment and skills did you need to apply to your role?

How well prepared do you feel we were for the shoot? Explain.

What changes had to be made and why?

Did you have any feedback or advice from tutors / others on set?

In what ways did you improve your own knowledge and skills?

Who did you work with on set? How do you feel you worked with others on set?

What did you learn about how a film crew work together on a shoot?

Briefly explain how you followed good working practices for filmmaking? (Time management, health and safety, being reliable and coping with on set demands.)

Overall – How do you feel the shoot went? What went well/ didn’t go well?  What would you improve on?

1.3       Gain feedback on how you performed your role

Ask tutors and/or other Academy participants the questions below, you can write your answers, film them or record the audio

What did I do well?

What were the challenges and how were they dealt with?

How did I work within my team?

Do you have any advice or areas for development?

1.4     Review own technical skills and use of equipment

What did you do in your role?

Do you agree with the feedback? Give reasons for your answers.

How well do you think you carried out your role in production?

What were your strengths and what were your challenges?

In what ways did your technical filmmaking skills develop over the course of film production?

How far has your knowledge and understanding of film production developed? (Consider your knowledge of technical equipment, on-set processes, production documents, post-production)

hi all! we’re already on our fifth week of the BFI Film Academy and now over half-way through the course.

this weekend will be your shoot weekend! please do come well-rested and prepared for two intense days. bring any props and costume items you need. speak to your team about what needs organising ahead of the shoot so that the days will flow as seamlessly as possible.

below you can find your questions for this week. as always, please remember to complete the production diaries, unless you are doing a SHOOT DIARY for the shoot weekend instead. i’ll include the shoot diary at the bottom of this post so that you can write up each day this weekend.

3.1 Explain the importance of teamwork when working on a film production

• What are the different teams in your production?
• How do they work together? For example, how did your team work together to prepare for the shoot? Also, during production and post-production?
• Why is it important that production teams work well together?
• Give an example of when your production team/s worked well together.
• What can happen if there isn’t good teamwork?
• Was there an example of when teamwork could have been better on your film production? How did this affect the production process?

SHOOT DIARY – 16th & 17th December

UPLOAD: production photos, any behind the scenes footage, scripts, storyboards, other key production documents, planning and pre-production work you have been involved with.

• What was your role and what did you do throughout the production process?
• Briefly explain what happened each day of shoot.
• What equipment and skills did you need to do to your role on shoot?
• How well prepared do you feel we were for the shoot? Explain.
• What changes had to be made and why?
• Did you have any feedback or advice from tutors / others on set?
• In what ways did you improve your own knowledge and skills?
• Who did you work with on set? How do you feel you worked with others on set?
• What did you learn about how a film crew work together on a shoot?
• Briefly explain how you followed good working practices for filmmaking? (Time management, health and safety, being reliable and coping with on set demands.)
• Overall – How do you feel the shoot went? What went well/ didn’t go well?  What would you improve on?