This document outlines the career plan of a student interested in film studies and directing from 2018-2023. It details the courses they plan to take over four years of university, focusing on film theory, history, criticism, and practical skills like screenwriting and directing. Their third year will include classes in film criticism, digital filmmaking, and contemporary Hollywood. After graduating in 2023, they plan to look for jobs in film directing and acting, and eventually start their own production company. They cite Edgar Wright as a key inspiration for his comedic film trilogies and ability to win awards for short films made as a teenager.
Packaging the Monolith - PHP Tek 2024 (Breaking it down one bite at a time)
Film Career Plan Title
1. Career Plan
Year 2018 -
2023
Place Description and Skills learnt
Year 1 University With the required grades for The University of Bristol, I would
like to go there and do a course of film studies. This is a full
time 3-4 years’ worth of studying where I will be studying the
theory side of the industry as well as the practical side of it.
During my first year of University in Bristol where I plan on
going to, I would be introduced to new topics and gain new set
of skills of film and television studies which is the course I
want to study. These topics would be firstly an introduction to
film and television. This topic would help me understand the
basic knowledge of film and television and would help me get
familiar more with the industry as I would like to start my
career there and get to know a bit more on the industry. After
that there will be a breakdown of both Film and television.
Firstly I will study a close-up on film. This will enable me to
understand almost everything on film such as how it works,
roles of the cast and crew in film and how to make a
successful production in film. Secondly there would be a study
on the close-up on television, how it is different to film and
what makes a successful television production. These two
topics are important as I get to understand how both are
different and similar to each other and would also help me
make my mind up as to where I would like to act or direct in.
So far I have decided to direct and act in film as I find it easier
and more exciting to work in as I can move on to working in
different genres of film. Television however, I may have to be
working under a contract to work within a series for a long
period of time rather than do something different. I would also
be studying on how to adapt text. This means I would have to
adapt scripts and other creative media texts. This would help
my career as a director as the course would teach me on how
to write a script for a film if I wanted to create my own
production and how to edit a script to make it better in order to
create a successful production.
Year 2 University Within the second year of university, I will be studying the
history of film and television. I will be studying the history of
film and television from the 1960’s till now. This is important as
I can get to understand and acknowledge how technology has
evolved from the 1960’s and how the crew would use that
technology. This would also help me as I would understand
how the style of film and television has changed from the
1960’s till now as I would be able to learn the techniques and
styles. In the second year, I would get to choose any four of
the following units:
1. Television Broadcast.
2. Animated Film.
3. Screen technologies: Colour, Hollywood Cinema
2. History.
4. Film and Television Comedy.
5. Documentary Histories and Practices.
In my opinion I would do 2, 3, 4 and 5. This is because firstly I
do not want to go into television as I want to do film.
Secondly, I would enjoy learning about Animated films and
how they are produced as I always enjoyed animations since I
was a child and may even make an animated film.
Furthermore, I enjoy a lot of comedy especially when I’m with
my friends or family I enjoy making them laugh. I always
decided that I would definitely at least once in my lifetime
create a comedy film production. I also enjoy watching a lot of
comedy television such as ‘Big Bang Theory’. Therefore,
getting to learn about film and television comedy would be
very helpful as I can learn what makes a great comedy
production on what audiences can I attract to my production
when making a comedy.
Year 3 University My final year of my undergraduate course at my university
during my 3rd year will include any of the following 3 choices
which are :
1. Contemporary Hollywood
2. Film Criticism
3. Global Cinema/ Local stories
4. Digital filmmaking
5. Television and everyday life
6. Extended written Dissertation
I would also have an independent study to do which is:
1. Practical project
2. Written Dissertation
3. Placement in a creative industry.
Out of the 6 I have decided to do Film criticism, Digital film
making and Contemporary Hollywood. I chose film criticism as
I am good at reviewing films and sharing my views and
opinions with others on different films. This will help me as I
would be able to understand how to make a production that
will hopefully get great reviews from different critics as I would
get to know how film critics think. Digital film making is also a
skill I would love to acquire as I would definitely want to start
my career with film direction within the industry. Also
everything nowadays is digitally done so getting familiar with
professional digital cameras would be a great advantage for
me. Contemporary Hollywood is also great to study as I am
willing to find out about everything within the industry, how it's
funded and how Hollywood today works. This would help me
get familiar within the industry and during my time and career
in Hollywood I should be able to know how to handle things,
what I should be doing and what I am dealing with.
