Adobe Generation Film Course and Competition Win

During April and May, I took part in an online film course run byAdobe Generation.  Whilst I've been involved with film elements at Ullswater Community College, it is an area that I really wanted to get some training in, as well as have the opportunity to give time to filming creatively.  Firstly, I can not recommend the course enough.  The free course provided tutorials, industry guests, encouragement, peer assessment, forum discussion and a framework for progression, all hosted by great tutors.  It was both fun and challenging from a creative and technical point of view.  Adobe Generation are currently running a game design course and an app design course following that.  I think they will be continuing the courses next year, so keep an eye on their website if you are interested. 

The final project for the course was to create the intro section (60 seconds or less) for a book that you love.  Having gone through lots of my favourite books - Never Let Me Go, The Remains of the Day, Midwich Cuckoos, Count of Monte Cristo, Toilers of the Sea - and discarded them as either having been done too well or needing to live in Guernsey etc, I settled on Cloud Atlas.  I have avoided all the trailers etc for the Wackowski's film as I was nervous of losing the version I had from the book, so it was an exciting prospect to film my own introduction.  

It was a pleasure to plan, film and edit this.  A pleasure to bump into the 2nd Ashton Scout Group from Preston who so very very kindly let us film in the cave whilst they waited outside for a good half an hour.  A pleasure to work with my brother who composed the music based on my mad scribbles and gesticulations of 'more sad', 'loopy and repetitive' or 'more scratchy'.  A pleasure to spend the day with my brother and sister-in-law helping me (and eating food at the amazing Chesters by the River).  And it was a lovely lovely thing to win the competition at the end of it all.

So if you think a spot of filming would help people connect with what you do, or would like a filming aspect to your wedding photography, it would be my pleasure to work with you.

My Cloud Atlas film:

And a couple of shots from the day: