Hi all! My classroom experience at the Derek Jarman Lab has been new and exciting compared to my normal classroom at Pitt. Here, we are having more hands-on work with cameras and equipment, while maintaining a critical lens on British cinema. To be successful in the film industry, it is vital to maintain creativity and ambition, as being in a critical industry, it is vital to stay devoted to the craft. In order to maintain my creativity, I consistently write scripts and, when possible, produce films with colleagues of mine. By doing this, my brain is constantly active of new ideas and concepts, as well as learning from others with various ways of achieving a ‘perfect’ film. Leveraging, for example, the strength of achievement, it is important in the film industry to define what achievement is. To some, it may be editing a sequence or winning the top prizes at festivals. As a beginning filmmaker, I take pride in the small things, such as completing a cut of a film in which I am proud of and wanting to show others. Recently, I took pride in being selected at four different film festivals around the globe for my most recent work. Although these events were much more grand than simply editing a sequence, I still find pride in small achievements such as that. In my industry, the professionals who are leading us often take the role as advisor, however, allowing us to work beside them, entrusting our abilities and ideas. It is a nice change in the breaking of boundaries between being a student, but rather being a professional myself. I can not wait to continue working on projects alongside my superiors as I am actively learning, both in the aspect of cinematography, but also production. Looking at film through a business lens allows for a perfect balance between understanding how the creative side of film necessitates upon the business. 

I am attaching the classroom hallway of my area of the Derek Jarman Lab in Bloomsbury, London. This was inspired by German Expressionism, through the colorful and jarring accents on the walls.