STUDENT GUIDE 2017
FILM
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What's the best way to get into i lm-making / i lm- curating as a student? Morvern: Go and see as many i lms as you can, and volunteer at i lm festivals. Glasgow and Edinburgh both boast two great i lm festivals in GFF and EIFF, so just get in amongst it as much as you can! Sean: With both things it is just as important to make sure you are well versed in cinema history whilst keeping up to date with what is happening right now, particularly in your local i lm scene – if that is where you want to work. I studied i lm at Glasgow University but did lots of short term work for Glasgow and Edinburgh Film Festivals, along with others.
How can people i nd their i lm community while they're at university?
to Morvern: Edinburgh is absolutely teaming with i lmic activity! The i rst stop would probably be Edinburgh Uni's Film Society who run regular i lm screenings during term time. Next would be Edinburgh's only independent arthouse cinema Filmhouse, which is also home the Edinburgh Film Guild and Edinburgh International Film Festival, which takes place in June. Filmhouse also plays host to a myriad of i lm festivals throughout the year including Africa in Motion, Take One Action! and various foreign language-based festivals. Outside of that, there are a number of community cinemas operating in Edinburgh too, including Freeze Frame Film Club at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, where you can see a number of classic i lms from the 50s to the 80s accompanied by a three course meal! Sean: I seem to remember it was pretty easy to i nd them at things like freshers fairs and on notice-boards. But also I can't recommend enough just heading along to festival parties and chatting to people. Every night at Glasgow and Edinburgh i lm festivals, the venues are packed and people are chatting about what they have seen that day. From there, you can create your own i lm community.
What do you like about running a festival?
Morvern: Festivals are crazy mad beasts where you get to present a bunch of stuff you think is worth sharing with the general public. They bring people together, and create new readings by sitting next to one another in the same programme. There's nothing quite so special as 118 THE LIST 1 Sep–31 Oct 2017
experiencing a festival with an audience, as that's when all the hard work comes together and creates a special shared moment in space and time. Sean: The pleasure I get when something works, when a i lm that people wouldn't otherwise have seen really connects – it doesn't always happen (in which case I tend to make myself scarce) but when it does it is really the best. Also just the goodwill that people have, and the willingness to go on a journey.
What's been the most inl uential i lm for you, creatively?
Morvern: I think watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a kid had a profound effect on me, as I realised that you could make a i lm about literally ANYTHING. I think it sparked my love of trash and b-movies too – crazy mad efforts from weirdos like myself, just passionate about bringing the most outlandish stories to life, and hopefully making a buck at the same time. Sean: When I decided I was going to study i lms I did buy box-sets of everything I thought I should watch – Goddard, Kurosawa, Powell and Pressburger etc – but I think that something more inl uential would be a cinema experience that was totally unique, as that is what we are often trying to create with screenings. Something like a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey I went to as a teen that was followed by a discussion about artii cial intelligence that made me see that i lm wholly anew, or a Hans Richter shorts programme that was scored by an improvisor orchestra that couldn't be replicated ever. festival
What's your number one tip for anyone who wants to run their own i lm festival? Morvern: Speak to people – approach supportive organisations such as Film Hub Scotland who can give advice on licences etc. First and foremost, just do it. Sean: Make sure there is an audience out there for your programming. As much as we all want to, do not just screen the i lms for yourself – remember cinema is a communal experience.
KinoKlub screens The Beast (1975), Summerhall, Edinburgh, Sun 10 Sep. VHS Trash Fest, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Fri 15 & Sat 16 Sep. Dunoon Film Festival, Fri 10 & Sat 11 Nov. Glasgow Film Festival, Wed 21 Feb–Sun 4 Mar 2018.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
EDINBURGH CINEMAS
Away from the multiplexes at the Omni, Fountain Park and Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh is home to some gems of cinema: the Cameo in Tollcross opened in 1914 and is one of Scotland's oldest cinemas; the Dominion in Morningside delivers on the old-school cinema charm; and the Filmhouse on Lothian Road (whose beautiful Screen 1 is pictured on the previous page) is the spiritual home of i lm in Edinburgh and the hub for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which takes place yearly in June. Plus, this year, you can get a free year's membership in freshers week (£5 after).
GLASGOW CINEMAS
Head straight to Glasgow Film Theatre for your i x of independent cinema love. This wonderful place just off Sauchiehall Street is the home of Glasgow Film, which runs the Glasgow Film Festival (February), Glasgow Short Film Festival (March) and Glasgow Youth Film Festival (September), as well as a variety of strands throughout the year (look out for Cult Classics to catch up on your cinema ABCs). With a 15–25 card, you can get £5.50 tickets too. Elsewhere, the Grosvenor on Ashton Lane is a must for horror fans, thanks to their All Night Horror Madness nights. And the CCA on Sauchiehall Street may be better known as a gallery and arts venue, but its cinema is an essential part of the calendar of many i lm festivals, including the Scottish Queer International Film Festival in September (see feature, page 23).