With its ever-increasing prominence as an artform in mainstream media, many young people are now trying their hand at the medium to create something they believe is truly worthwhile.
Following blockbuster hits like 2024's ‘Dune: Part Two’ (Denis Villeneuve) and last year’s unofficial double feature, ‘Barbenheimer’ (a portmanteau comprised of ‘Barbie’ (Greta Gerwig) and ‘Oppenheimer’ (Christopher Nolan)) taking the world by storm, young people are now more-than-ever passionate about cinema.
However, with these megahits often being produced by hundreds of experienced professionals on substantial budgets, such as ‘Oppenheimer’s 100 million USD, it may be incredibly daunting to figure out where to start as an individual.
Creating a colossal blockbuster like the aforementioned examples may be out of the question for young people working on a student budget, but there are still many exciting possibilities within the medium, even for someone who has never picked up a camera.
Bradley Waite, a student on the film studies course at Coleg Gwent, Torfaen Learning Zone, is creating a short film following a character who is “slowly diving into madness” as they wrestle with violent urges – he says he will apply “point-of-view shots” and “very dull” colour grading to reinforce both the character’s state of mind and the atmosphere.
Waite cited ‘Se7en’ director David Fincher as a key inspiration, particularly his “noir classical” style with “disturbing undertones”; he describes this as “the film’s soul”, showing that it is still possible for a student filmmaker to get to the core of what makes many iconic films so great, even on a miniscule budget.
Finally, when asked what advice he would give to other young people who would like to get into the medium, Waite recommended that aspiring filmmakers “open themselves up” to new ideas and to not stay “fixated on a singular vision”, advocating for a dynamic approach to the process.
Despite the challenges involved, creating films is undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavour for any young people with an interest in them; the value of youthful artistic expression cannot be understated.
For all you know, you might just become the next Christopher Nolan.
