Course: Explore Filmmaking: from Script to Screen

Composer Nathan Johnson bridges sound recording and composing in his approach to film scores. In Brick (2005), directed by his cousin Rian, Nathan used a variety of household implements including …

John Keane talks about the process a composer goes through. Music is a very important component of a film, in that it can provide what Mike Figgis calls ‘the essential …

In Week 2, we looked at the different origins of film stories. As you have heard, Echo came from the writer, James Walker, observing a particular event and then seeing …

Justine Wright began editing in commercials, having originally trained as a journalist. Her first documentary was One Day in September (1999), directed by Kevin MacDonald, who she also worked with …

Justine’s account of how she gets started with an edit demonstrates the importance of the editor to the storytelling process. Editing is often mistakenly seen as a purely technical task, …

Corin introduces his epic first film. Butterfly (2003) is our case study short film this week and our first animation. The film took Corin five years to make and was …

Brain Tufano explains one of the most memorable scenes in cinema from Trainspotting (1996). He mentions the art technique trompe l’oeil in which, according to wikipedia: “realistic imagery is used …

Mike Figgis is well known for his innovations with equipment, particularly on a budget. Here he demonstrates how to make a simple but effective light very cheaply. Sometimes aspiring filmmakers …

Mike Figgis talks through some of the key features of a film’s budget. He discusses: choice of equipment and stock: camera, film, processing number of locations In addition, a filmmaker …

Gabriel discusses the impact of budget on production and how working within limitations can often make the film better. He considers how a filmmaker may have to adjust expectations and …

Mike Figgis is a filmmaker, photographer and musician. He began directing for the cinema in the 1980s, having worked as a musician and in the theatre. As a filmmaker he …

Gone Too Far was originally a successful stage play at the Royal Court theatre in London. The writer, Bola Agbaje, adapted her work for a screenplay, before Destiny was offered …

For Destiny, as a writer and as a director, the pleasures of making stories on film go hand in hand with a desire to get a message across, particularly in …

Skyborn uses a lot of what is known as ‘in camera’ effects, in this case- sand animation, fog and miniatures. Viewers often assume that all effects these days are done …