Documentary Film Mentoring:
My Story I have been mentoring film students and professional filmmakers for the past 15 years. It began in Montreal where I volunteered with newly arrived immigrants who were either filmmakers or were entering film school. They needed help with their English. I gave advice on how to apply for university, as well as giving ideas or helping with subtitling. Magnus Issacson, Montreal filmmaker and Montreal's homeless nation In 2007, Magnus asked me to work with him for my final internship at film school. My job was a go-between for the homeless nation and his cameraman, Simon Bould, on their documentary film L'art en action Here on the streets of Montreal I learnt real empathy and tolerance. I gained firsthand experience of what it was like to work the long hours, sort through footage, hunt out ideas, find that "magic" moment filmmakers call GOLD. I continued to mentor, this time with more experience and a few short films to my name. Magnus died in August, 2012. I deeply thank him for the chance he gave me to watch him in action. He taught me a lot. He had a work ethic next to none. He inspired me, he'd say "Grab your camera and shoot, don't wait, the moment will be gone!" |
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Branching out I got some funding for my first feature length documentary, Dust, a Sculptor's Journey, and getting together with Wang Ying, a Chinese Canadian, we took it to China to screen. It was successful and we were asked to create a series of "low budget, documentary DIY workshops". We have been working in China since 2015, teaching documentary film production at the Beijing Film Academy, Modern Creative Media College, Qingdao. We travel to different universities for workshops, film festivals and mentoring. During the time of lockdown I came back to the UK where I am in the UK, and give classes via Zoom to my students in China, work at the Victorian Woodbury Park Cemetery Association and liaise with the Rusthall Community Cinema. I begin to teach various digital media classes at Sevenoaks Adult Education Centre in November 2022. I am honoured to have worked with so many wonderful and talented people who have let me grow in my own profession. I am especially proud of my work as film consultant with Tao Gu for his masterful documentary Taming the Horse which has won awards in some of the most prestigious world festivals, and with Helena Michie whose film JEAN CAPDEVILLE :Voyage into Black is selected for the Media Library 2020 | Visions du Réel, International Film Festival Nyon. |
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