Part C – Review an arts event 
After the masterclass with Gareht Ellis Unwin and Jessica Malik, Georgia and I had the tremendous honour of interviewing Iain Smith OBE. Now this man really is something else. I mean really! I’ve never, in all my days, read a wikki that was quite so impressively peppered with A list name-drops. He has worked with e v e r y o n e who is anyone – from Bob Dylan to Bradley Cooper, I mean come on, who does that?? Being as jolly and smiley as he was I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever considered throwing in the towel, hitching a ride to the North Pole, sticking on a red suit and becoming Santa. So how did he get there?
‘It all started off with a Western – doesn’t it always?’
Initially dreaming of becoming a director, Smith admitted that he soon ‘Came to my senses, removed my head from the clouds so to speak …I had to ask myself what is it that what I really want to do? And fundamentally it came down to the control element, I liked the power – was hungry for it, you’ve got to be’. A graduate of the London Film School, Smith had a few stints at being an editor and assistant director of several commercials and children’s feature films before figuring out that his skill-set was much better adapted to dealing with the production elements of film. An ambassador for over twenty separate youth film boards, (I’m very proud to say that I am a part of one of them!) Smith was bubbling over with enthusiasm for what the young people of our country have to offer the industry. His next film ‘Mad Max; Fury Road’ stars Nicholas Hoult and Tom Hardy – both young, both British.
You couldn’t help but feel inspired listening to him talk, ‘It’s out there’ he said, ‘I’m sure of it’. Now, I’m not exactly sure what this ‘it’ is, but I’m damned sure I want to be a part of it. As if this wasn’t exciting enough, we topped it all off in style at the Cinemagic Awards at City Hall. I had a fabulous night liaising with the stars of ‘The Fall’ and with people who I am convinced will be the stars of the future. As a new member of the Cinemagic family I watched, on the big screen, videos that showcased and brought home to me the huge range of career possibilities within the industry. It made this dream I have seem so real and achievable. As Terry Bamber said ‘It really is magic!’.
Part D – Learn about artists and arts organisations through participation I was selected from over 300 applicants across the UK to take part in an intensive, two-week residential craft skills course held at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in Beaconsfield, London over the 2014 Easter vacation. My chosen craft was cinematography. The course featured master-classes from leading film industry figures and tuition and practical experience in using high-tech, industry-standard equipment (Arri Alexa). By participating in this exciting learning experience I strengthened my knowledge of practical film making and post-production work.
During the two week residential, Brian Tufano (Best known for his work as cinematographer on Billy Elliot, Shallow Grave (1994) and Trainspotting (1996)) worked as mentor of cinematography. Tufano is regarded by many to be a legendary pioneer in the world of cinema. He has worked alongside Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Stephen Frears, Ridley Scott, Danny Boyle and many more. He is held responsible for creating films that enjoy cult status on a very commercial basis.
’ Eschewing equally the gritty, hand-held look of the urban realism strand or the high pictorial gloss of heritage filmmaking, he has found a way to combine the realist with an element of poetic commentary in such films as Billy Elliot (d. Stephen Daldry, 2000), Late Night Shopping (UK/Germany, d. Saul Metzstein, 2001) and Last Orders (UK/Germany, d. Fred Schepisi, 2002).’ Brian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of British Film
Diary of A Film Fanatic Featuring BFI & Cinemagic 