James is one of the participants on our fourth BFI Film Academy. Here he shares his experiences so far…
I really enjoyed the past two days of filming. On the first day I was Assistant Director and got to use the clapperboard which was quite fun and after lunch I was the boom operator. As a director, I think it’s very important to know all of the different roles on set and you appreciate them a lot more if you have done them yourself.
On the second day I was DOP and got to set up the lighting which was very useful for me as I am not very experienced in lighting. After lunch however, I got to direct and it was easily the most professional set I have ever worked on, with professional actors and equipment. With help from John and Dean (the Workshop Leaders), I feel I have directed a solid scene and learnt so much about directing. For example, towards the end of the shoot we had the actress Annah pop out from the top of the stairs. She was going out of frame too quickly and she asked how long she should count for. John stepped in and recommended I tell her to not count, but rather as the character, take long enough to ensure that her mum is not home before going out of frame.