NFTS 2024 - Directing Fiction Applications

[FD97]

Hey, Im gonna be at NFTS from the 19th to the 24th July doing a workshop. If anyone has an interview then and wants to say hi or needs some moral support, reach out! Will be cheering you on all the way. Try to get some rest this weekend even though the nerves will be kicking in. Trust me, you are all already good enough. You've got this!

All of our interviews are on Zoom that’s very kind though!! What workshop are you going to be doing?

 

[pdkjr]

So… not taking anything away from those who’ve gone on to next round. Just kinda shocked. Was professional union actor for many years, and British American, have screenwriting MA from LFS, and certificates from NYU and UCLA, along with producing certificate from 2 Yr course at NYU, and other professional experience and I haven’t received an interview invite. I’ve even taken a short to the short film corner at Cannes and won several awards for it globally.
Went to two open days and got the sense that there is some ageism at NFTS but didn’t want to believe it. Does the hive think that all interviews are scheduled now? Should I be looking elsewhere? So disappointed. I thought experience is what they value…

 

[FD97]

So… not taking anything away from those who’ve gone on to next round. Just kinda shocked. Was professional union actor for many years, and British American, have screenwriting MA from LFS, and certificates from NYU and UCLA, along with producing certificate from 2 Yr course at NYU, and other professional experience and I haven’t received an interview invite. I’ve even taken a short to the short film corner at Cannes and won several awards for it globally.
Went to two open days and got the sense that there is some ageism at NFTS but didn’t want to believe it. Does the hive think that all interviews are scheduled now? Should I be looking elsewhere? So disappointed. I thought experience is what they value…

I think age is something they consider for sure but I wouldn’t call it ageist. I imagine they are looking for filmmakers who perhaps haven’t tapped into their full potential. As if you are already the full package, why would you need the training and guidance. When it comes to experience though having a short film play in Cannes is something that many of the alumni and current students could only dream of and you should be insanely proud of yourself. (That’s actually a dream for me lol) It sounds like you have been and are on the already right path without needing to study at NFTS and I honestly wouldn’t take it as an attack on your talents.

 

[patchoooli]

So… not taking anything away from those who’ve gone on to next round. Just kinda shocked. Was professional union actor for many years, and British American, have screenwriting MA from LFS, and certificates from NYU and UCLA, along with producing certificate from 2 Yr course at NYU, and other professional experience and I haven’t received an interview invite. I’ve even taken a short to the short film corner at Cannes and won several awards for it globally.
Went to two open days and got the sense that there is some ageism at NFTS but didn’t want to believe it. Does the hive think that all interviews are scheduled now? Should I be looking elsewhere? So disappointed. I thought experience is what they value…

Aww. I hear you! First of all, congrats on the awards. Thats awesome! Talent confirmed!!!! And i bet Cannes was fun. Did you go?
I think they way im framing it is that they can only take 10 people. They must turn a lot of talented people away. I would think that is it for interviews but am open to being totally wrong ( pleeeease i beg you hahaha) but if you want clarification id drop them an email. Theyve always been kind and responsive to me. Usually 48hours later. Where are you based now? Lets plan your next moves..!

 

[patchoooli]

All of our interviews are on Zoom that’s very kind though!! What workshop are you going to be doing?

Filmmaking Certificate. 6 month course that ends in 6 day residential full of workshops. Its been a lot of fun!

 

[Chris W]

Filmmaking Certificate. 6 month course that ends in 6 day residential full of workshops. Its been a lot of fun!

Nice! We just did an article on certificate courses and NFTS was one of them.

Top 12 Film Certificate Programs

Film certificate programs can help novice filmmakers and seasoned professionals alike sharpen their creative toolkit and network for a more affordable price. We investigated top-rated film certificate programs for every type of student, accounting for affordability, accessibility (including...

• Alexa P.
• Jul 10, 2023
• Category: Film School Rankings

Review it on page below when you're done!

View film school 351

 

[patchoooli]

Nice! We just did an article on certificate courses and NFTS was one of them.

