By Tristan, BA(Hons) Filmmaking student.
Our student, Tristan, shares how his course gave him the opportunity to create a documentary film based on his passion for sustainability. He tells us how this experience enabled him to showcase his documentary at renowned film festivals and become an award-winning filmmaker. Keep reading to find out more about Tristan’s story.
Tristan’s story
Hi, my name’s Tristan and I’m in my third year of studying BA(Hons) Filmmaking at UWE Bristol. I worked as a trained carpenter for years, but I never felt fulfilled. When I spoke to my sister about it during lockdown, she suggested I apply to university.
I knew I wanted to pursue film and TV as a career, so I was drawn to Bristol. I love Bristol as a city, and it’s a famous hub in this industry. After researching Filmmaking courses, I decided to apply to UWE Bristol. I loved that I’d have the chance to experiment and be constantly creative on my course.
Through my course, I’ve found that university is a great place to nurture your filmmaking ideas in a creative bubble. We’re trained to use the latest equipment by a supportive team of technical staff, who get to know you by name and are there to help you.
“The filmmaking equipment is industry-standard and makes UWE Bristol stand out from other universities.”
How my course supports my passion for sustainability
I’ve always been passionate about sustainability – the Earth is our home and we need to keep it clean and protect it.
UWE Bristol has a strong sustainability agenda, which feeds into my Filmmaking course. The course is tied to Albert, an organisation who produce online templates to calculate the carbon production of your filmmaking project, which you can offset. You can even get Albert certified for your project.
Luckily, my projects have only produced a small amount of carbon emissions, as the editing hub I’ve worked in on campus runs on green energy. Although some carbon emissions came from my petrol consumption when I’ve travelled to filming locations, we’re able to offset this by planting a tree.
“I have a great tutor who is also passionate about sustainability, and it’s been great meeting likeminded people on my course, who share this passion too.”
Producing a sustainability documentary on my course
In the 2nd year of my course, I had to produce a documentary-style film in one of my modules. In the past, students have produced award-winning films for this module. For my documentary, I was looking at fast fashion. When I was researching, I came across a company called Bristol Cloth, who put us in contact with Fernhill Farm, a huge wool producer in Somerset.
We asked them if they’d be interested in featuring in a film. I was keen to work with Fernhill Farm, as they manage their farm sustainably and holistically. They’ve also featured on the BBC show, Countryfile, so they were media literate and used to being interviewed in front of the cameras.
We built a great relationship with the team at the farm, and we’ve stayed in constant contact. They even invited us to the farm to sheer some sheep for the first time, which was a unique experience. That’s an advantage of studying at UWE Bristol – you get the chance to network and meet people in the industry, including guest lecturers and speakers.
How my documentary became an award-winning film
Since its production, I’ve showcased the film at various film festivals, such as the British Documentary Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival and the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival. I find film festivals inspiring as they give you a taste of the sector and exposure to big names in the industry.
My documentary, Forgotten Fibre, ended up being shortlisted for some awards at these film festivals, and even won a few. The film won awards in sustainability categories, not just student categories, which is an achievement I’m really proud of.
“Producing an award-winning documentary will be worth its weight in gold on my CV and will help my work to stand out in such a competitive industry.”
My advice to other students
- Films are a great way to learn about sustainability – there are lots of videos and films out there on YouTube and Netflix as sustainability is such a hot topic.
- Another great way to learn about sustainability is following content produced by Green Peace, who I often use as inspiration for my film projects. For example, I’ve recently been inspired by their content on the environmental impact of e-cigarettes.
- If you’re interested in combining your passions for sustainability and filmmaking as I did, it can help to surround yourself with other likeminded creatives. For example, as a mature student, I live with creatives who are a similar age to me, and that’s been really beneficial.
Find out more about sustainability at UWE Bristol.