Tell us about your film career so far...what experience do you have? What skills have you development and how? How did you gain the knowledge you currently have?

I studied filmmaking at Manchester Metropolitan University and recently graduated with a First Class BA Degree. I focused most of my skills mainly on directing however also gained experience in a wide range of areas including cinematography, editing and producing to name a few. All of this was developed through practical filmmaking, primarily short films but also the filming and editing of some live theatre performed at the university. Outside of this so much of my knowledge has come from just watching as many films, TV shows, short films, documentary's, etc as possible to gain inspiration and ideas for my own projects.

What challenges have you faced? How have you overcome them?

Over my time at university I faced multiple challenges from budget restrictions, scheduling and time limits. For me the main way of overcoming these challenges was always knowing in myself my goals and aims for each project and making sure all decisions and compromises still serve that goal. For example having to acquire cheaper props or working on projects with locations that were easy to access for little to no money so that any budget we did have could be put towards other aspects like costume, makeup and also general crew well being.

What are your career ambitions? What is your plan to get there?

Ultimately I want to be doing practical on set film making, ideally in a director position. There are so many films and shows that have connected with me so deeply and my main goal is to be able to create something that has that same effect on other people. My main plan is to just stick with it and take up as many opportunities as possible be that paid or volunteering. This will allow me to build connections and grow my portfolio further post university.

What tips and advice do you have for those also on a similar journey trying to establish their film careers?

My main advice would be to just take any and all opportunities that come your way, you can never know too many people in this industry and being on sets is the best way to build those connections. Don't be afraid to put yourself and your work out there, in my experience if it's been built from a place of passion and dedication there will be an audience for it.