Spending time with artist Julia Ogden is always inspiring, and when I was recording a voice over with her a few weeks ago, she made me dream of those big skies and winding pathways. After all this rain, the sky I imagined was pastel blue, dotted with fluffy little clouds!
I was making preparations for my Life In Motion 2 - Filmmaking The Next Steps course. This day workshop is rooted in story and how to weave a narrative to make your films compelling for viewers. I know from my own experience that we need the technical skills, but not to put all the emphasis on this as story is key.
When I first started imaginig the course (which is a follow up to my much loved Life In Motion - Filmmaking For Beginners), I always saw a part of the day being out on a real filming session with a local artist. When I approached Julia, I am so grateful she said yes!
I recorded a voice over with Julia talking about her inspirations and her practice, and then I transcribed this for the participants.
“I often go on walks and I’ll take my phone out and take a picture. I think that’s a sky I can pop in my pocket to paint later on.”
Before lunch they took time to look over the voice over, and pick out areas they wanted to concentrate on. From this, they then planned the clips they wanted to film with Julia. Not only would they all come away with a brand film they can now use to show future clients, but I was also fascinated with all the different angles they wanted to concentrate on, even though they were filming the same subject.
“I can’t recommend Life In Motion 2 enough. Keen to continue learning about the creative aspects of filmmaking, the course solidified my technical knowledge and gave me the confidence, skills and opportunity to bring my first ‘proper film’ to life just a week later. I’m really proud of my first film and I now feel equipped to advance my filmmaking journey, which is incredibly exciting!”
It’s always a bit nerve wracking launching a new course out there into the wild, but I loved the day, and the participants did too judging from their feedback about it!
“The opportunity to film with artist Julia Ogden in the afternoon was such a treat, giving us a chance to put our morning learning into practice. The whole day was so worthwhile and I’ve come away re-energised with my filmmaking, full of ideas and plans. Defintely a five star day, set in the wonderful surroundings of Hebden Bridge.”
This is a film made by one of the participants, Lisa. I gave them all a copy of the voice over I recorded with Julia, and they edited it to create the story they wanted to tell with the visuals they filmed on the day. It’s been lovely seeing their films coming through!
So it looks like Life In Motion 2 is around to stay, and I’m happy to say that places are now avaiable for the next run of the workshop which is going to be on October 24th right here in Hebden Bridge. You an find all the information and book your place here. And if you’re looking to make your first filmmaking steps, our beginners course is running on October 3rd. Step into my filmmaking page here to find out more.
