In October 2019 Film Production degree student Victoria Ralph was selected as a film stills trainee by producer Lucy Meer, founder of Strive Films. Victoria gained some fantastic experience as a behind-the-scenes photographer for a BFI funded short film starring Stephen Graham – best known for his roles in This Is England, Snatch and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Lucy started her film career whilst in her second year of University when she was offered a trainee role as the producer’s assistant on a film shot in her home city of Hull. She was asked to stay on as the development assistant and has gone on to work for Warp Films, before launching her own production company Strive Films. She has produced four short films so far, one of which went on to be BAFTA longlisted. She saw the similarities in the way she started with the opportunity she wanted to provide our students:
“As someone who got their start as a trainee, I know just how important it is to offer experience to the next generation of filmmakers looking for their start in the industry. I’d heard about the excellent level of quality and professionalism of Confetti students so I knew I had to get in touch in the run up to my latest short going into production in Nottingham.”
Lucy was pleased and impressed by Victoria and the future looks bright for her:
“I’d already seen from her Instagram page that she had an eye for capturing real moments, so I knew she’d be great for the Behind the Scenes photographer trainee role. She knew how to get some great shots without interrupting the flow of the production and I’d love to bring her on board for future productions.”
POP
The short film – POP – is about a young boy (Jack) befriending a recently released ex-convict (Pop) as he explore his own identity. The pair bond, but Pop’s past and his inability to control his emotions threaten to put Jack in danger.
The film will be heading out to festivals in February 2020, so you might be able to catch it at various venues across the country over the next year or so. The film is currently crowdfunding to raise additional finance for post-production and festival entry fees. As a thank you for supporting and donating one of the perks is to recieve an exclusive link to the finished film before it heads out to festivals. Check out the crowdfund page.
Finally, we asked Lucy to give some advice for anyone looking to make it in the film industry:
“It’s a tough industry to crack and there’s no single pathway that will get you where you want to be. It takes a long time for anything to happen, so work hard and take all the opportunities you can, but don’t pressure yourself to much. Enjoy it and make as many friends as you can along the way!”
Support the film via their Crowdfunding page. If you’re interested in the film industry check out our college-level and degree film courses and book onto an open day.
