On Friday 12^th April I graduated from the BFI Film Academy Talent Campus with the National Film and Television school (NFTS). I found out about the course during my time at the regional Film Academy with the BFI at Liverpool FACT when Pete Fraser, the project lead for the talent campus came to FACT to talk about the talent campus and encourage us to apply for one of the best experiences a young film maker could have.

One of the many highlights I experienced at Talent Campus was the master classes and screenings with industry professionals like Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), Eran Creevy (director of Shifty and Welcome to the Punch), Menhaj Huda (director of Kidulthood) with cinematographer of Kidulthood, Billy Elliot and Trainspotting, Brain Tufano, Rebecca O’Brien (Producer of The Spirit of ‘45 and Bean). It was incredible to hear about their experiences and watch their films especially when Edgar Wright came, as the films are funny and enjoyable to watch as well as brilliantly made.

Another highlight from the experience was filming on set for two days with the other members of the team I was in, mentored by the epic hat wearing Corin Hardy (director of the amazing stop motion animation Butterfly and music videos for artists like The Prodigy, Olly Murs, Paolo Nutini and Biffy Clyro). It was an amazing two days of filming with the team who all worked together well and made it an enjoyable experience, I also enjoyed using my knowledge and skills for sound production that I had learnt while I was at the regional Film Academy at FACT and also talking with the team during lunch on set and after filming when Corin would show us some of his videos. When we had finished filming it was an incredible feeling of achievement for the whole team and we were all excited to see the final result.

The final day at Talent Campus was an exciting, nerve wrecking and sad day as we all prepared to see the final cuts of our films at the screening at BFI Southbank in London before we attended a networking event with industry professionals and we all said goodbye to each other and went home. My group’s film Man of the House turned out really well and I was and still am proud to tell people that I was a part of the team that made the film.

After Talent Campus I have been inspired to continue writing more screenplays and to get experience working in the industry starting as a runner on set. I hope to collaborate with the amazing people that I met during the experience as they are all talented and made the experience truly enjoyable, and I am hoping that in September I will be at university studying Film Studies with Film Production while continuing to write screenplays and collaborate on films.

I would like to thank Louise, Zoe, Alexandra, John Maxwell and everyone at the regional BFI Film Academy group at Liverpool FACT who provided me with the opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills, supported me while I was at Talent Campus and were amazing people to work with, Pete Fraser and  John Wardle for giving me the chance to attend the Talent Campus, the trips to BAFTA, National Art Gallery, BFI National Film Archive and Pinewoods Studios, and for making it an amazing experience for us all, Corin Hardy for showing me the dedication its takes and being an awesome tutor and finally Team Hardy and the other members who attended Talent Campus for being amazing people to meet, work with, laugh with and for sharing the experience with me that I will never forget.

Who would have thought that The Beatle’s iconic Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover would now include images of Jessie Ware, Dave Grohl and Kylie? Well, after careful consideration and hours trawling through music magazines, blogs and personal paraphernalia, Freehand made it happen.

The Beatles inspired Stand-In (that’s the name for those seaside stick-your-face-in-the-hole-and-have-a-photo-taken stands) is just one part of the latest instalment in FACT’s Connects Space. Alongside this, Rip It Up is also giving FACT’s visitors the chance to design their own band t-shirt, create a pop-star hybrid using the Exquisite Corpse board and improve their music knowledge with the uniquely formulated Lets Get Quizzical.

For 2 months Freehand have worked tirelessly on coming up with activities that all ages can have fun with and share with their friends and families. From the questions for the quiz to the way the posters looked on the wall, Freehand have explored every aspect of how to make an exhibition space work.

Black and white giant posters line the walls and visitors are invited to write their response on the massive blackboard to questions such as, ‘What was your first record?’ and ‘Who is your favourite Artist?’ Paying homage to the poster-plastered bedroom walls of teenagers everywhere is the look that Freehand were going for when designing Rip It Up under the guidance of Well Made studio’s Joe Bramall.

This look has definitely paid off. The cover designs of the albums that have been kept a guilty pleasure for so long are being gingerly appreciated and favourite lyrics have been openly scribbled on the board (‘come on Barbie, let’s go party’ was a welcome shock).  The response is a feeling of pride of what you like and not a cringe in sight!

For the past 6 weeks two groups of very talented 16-19 year olds have been attending the first ever BFI Film Academy at FACT. Working with film industry professionals, learning advanced technical skills and critical film theory, the Film Academy students have been able to realise their potential for working within the world of Film Making.

