It was a pleasure to facilitate an interviewing and story collection workshop for students at Waltham Forest College involved in the delivery and evaluation of Future Film Focus 2023 in November. Nicole was one of the students who developed her skills in story collection, and in her student article below she shares her journey navigating her responsibilities and developing her event leadership skills.
Future Film Focus, by E17 Films and Emerging Talent, supports emerging talent to entry level employment, training, and work experience roles within the creative industries with key cultural partners.
From Novice to Navigator: My Future Film Focus
By Nicole Ngan
There I was – sat facing a presentation, completely clueless about the content and questioning the majority of my life decisions up until that moment. If I had been told only several weeks later that I would be composing press releases and interviewing industry professionals at Future Film Focus: Digital Skills 2023, I would have been sceptical at best. However, through the support of many talented individuals and a series of insightful workshops, I was armed with the knowledge to play an impactful role in this event. My work experience journey into events management began with initial hesitation and uncertainty, but this later merged with feelings such as acceptance, anticipation, and self-assurance.
Future Film Focus: Digital Skills 2023 is an event for young people seeking entry level pathways into creative media industries. With leading media companies such as ITV, Microsoft UK and Mediorite partnering with E17 Films in order to produce the event, young creatives were given the opportunity to network with media professionals and gain insightful industry knowledge. As a student currently studying Digital Media at Waltham Forest College, this was an opportunity to gain work experience, especially as my role as a Marketing Assistant was relevant to the undergraduate I plan on studying. Whilst I was initially unsure of what the role specifically entitled, I recognised this as a chance to learn from and connect with media professionals, as well as gain an invaluable asset to my personal statement and CV.
After signing up for my role, I was introduced to my role with a presentation from the college’s marketing team surrounding the foundations of marketing. From such an early point in the work experience, I already felt completely out of my depth. I came to realise how subpar and shallow my knowledge and preconceptions of marketing were. This was reaffirmed in the following session, where I was singularly tasked with writing a Press Release for the event. Navigating writing a press release was overwhelming, and I felt completely unprepared. This was one of several challenges I faced in this work experience – with the assistance of E17 Films (Reese and Liza), I was able to form a plan and produce an article.
Throughout this work experience, I was also able to learn many techniques used in interviewing. Interviewing had been role I had been open to trying, but, similarly to journalism, something I was unfamiliar with. Whilst this was also a challenge, the workshops I attended in preparation for the event helped immensely. In one of these workshops, I was able to meet the experienced researcher Chris Hayes, where I learnt interview techniques as well as learned about his personal journey in the research industry and cultural sectors. I also had the incredible opportunity to participate in a one-day workshop at ITV, where we were trained in using cameras, microphones and interviewing skills. Throughout this process, I questioned my reasoning for signing up for these roles as well as my own abilities. Whilst these workshops were challenging, the constant reassessments of myself show how insightful and influential I found this work experience.
Being able to meet industry experts in person and listen to their personal experiences was a very humanizing experience, and especially reassuring when I felt uncertain about my decisions. When the event itself took place, I felt far more secure with the knowledge and experience I had gained over the past few weeks as well as with a capable team around me.
However, as with the nature of live events, a series of equipment malfunctions consecutively took place. For example, there were no microphones available for our team to use so we had to rely on the audio from a phone recording. The batteries for our equipment had to consistently be replaced as well. Whilst our team did our best to navigate around these issues, acceptance was one of the most vital factors in ensuring the event went as smoothly as it did. We had to accept the fact that not everything would be perfect, and instead focused on producing the highest quality interviews with our current circumstances and equipment. With this mindset, despite the complications, we were able to record a series of quality interviews with the attending exhibitors.
In conclusion, my work experience at Future Film Focus: Digital Skills 2023 was a very humbling experience. It was challenging, stressful and rewarding. Through attending scheduled workshops, I gained a substantial amount of knowledge and experience in preparation for the event. Based on my personal experience, I would advise people to take this opportunity and participate in this event as it has been very valuable. My main piece of advice would be to take the initiative and stay open to being pushed outside of your comfort zone. Feelings of uncertainty and hesitancy are all part of the learning process, and there are many people who can support you. I am grateful for the experience and all of the individuals who have helped me along the way, as I would otherwise be unable to achieve what I have.
Nicole Ngan is a student currently studying Level 3 Extended Diploma in Digital Media at Waltham Forest College. She hopes to pursue an undergraduate in Marketing after she finishes her course next year.