Young filmmaker Josh is a film student with Sparks Film School Richmond, with aspirations to work in the film industry.
We sat down for a chat with Josh about his experience as a young filmmaker and Sparks Film School student.
Can you tell me about when you first joined Sparks Film School? Tell me about your first day…
It was quite a few years ago now that I started. I think I was around 11 when I joined Sparks Film School Richmond.
We started work on our first ever film, which I helped create the idea for. It was a horror comedy involving Peppa Pig. That was my first film pitch that got picked by the group, which was really fun!
What first interested you about filmmaking?
I’ve always dreamed of being a filmmaker, it has always interested me in a way more than any other subject has ever done really. Something about it really inspired me and that made me think I could possibly inspire others with my own work.
Working in film has always been my dream career path and my dream is to pass that inspiration onto others in my work.
How would you say your filmmaking has developed over your time attending classes at Sparks Film School? What kind of things have you learned about?
I started out with some fun and strange ideas for that first film! However as I’ve developed I’ve had more nuanced ideas and changed my perception on what a film could be. Not only as a filmmaker, but as a film enjoyer and watcher!
I’ve started watching more interesting films and seeing new ways that the camera, audio, and the characters can be used, so my ideas have really changed a lot during my time with Sparks. Now each term I try to pitch a really different idea every time, I don’t want to repeat the process, I want to challenge myself and try new things each time.
We have recently been experimenting with some stop motion, different uses of audio and I’m really excited for future projects!
What has been your favourite Sparks Film School production you have worked on?
My favourite film, that is a big question! I think my personal favourite would be Mono-Academy. The main reason for this is the film was quite high concept and centred on a theme which I really enjoyed. The school in the story had been brainwashed into being the perfect students, and it’s about the resistance against the all powerful ‘Administrator’.
It was quite a dark film and we used a certain colour palette for most of the film, whereas for the resistance scenes we used brighter colours with more vibrance which I thought was really interesting. It was unlike any other film we had done before and I really enjoyed the process!
What advice would you have for younger filmmakers, or other children interested in joining Sparks Film School or learning more about filmmaking?
There’s a lot I could say, but I’d narrow it down to two main points. One would be: be different! Try new things, try something different and put yourself and your ideas out there. My second piece of advice would be: be inspired.
If you put an idea forward you need to cherish it and love it and feel inspired by it. If you yourself are not behind your own idea then how can we as a crew believe in it? I would say they are my two main pieces of advice for a new filmmaker.
Find out more…
Josh attends the Sparks Film School weekly filmmaking classes at Sparks Film School Richmond.
Sparks Film Schools offer weekly filmmaking classes at a range of venues across the UK. If you’d like to take part, you can find your nearest Sparks Film School here >>
