After being in a movie event the night before (I think he said it was Fury, with Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña, Jason Isaacs and Scott Eastwood)
National Film and TV School's very own Director Nik Powell gave a lecture on what it is like to be a Producer.
picture taken from our Film & TV blog
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| Nik Powell- Virgin Group co-founder and Executive Producer Company of Wolves, Oscar Nominated Mona Lisa, Scandal, Neil Jordan's multi -Oscar nominated The Crying Game, Charles Dance's Ladies in Lavender with Dame Judi Dench & Dame Maggie Smith, Calendar Girls |
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| Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder |
Nik Powell received his honorary degree from Bucks New Uni
"My 92-year-old mother, Jane Powell, will also be very proud, and very relieved of course, that at last I have a degree like her other sons! It is a very great honour particularly as the National Film and Television School are neighbours of Bucks New University and work together."
To all the aspiring Producers out there, here are Nik Powell's lessons of being a Producer.
- Don't choose a house, choose neighbours. Don't choose a path, choose travelling companions.
This is one of the things Powell said that I can definitely relate to. I believe being around and working with the right people is one of the most important things to consider especially if you just want to keep moving forward. What's the point of being Captain, trying to reach a destination, but having a crew who does not help you stir your ship in the right direction? Or hides your map from you? Well that's how I see this anyway.
- Don't herd sheeps, herd cats.- Richard Branson
- Everything is negotiable but don't buy a football team.
- Don't take No for an answer.
- Have fun working!
- Take Risks. Have Courage.
- Sell yourself. You have to be your own critic.
- Sell to the right audience.
- Challenge is to find ways to communicate effectively with those around you
No guys. Simply sending a text or an email is not necessarily communicating or persuading.
- As you get older, you learn more and more on what goes wrong. But you never learn what actually goes right.
- The world changes so quickly. Every situation you go in is new.
- AIM HIGH. Imagine a graph. We always give ourselves a nice straight line going upwards. But when it comes to actual data, there may be times when it curves back down. And up. And down again. Powell said we should ignore the curves and just keep focusing on that nice straight line.
- The importance of working with talent and quality. And the ability to spot it.
- Importance of being BOSS.
- Having Social skills.
- The importance of good Research.
- THE INVESTOR QUIZ Your film. What's special about it? What's special about you? What's in it for me? What's it worth to you? What's it worth to me? "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for both of us..." Who's in charge here? Are you listening? Can you sell?
- Never turn down a good thing.
- Those who did not try the sting of the bee, never know the price of honey.
- When you're in sh*t, try to look like you know what you are doing.
- It is very easy to fall out with people. But is very important to fall back in. and make up.
- Do not slam the door you are going through, to come back through.
- Importance of Good manners. It's an English thing. Saying 'Sorry' even though someone else hurt you.
- 80% HARD WORK. 10% TALENT. 10% LUCK.
- Nurture your gifts. Make it grow.
- Life is different to what you were told.
Lastly... and I swear to you he said it. I just can't remember the whole story. But it's up to you to interpret it.
- KFC does not taste like chicken.
Nik Powell is also:
- Vice Chairman of the board of the European Film Academy and previously for 9 years the Chairman of EFA and host of the European Film Awards
- Chairman of the Bafta Film committee and member of the Bafta Board of Trustees
- Vice Chairman of the GEECT (association of a European film schools) Board
- Member of the board of NAHEMI (Association of British film schools)
- Member of the US academy: AMPAS (Association of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
- Director of the board of the Northern Ireland Film and TV Commission and Chairman of its Film Investment Fund Committee 2003 to 2007
- Member of British Screen Advisory Council
- Member of European Producers Club
- Member of the Academy of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards
- Vice President of the National Society for Epilepsy
- Chevalier dans l'ordre des arts et lettres
- Member and often Chair of juries for major festivals such as Sundance, Locarno, Moscow and of many awards juries including BAFTA and Eurpoean film awards.
Find out more about the National Film and TV School UK here:
https://nfts.co.uk/
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EVS with Gareth Carr
Next week, my Sports and Live Events group will be filming Watford VS. Millwall's game and I will be one of the camera operators. I've never been a fan of football and thought, there isn't going anything fun about this. Or about filming football in general. Screaming fans, wiring up cables all around the stadium, chances of rain etc.
Until I learnt how to use the EVS system on our OB truck! It is not so bad at all.
It is normally use for Football replays and I think you can also call it LSM (Live Slow Motion).
EVS
Racks & Vision Mixer
Wish me luck, I'm going to be one of the camera operators! >_<
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Starseedz Live Music Shoot
This week, we also worked with a duo, Catrine and Jon, also known as Starseedz. They write 'pretty songs', songs that tell 'tales of love and life and friends and foes'. They're also a massive fan of crop circles.
They wanted a Fairy tale, dream like concept for this shoot, so for the lighting, there were fairylights and light up flowers, alot of greens, purples and pinks. And when they started singing, they reminded me a lot of pixies!
Someone also managed to get hold of those massive Pixar lamps! Cute!
Catrine ft. Pixar lamps
Check out http://starseedz.com/ to find out more about the duo and their songs.
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