Hello again! During my time in London, I have been able to learn many new schools both in terms of my everyday life, school, and career. My transferable soft skills which I have been developing since the start of the program mainly revolve around honing in on my filmmaking craft. I have become more research based in the pre-production planning section of the filmmaking process. Before, shooting mostly narrative and dramatic pieces, the research phase was often limited to ensuring props, costuming, and sets aligned with the historical context of the film. Along with the researching skills, I have also developed the technique of storyboarding ideas through post-it noting and heavy documentation of concepts. For my upcoming project for my final, I am utilizing these techniques in order to approach my concepts with much for organization and creative integrity.
The main hard skill which I have gained through this program is communication. Since my program only has nine members, allowing us to all work on each other’s projects, communication is vital. We have all understood the necessity of fully explaining our concepts both for in class and out of class assignments to ensure our creative ideas come to fruition. Communication is one of the most necessary elements of filmmaking, and by having the chance to experience this with such a tight-knit crew has been a great opportunity. This skill will carry on in my future of working on sets as each filmmaker brings a new idea to every piece they work on, allowing conversations and open-communication to be necessary.
With my prior experiences working on film sets in the Czech Republic, I felt I had a good start at understanding cross-cultural situations and conflicts. Customs and ways of life vary everywhere, but the desire to understand each others’ side with respect is what allows for positivity to follow. In London, I have been very lucky to meet people from around the globe, as this is a very culturally diverse city. Knowing that it is okay to ask questions in order to connect with others is a great way of ensuring connectivity. In attending a school with mostly British locals, I have enjoyed better understanding their ways of life and sociopolitical systems. These interactions impact my identity as they continue to push my cultural curiosity. With my experience in the Czech Republic, working with a global network allowed for many new perspectives to shape each piece, bettering every work that I took part in. This is a great example for the need of diversity in every workplace as each person brings a new perspective to the issue.
I am attaching an image of Prague, which I recently visited for my spring break trip. Over spring break, some friends of mine from the program ventured to five different countries. We were in Greece, Hungary, Austria, Czechia, and Germany!