One of our BFI Film Academy student’s was successfully chosen to take part in a 2-week craft residential this April at the National Film Television School. Jade Burke, 17, from Lancaster has been attending Signal’s Academy since October 2014, polishing her filmmaking talents through professional guidance and a 2-day film shoot. As selected providers and partners for the British Film Institute’s National Film Academy, we’ve trained 17 students all from Barrow, Cumbria and North Lancashire the art and craft of filmmaking. Our BFI Academy films have had quite a success in Film Festivals around the country; our BFI 2014 film ‘Driven’ successfully won The AES Cinemagic Young filmmaker Competition 2014 (18-25’s category) and was nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ at Portobello Film Festival. Through being involved in this programme for 16-19s, Jade has used Signal as a stepping-stone in applying for the NFTS course, a highly competitive residential in Beaconsfield near London, where only 66 places were up for grabs. The NFTS has been voted the best film school in the world.
During the residential Jade attended a series of masterclasses with top auteur and commercial filmmakers – including Noel Clarke (Adulthood, 4321), Brian Tufano (Billy Elliot, Trainspotting) and Justine Wright (Locke, The Last King of Scotland) and learnt a craft specialism in Production Design. The course resulted in the making of short films that were showcased at the BFI Southbank on the 9th April. Jade was pleased that she was able to get such a solid grasp of the craft
‘It was brilliant; the first week was a lot of preparation for the final film. We met with numerous designers, all having worked in the film industry for years, even working on big films such as James Bond. They provided us with props and helped us come up with a concept. It was definitely worth applying for. It gave me the chance to practice a certain skill that I had not had much experience in, it also gave me the chance to see other all interlinking areas. Production Design is hard work and it felt like you were the lowest person in the hierarchy on a film shoot but I can now see how every individual is completely essential and equal in pulling together for the final product. It was exciting and fun.’ – Jade
All together 6 of our students have now attended the NFTS residency.
Stephanie Bryant Project Assistant here at Signal said:
‘We’re really proud that Jade took part in the NFTS residential, it’s a fantastic opportunity to get her foot in the door of the filmmaking world and a real boost to her experience and future career in the subject. The NFTS attracts the best students and tutors from across the globe; their graduates have won vast number of Oscar’s, Bafta’s and Emmy’s’.
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