Personal Statement

For as long as I can remember, storytelling has been my passion. I have always loved movies and how brilliantly they can convey a story and a message. I could not be more excited to have the chance to produce a movie. Over the four years that I have been studying media, my love for it has only grown. I have gained a lot of experience in media throughout these years, including developing my skills at natural dialogue and how to write a cohesive plot. I have lots of experience in camera work and have completed many projects, almost all of which I film and direct. This has allowed me to truly experiment with angles and get very comfortable with the hardware. I can also confidently analyse a piece of media and explain why I think aspects work well and other aspects not so much.

By enrolling on this course, I hope to apply my skills into a more professional environment and have my talents pushed to the next level. Whilst at college, I have always put my all in every project I am tasked with which I will continue to do at university. Whilst studying Creative Media Production, I was tasked with filming three different music videos. These primarily relied on my camera work as there was no dialogue and little acting. These projects taught me a huge amount on how to work a camera as I was constantly adjusting the focus, exposure and settings to get the perfect lighting. It also helped me to experiment a lot as I was constantly looking for new angles and interesting ways to convey emotion and meaning with the camera. I learnt a lot about filmmaking from these projects and it really taught me how cinematography works.

Additionally, I also had to do small amounts of directing in my music videos. I learnt just how meticulous you must be with directing, as it is easy to forget small details with how fast paced filmmaking is. Because of this I have learnt to make a lot of notes and work on my organisation. I have had numerous occasions where actors do not show up on time, despite being planned weeks prior with reminders, which has taught me about thinking on the spot and persevering. Despite the stress of directing, I enjoy the planning and the on-the-fly thinking. I love being able to create a project I truly care about and seeing the idea unfold is amazing and something I hope to continue doing.

In my free time I love to watch movies. I usually write 400+ word reviews on every movie I watch so I am constantly improving my analysing skills. I also research the film's feedback by watching other people's reviews and if it is based on a book, I view comparisons of the original material. Reviewing films is particularly helpful as I get to better understand the material and really think about why or why not the movie works. Additionally, I enjoy playing video games, with my preferred video games being those which are story driven. Like movies, these video games tell some amazing stories and experiences, which I love to analyse like I do with films. Moreover, I enjoy reading literature including comic books and novels. I have a great idea of different types of narrative based media, and due to my analysis and research, a good idea on what makes them effective at telling a story.

I believe I would be a great addition to your institution. Studying filmmaking would be a substantial step to help me progress into the film industry. I hope that studying this course will truly push me and improve my skills and I will ensure that I put my all into every task. I hope to use the skills I learn in the future, to start my journey on becoming a film director and would appreciate starting my journey at university.