Review: Creative Careers Day in Film Making

So last week I got to attend a fantastic opportunity at Home (formerly Cornerhouse) in Manchester. The new venue is currently hosting a bunch of fantastic events for young people to achieve training and hands-on practical experience.

The day was from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. and consisted of a group of us learning about camera work, shot angles, shot types, having a chance to create a short film ourselves and even use professional editing software to see the finished film. We started off by introducing ourselves to one another and then quickly moving on to using the cameras and tripods - we looked at white balance, shot types such as: wide shots, long shots, medium shots, close-ups, big close-ups, extreme close-ups and even had a chance to look at the three shot technique (master shot, medium shot, and close-up) and experimented with the 180 degree line rule. We then looked at shot angles, such as: point of view (POV), over the shoulder (OTS), establishing, low and high angles and canted (or dutch) angles. We even got the fantastic opportunity of having a personal tour around the theaters and the projection rooms.

After trying out several of these shots in small groups we then had the chance to go into the Home gallery and shoot a short film for ourselves incorporating as many of the shots we'd discussed as we could (our group decided to play a goofy game of wink murder which turned surprisingly sinister at the end).

I loved doing this as it was really beneficial and also super fun, when we finally returned to the room we got to use industry standard editing software to piece together the film and add effects, titles and sounds. Seeing the end result was a real treat and all of the pieces created were really fantastic.

Overall, I had a fantastic time and learnt so much from Home. If you're interested in getting involved in any creative days - whether it be film or art, visit the Home website (http://homemcr.org/) for more info!