Film Society marks its 75th Year Anniversary this year and now more than ever, it feels like there is a sense of homage among the community. Barbara tells us all about filming at UCL and shooting on Christopher Nolans 16mm camera.
Getting involved in the society
I am in my final year of BA Media with a Filmmaking Pathway at UCL! I have been involved in FilmSoc serendipitously at first, being selected as a Producer of a short film in my first year, first term. My second year I was elected as Drama Producer in the committee, meaning I oversaw fiction and affiliate productions for FilmSoc. For my third year, I ran for President, which is where I am at now.
My biggest highlight
My biggest highlight is working on Pigeon-livered, a surrealist 16mm short film shot on ArriFlex 16BL, the same camera Christopher Nolan filmed on. It's a very ambitious, surrealist project and it's definitely the peak of my time at Film Sock. Definitely the amount of people that we worked with, every single person was so skilled and talented. They were not professional in any way. They were amateurs that had just this passion. And a lot of the problem-solving that came with it came from encountering a problem for the very first time. So there's a lot of learning experience from that. I cannot stress enough how much the project taught me to maintain an ambitious mindset despite the obstacles that may seem too difficult to overcome at first.
Finding my people
Being involved in Film Societyshaped me in many ways. I think the list can go on and on really. But one of the main and most important parts is that when I first arrived, because I'm originally from Finland, coming into a new country and being an international student, I don't have that same pre-established network as opposed to a UK student who already has kind of buddies around and friends. Film Sock was a very quick and easy way to find people that I know share my interest and I can very easily start a conversation with them. And there's not a single person I've met here who was at any point intimidating or not welcoming or not hospitable, even before I got really involved in this society. So it's a very quick way to establish that network and an easy way to meet a lot of new people up.
Celebrating 75 years of Film Society
Being a part of this community is a very strong achievement, especially if you are producing films or a part of the committee. There were quite a few alumni that really put Film Society on the map. Harry Bradbeer. And then of course, the most notorious among all of them is Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas, who met here and then ended up working together and being together when I was sitting at UCLA Film Society with Chris and dreaming about making films for a living. That is very exciting because seeing them a lot later in life when they're that successful shout out our society on multiple occasions. There's a constant sense of homage and I really hope that whoever else is going to be the next Chris or the next Emma or the next Harry will also be able to look back at those roots and see it as a valuable a piece of their development. I certainly feel that way about being here.
It's tradition to constantly be very uplifting towards each other and this is not a new thing. It's been happening for 75 years now and this is the 75th year where here that shows something so much bigger than what I am or what anyone is. It's larger than that.
Being in an iconic society
A Film Song definitely connected me to the wider community and there is an element of there's an element of advantage because this society is very historic and dare I say iconic in terms of art societies. Just in the UK, It's so ambitious. Even the people that don't attend UCLA, they've heard about it. I'm so comfortable with not knowing anything or not knowing some parts because This is why the society exists. And that's one of the most common responses I get from people is I want to join, but I've never done a film before or I've never written a script before, or I've never, I've never seen, I don't know, Pulp Fiction, Sorry. That's OK. Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Just come like it will be just it just be fun. My piece of advice is don't be intimidated. Even if it's your first time applying for a job, be honest and say I don't have any prior experience, I really want to learn. 99.9% of the time people will see that.
Looking ahead
Currently, I am waiting to hear back from London-based film schools regarding my Master’s applications for Producer. Both UCL’s Media degree and my background in FilmSoc have played a huge part in helping me discover my niche discipline, alongside the vast amount of opportunities that I was given to develop my portfolio, skills, and knowledge. I am very grateful for both parts – they played an important part in my professional and academic growth, equipping me with the tools to build on that foundation beyond the institution.