Mike Newell, the BAFTA winning Director of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings & a Funeral and Donnie Brasco gave an insightful master class to kick off the 2nd Craft Residential delivered by the NFTS for the BFI Film Academy.
66 of the nation’s most promising young film-makers aged 16-19 took part in the first weekend of training that included inspirational talks by Mike Newell and NFTS Director Nik Powell who set up his first company, Virgin Records, with Richard Branson as a teenager.
Jon Wardle, NFTS Director of Curriculum and Registrar, said: “We were overwhelmed with applications for the BFI Film Academy delivered by the NFTS, so the 66 young people we selected really are the brightest and best. They all really impressed us during the opening weekend. Their understanding of film as a creative medium, as a business and as a cultural form is really impressive and we hope to extend it and supplement it further during their time with us.”
This year’s Craft Residential has been extended to include a wider range of craft disciplines. Students can specialise in screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, production sound, editing and production design. During the second phase of the Film Academy over the Easter holidays, the participants will be working in teams to make short films.
The film makers will receive further training in production management, working with actors and film business as well as workshops in Production Design with Max Berman (Tinker Tailor..., Game of Thrones), Composition with Nathan Johnson (Brick, Looper) and a feedback session on film marketing with Rosie Fletcher, Associate Editor of Total Film Magazine – our Media Partner.
Participants will also visit BAFTA, the BFI National Film Archive and the National Gallery. The final films will be screened at the BFI IMAX in April.