Here’s what BFI Film Academy student Ashleigh has said about her experience:

I applied for the FACT film academy course that was suggested to me by my college and immediately though it sounded great! I applied for the 7 week course and was thrilled with my acceptance! The course has been absolutely fantastic! Everybody I worked with had similar interests and ideas and so I never felt worried to share a comment of my own in the sessions.

We worked with professional film makers, in detailed yet relaxed lectures and practical sessions where we did a number of creative things to inspire us and help the sessions flow unfortunately fast.
Each session was different. Some lessons being on the behind the scenes of a film and the problems that film makers run into most commonly. These included learning the importance of an assistant director, to simply making sure your cast and crew are well looked after. We went and took photographs in groups to inspire ideas for films. Then, I got the chance to work with completely new people on a short film idea. This really gave me an insight as to what being a film maker would be like, as these situations in which you must be able to work with anyone at any time can arrive out of the blue, and it offered me first hand experience. This knowledge was then put to the test as we all took on our roles in making short films to have a taste for the work involved. I was very surprised by how much work and team involvement goes into filming! I learned it is absolutely crucial that everyone does their part, and even the smallest jobs are vital. I really enjoyed filming in and around the FACT building, using the technical equipment for real and having the ability to produce a film and see what it is like. I thought it was amazing and very ‘hands-on’ with experience.

On top of this unique experience, we also had some film history lectures in which we learned about topics such as the work of Hitchcock and the New Wave films that opened up the world’s eyes to a new kind of film. These lessons were very informative and allowed me to experience what a university lecture would be like in the comfort and relaxed atmosphere of the group. I found this very helpful and as though it has prepared me for my future dreams in university. Another amazing opportunity that this course offered was the chance to attend master classes on film distribution and editing which fed my knowledge for wanting to know more about the world of film and helped me establish where my interests lie. During the time I spent at the FACT bfi film academy, I decided my future aspirations as a film maker or editor due to the big interest that the course brought in each session I looked forward to. My hopes for the future are to get a degree in film making and go on to direct or write my own short films, and maybe even begin my own film production studio!

Freehand are now in their fourth week of planning for their part of FACT’s forthcoming exhibition The Art of Pop Video. Ideas are flying about what is going in the space and the Freehanders are getting to grips with how to design the space with the help of their rather excited mentor Joe Bramall!

Week three and four have seen the Freehanders look at how their final ideas will work within the Connects Space along with where they will go, what materials they will need and how it will look to the public who will be visiting FACT and the exhibition.

We can reveal that the walls of the Connects Space will be covered with original posters, lyrics and memorabilia made by Freehand and they are already hard at work honing their creative skills to produce some really great designs.

As well as working on their designs, the group are channelling their inner quizmaster by coming up with some brain-teasing quiz questions that will feature in ‘Let’s get Quizzical’, Freehand’s exclusive pop-themed quiz game.

In the next couple of weeks the group will be working on more additions to their Pop-themed space so keep checking for new Freehand backstage exclusives!

For FACT’s next exhibition The Art of Pop Video, Freehand have been invited to make the FACT connects space their own. Our lovely Freehanders are working with local design studio Well Made and have already had the chance to meet with Joe Bramall ( Well Made Director) to discuss their weird and wonderful pop-related ideas.

To start the ball rolling, Joe presented Pop culture through the decades, starting with the 50s and the birth of the teenager and finishing at the celebrity DJs that have come about in the last 10 years. Inspired by this and all of the music memorabilia the group were asked to bring with them, they got to work on creating mood boards based on different music eras. Amidst the eclectic YouTube playlist, there was a hum of excitement about Pop icons; images of Madonna in the 80s, Gaga in the noughties and Take That from the 90s were being pasted to their boards and ideas were already starting to form.

The second session in, with the help of Joe and some post-it notes the Freehanders looked at the activities they had come up with and decided which ones they really loved and didn’t like so much. Armed with a plan of the space and the ideas they had whittled down, the group started sketching where the activities were going, what they were going to need and how the space was going to be decorated.  There was a lot of talk about dance mats, dance floors and karaoke booths, which was getting everyone excited…

Over the next five weeks, the Freehanders will continue to hone their design skills with Well Made and using the best ideas will be turning the FACT Connects Space into a Pop-themed hub of interactive fun and games.

