Stepping Into the Unknown
When the world finally gets back to normal, or a new normal, it is likely that cinemagoers will be faced with an endless list of pandemic-based films scrutinising the powers above or reflecting on lessons learnt from the chaos of 2020. But after the novelty of these films wear out, it will soon be time for the new generation of filmmakers to step up and begin to tell their stories. As a young person pursuing a career in the film industry, or any of the creative industries, it is an inevitably terrifying moment in history.
As the pandemic continues, and restrictions continue to be put in place, there is a lack of clarity surrounding what our future will look like. Productions are continuing to be halted and release dates are being pushed back further, so how do young people feel about stepping into an industry that has such an uncertain future? I spoke to a fellow aspiring filmmaker and friend of mine, Sophie Marshalsey, about her feelings regarding this strange moment in time.
“Whilst there have always been uncertainties surrounding entering the creative industries, the pandemic has taken away the certainty of uncertainty – leaving a lot of people in limbo, unsure of their future trajectory; including myself. As an inspiring writer-director, the ability to go on set, network with others and produce films has been greatly impacted due to the collaborative nature of films, as a by-product of social distancing. I would be lying if I said that news forecasting hadn’t instilled anxieties. I do believe, however, that in times of hardship, we have the opportunity to come together in whatever way possible and make something of it. The nature of filmmaking, and like the old adage: the show must go on.”
Image credit: Canva
I am in my first few months of university, studying film, which is extremely exciting. However, it is very different from the dream university life I had imagined, at least for my first year. For semester one we have not been doing as near as much practical work as we would have been, and when we do it is in smaller groups, socially distanced, with masks on.
Thinking about this makes me sad as one of the main things that has enticed me to make films is the teamwork and unity of working on a project with a group of people. This will still be possible, but I feel I will miss the comradery of working on set and the in-person, pre-production meetings that will now be done through a webcam. But of course, these precautions have been put in place for the safety of ourselves and others, so following them means we can hopefully get back to some sort of normality much sooner.
I found that the main thing that has brought me comfort these past few months has been films. Being stuck in one room, alone, for a prolonged period of time is an inevitably lonely thing, and if it wasn’t for films and books, I’m not sure what I would have done. For a couple of hours, I could be sent into another world, and could feel every emotion; love, hate, anger, joy, that I was not feeling whilst being isolated from everyone around me. This reminded me of why I want to pursue filmmaking as a career, to be able to bring comfort or stir emotion within people. In an everchanging climate like the one we are currently in I have to keep this in mind, when things are so unclear that I doubt the future I was once so sure of.