Top 12 Film Certificate Programs

Film certificate programs can help novice filmmakers and seasoned professionals alike sharpen their creative toolkit and network for a more affordable price. We investigated top-rated film certificate programs for every type of student, accounting for affordability, accessibility (including...

• Alexa P.
• Jul 10, 2023
• Category: Film School Rankings

Review it on page below when you're done!

View film school 351

Well i mean now they HAVE to give me an interview coz… bwahhahahhaaaaa eviiiiil Jokes! I will Chris, its been a great course honestly.

 

[pdkjr]

I think age is something they consider for sure but I wouldn’t call it ageist. I imagine they are looking for filmmakers who perhaps haven’t tapped into their full potential. As if you are already the full package, why would you need the training and guidance. When it comes to experience though having a short film play in Cannes is something that many of the alumni and current students could only dream of and you should be insanely proud of yourself. (That’s actually a dream for me lol) It sounds like you have been and are on the already right path without needing to study at NFTS and I honestly wouldn’t take it as an attack on your talents.

thanks for your kind and thoughtful response. I don't take it personally to be honest. Just after speaking with all the alums I know from NFTS who told me they want students with professional experience I thought I'd at least get a conversation. Having said that, and I am far from a full package, I have also applied to LFS for directing. Having experienced their ethos and culture already I appreciate their way of teaching and the end result in the work of their directing/filmmaking students is generally very good. They also have great connections to the industry as well. I am quite proud of the work I've created and collaborated on to date but am not one to sit on my bum and wait to be discovered so to speak lol. Why I feel I need the training and guidance is a) I don't have the money to go make my own films at this point, and b) I need the technical training and experience to hone my craft of being able to direct and do all that entails while actually crating films and collaborating with a team of like minded film makers.

 

[pdkjr]

Aww. I hear you! First of all, congrats on the awards. Thats awesome! Talent confirmed!!!! And i bet Cannes was fun. Did you go?
I think they way im framing it is that they can only take 10 people. They must turn a lot of talented people away. I would think that is it for interviews but am open to being totally wrong ( pleeeease i beg you hahaha) but if you want clarification id drop them an email. Theyve always been kind and responsive to me. Usually 48hours later. Where are you based now? Lets plan your next moves..!

Thanks so much for your reply. Firstly, thank you for the congrats. Cannes was insane in so many ways and really opened my eyes up to the industry of film and showed me there is a place and a market for all voices. Of course, I'm sure in fact I know the caliber of creators applying to their program is phenomenal! The odds don't make it easy even on the most talented of us all. I appreciate the suggestion and may just drop them an email to enquire! I am British American and we live in West London where my two kids are in school. Just turned in my final second draft feature screenplay for my Screenwriting MA at LFS and am super chuffed about getting it done and in on time ;-)

 

[pdkjr]

Filmmaking Certificate. 6 month course that ends in 6 day residential full of workshops. Its been a lot of fun!

I was actually also looking at this certificate course. Amazing! Congrats to you. What would you say is your biggest take away both personally as well as education/profession-wise?

 

[Sentenza]

thanks for your kind and thoughtful response. I don't take it personally to be honest. Just after speaking with all the alums I know from NFTS who told me they want students with professional experience I thought I'd at least get a conversation. Having said that, and I am far from a full package, I have also applied to LFS for directing. Having experienced their ethos and culture already I appreciate their way of teaching and the end result in the work of their directing/filmmaking students is generally very good. They also have great connections to the industry as well. I am quite proud of the work I've created and collaborated on to date but am not one to sit on my bum and wait to be discovered so to speak lol. Why I feel I need the training and guidance is a) I don't have the money to go make my own films at this point, and b) I need the technical training and experience to hone my craft of being able to direct and do all that entails while actually crating films and collaborating with a team of like minded film makers.

Totally get where you're coming from with this. I moved to the UK with the idea of going to the NFTS one day. Got a BA in Film, applied to the NFTS and got rejected. Brexit happened, so I waited till I got British Citizenship to apply again (to mitigate costs and have access to scholarships). Worked in the industry for 4 years in the meantime (whilst also making shorts), applied again this year and thought I'd at least get a chat about it. Like you, there is so much I can do outside of work to improve my skills as a director and was hoping to get on the course to fully focus on this. I don't take this as a personal reflection on my work, I know it is far from perfect, wouldn't need to go to school otherwise right? But I was really disheartened by knowing that all of my sacrifices didn't account for even an interview.

