I’ve always been passionate by films and always will be. From an early age, I have been fascinated with all aspects of film and the making of them. From recreating the models from Aardaman animations to rewatching DVD’s over and over so I could analyse each scene and work out how it had been made , it was a chance to escape reality. From the age of 11, I would make my friends lip sync to songs in front of my laptop webcam. I would then spend hours editing them in Windows Movie Maker, upload them to YouTube and sit down my family to watch them.

I am currently studying a UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Film and Television Production at Canterbury College. This course has allowed me to develop my skills. From setting up and using green screens to creating short radio stories, it has let me explore the world of media. Through this course, I have discovered my love for directing. During College, I have been blessed with many opportunities. I have made videos for GamesAid, and I’ve had the chance to make a short film with one of my classmates outside of College. I hope to have this same freedom at university. Being in College has also encouraged me to start script writing.

At University, I would love to study Filmmaking. I feel filmmaking courses in general allow for a lot of freedom and creativity while still teach the skills needed. After university, I would love to continue to create my own films professionally. I would love to be involved in the filmmaking industry, because I love working in a team based environment. I love how rewarding it is to see a product you have all worked on at the end.

As I grew up, I often worked with my dad backstage at the local panto. I was also part of a drama club. I loved helping out behind the scenes and preferred it to being on the stage in front of people. I would often miss my cue on stage, being so distracted by what was going on behind the curtains. I wanted to be doing that. At my drama, one of the shows we did was written by the members. I loved being part of a team and seeing our play be put to light. All those long hours put in and I could see the outcome right in front of my eyes. The play wasn’t a success to the audience but it was to me. I loved the fact I could learn from mistakes and how I could improve for next time.

When I was given the chance to pick my GCSES, I wanted to do Media Studies but didn’t feel confident enough and felt my knowledge of films wouldn’t be enough. While doing my extended project diploma, I directed and filmed a short documentary on LGBT+ youth in the UK. It gave me a lot of confidence when I stood in front of a small class and presented it. I received an A for it and enjoyed the experience so much, I decided to opt for a film based course at Canterbury College. While others wanted to do A levels, I wanted the focus. A course that was solely based on Film and Television? Yes!

Going to College was a big step from me. It threw me out of my comfort zone and into a place where I knew no-one. Within my first week, I was hooked. I could do what I loved and it counted as a qualification. Going home and watching movies counted as extra studying. As I discovered more and more about the film industry, I became even more fascinated. I would rewatch my favourite films and then watch every behind the scene clip I could find. I loved it. I want to be a part of it. I would love to study Filmmaking at University because I want to further develop my skills and be opened to new opportunities. It would be a continuation of what I love as well as a great stepping stone into the media industry. I hope that I have proved to you by my experience and efforts that I am an eligible candidate to consider for your course.

I applied to several Universities. The two I got into were Manchester Metropolitan and Leeds Beckett. I chose Manchester as I was interested in their course online and their focus in filmmaking. I visited the campus and looked around. This secured my interest in the place as I really liked the large open spaces that the students were working in.

I didn’t visit the Beckett campus but their course online was very similar description to the Manchester one.

When getting into the media industry, there are several traditional and non-traditional ways you can get in.

Firstly, is apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are like doing a job but also gaining a qualification at the same time. They are unpaid and by the end of them, you would have hopefully gained the skills and knowledge to move into the career path. An apprenticeship in the media industry would be very hands on, working alongside professionals in their jobs. Apprenticeships normally aren’t on the film set and are rather more a pre-production. The most likely job for an apprentice would be a runner.

Internships are very similar to apprenticeships except most the time you get paid. However you have to be degree level to get an internship.

You can also apply directly to the company, much like you would any other job. Or you can go through an agency, they can help you towards finding a job and making your CV fit for certain companies they work with getting employees for.

For me personally, I think I would go down the apprentice route. Although I wouldn’t be getting paid, I would be getting a lot of experience and a qualification out of it.

I found one through the ITV website. They are offering a paid 12 month apprenticeship with hands on experience and working with experts. Through the apprenticeship as far as I can tell from the website, I would be working in several fields throughout the 12 months, getting experience in several areas of the media industry.

There are also non-traditional routes. Firstly, competitions. Competitions are a great way to get your work out there and noticed. Also any awards you win can be added to your CV to show employees what your work has achieved.

There’s also social media. Nowadays, social media is a big part of the media industry. It’s also another great way to get your work out then and hopefully be spotted by people who want to help you into the industry.

There’s also networking. It depends who you know and if you are lucky, you can get very easy connections into the industry for example if you dad owned the BBC, you would defiantly have a chance of getting a job there.

Cold calling is the last option. This is just contacting people and telling them how much they need to employ you. It doesn’t always work but can show great levels of confidence.

TWITTER:

I think looking at it, my twitter first of all looks ok. There’s nothing offensive on there and I follow a lot of people in the media industry. However, I do use my twitter for personal use rather than professional so sometimes I know my language on there isn’t always the tamest.

INSTAGRAM

Like my twitter, my Instagram is for my personal use so what I upload and write sometimes on there can contain adult language. However, I wouldn’t fear my future employers finding my social media as I always do think about what I’m posting and think about how what I post might affect my future.

On my twitter especially, I do post a lot about what videos I’m making and such. My Instagram I post less about this but do sometimes post behind the scenes of what I am up to or previews. My biggest social media account that could gain me employment is my Youtube.

I use my YouTube to post monthly videos and whatever videos I have been making in college. While I don’t have many subscribers, I do know that my friends and family like to watch my videos a lot. I bring out each month a video filled with one second videos I take each day. This has been a good success and I know my friends and family have been enjoying watching them. I would be very pleased if this helped my towards future employment as it shows my commitment to filmmaking as I film one second each day minimum just for a video each month.