Freehand’s Art of Pop Connect Space will be released in March

After learning at the end of last year that the usual Freehand group would no longer be just one group but two, 2013 kicked off to a rather experimental start for the newly named Freehand Makers group.  Plucked out of their usual meeting place in FACT, the makers were introduced to DoES; a Liverpool maker community where they have the chance hack, play and experiment with technology and on this occasion, build electronic games.

It was obvious the group were adapting well to their new surroundings, in particular the arduino powered bubble machine Bubblino that whirred to life every now and again whenever DoES received a mention on Twitter.  Already inspired by the amount of technological gadgets and equipment, the makers got to work on their games with the help of Adrian McEwen, a couple of soldering irons and a lot of patience. Here are a couple of photos of the Freehanders in action:

So as we know with a lot of technology, there are always going to be times when things go wrong, and when things go right it is a great victory. Whether it was the circuit wasn’t connected properly or there was too much or too little soldering on the connections, Adrian and the group worked together to make their games come to life. Sporadically there were noises and little flashes of light showing that some of the games including electronic dice, xylophones and memory games had already started to work and here’s a picture of Rebecca with her light sensitive LED game:

The next time Freehand Makers will meet, they will be honing their music skills in a workshop with Ross from DoES on electronic music and sound art. We can’t wait to hear about that one!

TOLD YOU MAYAN CALENDAR!! Now we know 2013 is a go, Rebecca has prepared (pre-apocalypse) 10 reasons why the world should not end. And to be honest they are PRETTY GOOD reasons too.

-10 Reasons the World Shouldn’t End in 2012-

1)ARTPOP – New album by Lady Gaga
2)Catching Fire – The sequel to ‘The Hunger Games’
3)New series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy
4)The fourth game in the Animal Crossing series – New Leaf
5)Internet sensations Dan and Phil are getting their own radio show on BBC Radio 1
6)The third installment in the ‘Iron Man’ series
7)’Les Miserables’ to come out in cinemas
8)New series of ‘Sherlock’
9)’The Mortal Instruments – City Of Bones’ To also come out in cinemas
(2013 will be a good year for films.)
10)FACT are doing a project with BFI, and we certainly wouldn’t want to miss that!

-Rebecca

We all have something we look forward to during Christmastime, those little traditions that only you and your family and friends know about. So our avid photographer, Tom has decided to share with you the little moments that make Christmas personal to him.

Where would Christmas be nowadays without the tradition of eating mince pies, fruit on our dinner, trees from outside brought indoors and especially the CHRISTMAS FILM!! So Matthew has brought together his top picks for you to choose from. Put your feet up, the fire on and enjoy a couple of hours stress free viewing time for the festive season.

Jingle All the Way

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Howard Langston a dad who is trying his hardest to get the perfect Christmas present for his son, this year’s hottest toy. Unfortunately all of the toys are sold out and Howard has to take drastic measures to give his son the perfect Christmas.

Die Hard

This film maybe only loosely linked to Christmas but it’s a movie that is being frequently watched in Christmas. John McClain must save his wife and several others who have been taken hostage at a Christmas party.

National Lampoons Christmas

Clark Griswold plans to have a big family Christmas. Disaster unfolds with a series of unfortunate events that hit Clarke and his family. Clarke tries to keep his hope in the Christmas bonus that should be arriving shortly.

Gremlins

When a boy from a small town breaks 3 important rules regarding his new pet miniature green monsters tear through the neighbourhood causing havoc and ultimately ruining Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Based on the story by Dr. Seuss about the Grinch and his hatred of Christmas. He devises a master plan to steal Christmas and becomes local menace in the town of Whoville

Home Alone 2

The sequel to the beloved festive film Home Alone. Here, Kevin is separated with is family once again but this time he’s lost in New York.

Elf

About the human that was raised as a elf in the North Pole who goes on a journey to find his father who lives in New York. He finds it hard to adjust to the big city.

Home Alone

When Kevin is left Home Alone two burglars who plan to break in to Kevin’s house stalk him. But Kevin arms himself with a air rifle and defends his home.

Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton writes and produced the story about the king of Halloween and how he wants to replace it with Christmas. He tries to get his friends from Halloween town to get involved

The Muppets Christmas Carol

For me this is my favourite. It combines all of our favourite Muppet characters and the story of A Christmas Carol with Michael Caine starring as Scrooge. The best film to get you in the Christmas mood.

HALF WAY THERE!!!!!!!! It’s getting close now and perhaps this may be a time to reflect on the spirit of the yule tide season. And what better to do this with than with a contemplative piece of poetry by our very own Harrison.