Burning Questions - Creativity Works: Rushes

9 May 2019

What was it that drew you to the Rushes course, and how did you go about applying?

I was initially drawn to the Creative Rushes course as I saw there would be the opportunity to learn how to edit video. This is a skill I think has become increasingly important in the creative industries, so I was keen to take on training in this area. When I read a bit more into it, I began to understand that this was just a tiny part of post-production, so there would be a whole host of things I’d learn on the course, such as shooting, directing and content production which really piqued my interest. I also really liked how I would get practical hands-on experience, rather than being in a typical classroom-type environment. I applied online by filling out a survey on why I wanted to do the course and talking a little bit about myself. I was then invited to an interview session.

Tell us about the workshops you took part in, and what you learned?

After we were given the brief “What Do Young Londoners Care About?” by Untold Studios. We spent the following day in workshops showing us the practical skills needed to come up with a film. Our first with Black Shuck showed us how to use the brief to come up with ideas. But also, gave us the practical skills to execute our ideas by informing us what equipment we would need, and deconstructing the visuals of clips we liked. This was a great workshop, as it showed us how to be realistic with what we were planning.

Naana Orleans-Amissah then encouraged us to reimagine how we perceive storytelling and narrative in the next workshop. She had us introduce ourselves and our favourite films, then showed that within those small pockets of information, we each had a unique way of telling a story and constructing narrative. We learned the various ways this can be done in film and how we could apply it to ours.

Tim and Barry’s workshop gave us a practical run on all things on Premiere Pro, it was a vital part of the skills we needed to create our films. We learnt how to edit video, add music and much more. The entire company was founded entirely on DIY approach, and so it showed us that we were more than capable of producing high quality content with the resources available.

Was there anything that you found particularly challenging on the course?

For me personally, I had a bit of information overload which I found challenging. I was really excited about all the techniques I could use or what I could do with the brief that it was easy to make things complicated when they didn’t need to be.

But the good thing about the group is that we were all really honest with each other and good at communicating. So, along the course we all gave each other feedback and suggestions of what we could be doing differently. It was really helpful being in a room filled with other young creatives, especially from such a diverse range of backgrounds.

If you could name one important lesson that you took away from the course, what would it be and why?

A really important lesson I took from this course is that it’s good to be resourceful, and mindful of what is around you and self-aware. I think that it’s really easy to get fixated on one way to do things or one way to tell a story, and then get self-conscious when you can’t achieve it that way. But in reality, there’s multiple ways to get things done, and an array of tools you can use. I knew people had used phones to shoot films before, but I really thought I had to produce something abstract and experimental for it to be interesting, this course changed my mind on that.

Everybody’s films were extraordinarily different to one another, this really showed me that there’s stories to be told in your hometown or within your personal beliefs and that you can use these things creatively.

What advice would you give to anyone applying for a Creativity Works training?

I would say be honest about where you are with the skill you want to learn, but don’t undersell yourself. There’s a lot of transferrable skills I had that I didn’t know would be useful for production and post-production but through this course I realised I could use them. Also don’t feel set back by failure or your work being a bit less polished, the execution may not always be fantastic but there’s always something to take away from the work you produce. I would also say that you should remember training is just a stepping stone in getting you where you need to be, and most importantly, try to make friends on the course as you can use them to build networks.

And finally, what creative things are you planning to do next?

I’m not entirely sure yet, I’m currently writing a little bit. But this course has definitely inspired me to look more into different ways of storytelling and presenting information. I’d like to make more short videos and even possibly make another short film, but I’m still sketching up the blueprints for these ideas.