 

[pdkjr]

YES! chances are if one of us has an experience and feelings then someone else is also in the same boat. I know we are all in this together and not alone in our experiences. Really good to know yours in particular as it's so similar to my own track.Thanks for sharing with me and the group

 

[patchoooli]

I was actually also looking at this certificate course. Amazing! Congrats to you. What would you say is your biggest take away both personally as well as education/profession-wise?

Ive really enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to get funding for it or I wouldn’t have been able to go. You dont really make films on this course, its more about getting a thorough understanding of the industry as a whole. So over the 6 month period, you spend roughly every 2 weeks with a different specialist HOD working in film and hear what they do and see real world examples from some incredible high profile productions theyve worked on. You learn to pitch and put together a package for a film which im really happy about and get 2 shots at pitching a project youve written. (10 scripts are chosen from everyones submissions) Group work is difficult as u dont choose your team mates and humans generally are a pain in the ass and everyone has different levels of commitment and passion hahaha but you grow from that. For me it filled in the gaps in my knowledge, built my confidence in applying for funding etc and im considering pitching my feature at Sundance next year because of what ive learnt on this course. Its 2, 3-hour sessions over the internet a week and a 6 day residential at the end where you do workshops eg lenses etc and shoot a scene from your script with your group. Will let you know how that goes after next week! But yes its a full thumbs up from me.

 

[pdkjr]

Ive really enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to get funding for it or I wouldn’t have been able to go. You dont really make films on this course, its more about getting a thorough understanding of the industry as a whole. So over the 6 month period, you spend roughly 2 weeks with a specialist HOD working in film and hear what they do and see real world examples from some incredible high profile productions theyve worked on. You learn to pitch and put together a package for a film which im really happy about and get 2 shots at pitching a project youve written. (10 scripts are chosen from everyones submissions) Group work is difficult as u dont choose your team mates and humans generally are a pain in the ass and everyone has different levels of commitment and passion hahaha but you grow from that. For me it filled in the gaps in my knowledge, built my confidence in applying for funding etc and im considering pitching my feature at Sundance next year because of what ive learnt on this course. Its 2, 3-hour sessions over the internet a week and a 6 day residential at the end where you do workshops eg lenses etc and shoot a scene from your script with your group. Will let you know how that goes after next week! But yes its a full thumbs up from me.

Fan-f-ing-tastic to hear! Pitching is such a tough nut to crack and requires practice practice practice! I'm aiming for a Sundance Lab submission myself, and want to submit my screenplay to Berlinale, Cannes, Toronto, Austen, and a few others see how I can further my exposure and networking as well as continue to learn and hone my craft. Super cool to have the deets from your certificate experience. thnx for the share

 

[patchoooli]

So how's everyone feeling? Is everyone's interview on the 21st?

 

[FD97]

So how's everyone feeling? Is everyone's interview on the 21st?

Shitting it ahahah mine is on the 20th

 

[patchoooli]

Shitting it ahahah mine is on the 20th

HahHa i can imagine. Seriously the thought of my wifi dropping out or freezing every two minutes would terrify me…honestly i think id rather go there, except that with zoom you can collapse in a heap afterwards hahahah

 

[FD97]

HahHa i can imagine. Seriously the thought of my wifi dropping out or freezing every two minutes would terrify me…honestly i think id rather go there, except that with zoom you can collapse in a heap afterwards hahahah

Yeah Im paranoid about that. Anyone got any good suggestions in case that does happen? I was just gonna quickly hotspot it off my phone if my internet does cut out.

 

[patchoooli]

Yeah Im paranoid about that. Anyone got any good suggestions in case that does happen? I was just gonna quickly hotspot it off my phone if my internet does cut out.

Dont panic. Ive just done 6 months of online classes with them and trust me it happens to the tutors as much as the students.

 

[FD97]

Dont panic. Ive just done 6 months of online classes with them and trust me it happens to the tutors as much as the students.

I think I know someone on your course lol