Year 4 University In this final post graduate year, I will get to acquire skills such
as screen forms and analysis. In this unit I would get to
understand how key concepts get to relate with film and
television forms. There is also a unit called Production
3. technologies and techniques where I would get to know how
to work in creative production projects and learn skills on
digital productions. This would help me on my direction skills
as I would understand the whole production concept from to
scratch. This is something I would want to do as my career
and it will help achieve my goal once I study these techniques
as I can then confidently start working on my own productions.
There will be many optional units such as :
1. Writing and Directing for Film & Television
This is where I will learn how to write scripts for film and
television as well as directing them. This would be a great
advantage for me as I would be able to perfect my direction
sills for film and how to become a successful director too. I will
also learn the role of a director and what makes a successful
director.
2. Screen Histories
This unit will explain how films and television have changed
since the very first motion picture till today. This involves
things such as the use of colour after black and white films
and silent cinema.
3. Film Theory
In this unit I will understand the theoretical side of film and
how it works.
4. Screening Nations
This unit examines how films relate to national and
transnational contexts of production.
5. Screen style & Aesthetics
This shows how the industry employs people in film and
television.
6. Making short films
This is a topic I would be looking forward to as I enjoy working
on projects and doing practical work such as making short
films. I have a lot of experience of making short films as I have
experienced working on such projects in 6th form, for
example, the short horror film I had to do before I made the
trailer.
7. Translating for subtitling
This is where I will learn to develop my skills to translate the
subtitles of films and television programmes.
8. Contemporary Film
This topic will teach about how Cinema has changed over
the many years of filming and learning about cultural contexts
as well as the new development of technology.
Year 5 Job In this year I would be looking for jobs as I have gained many
skills, qualifications as well as knowledge and experience. The
jobs I would be looking for is film direction and acting. I would
want to look into directing films mainly and then acting as well.
Music videos would be what I would enjoy to direct as well and
hopefully I would want to set my own production company as
well. I also have a family media company which I would be
taking over in Hollywood as well and would start working with
other great directors, producers and actors.
4. Inspiration
One of my biggest inspirations on becoming a successful film director is Edgar Wright. This
is because he has directed some of my favourite films especially directed the cornetto trilogy
which includes one of my favourite horror-comedy films, Shaun of the Dead. He has also
directed the new film Baby Driver that has just recently been released which had a great plot
and twist. Just as I want to, Edgar Wright has also been making short films in his teenage
years and has won awards for them and so I want to make short films too.
Edgar Wright is an English Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Actor. He is known for his
comedic film trilogies which are Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. Wright
was born in Somerset, England and as a young teenager he decided on making short films
with a Super 8 camera. He continued to make many more short films after he won a Video 8
camera in a Comic Relief contest, awarded him for his film ‘I Want to Get Into the Movies’.
Wright gained notice in the U.K. when he directed the two seasons of Spaced for Channel 4.
The series, which starred and was written by Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, won two
British Comedy Awards, and was nominated BAFTA Awards and an International Emmy
Award.
Edgar Wright has won about 4 awards and one of them tend to be the Empire award for Best
Director for his work in 2011 called Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. The Empire Award for Best
Director is an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine Empire to
honour directors working within the film industry. He also had won the award for the Empire
Inspiration Award. The third award was the British Independent Award Film Award for Best
Screenplay which was won for Shaun of the Dead in 2004. Lastly, Edgar Wright won the
Bram Stoker award for Best Screenplay which he also won for Shaun of the Dead in 2004.
This is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in
horror writing for best screenplay.