We are extremely lucky to have an extensive range of guest speakers attend the film school each year to deliver masterclasses and share with our students their insight and experiences in the film industry. We are committed to our students developing in their chosen specialism, and we will work with each student to arrange guest speakers either in a group or 1-1 scenario, who are working in the industry in that profession.
Recent guest speakers include:
Jack Stew
Jack Stew worked as a Foley Artist for 35 years and, in that time, has worked on over 250 feature films, TV programmes, animations and videogames in his time – he even won the Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel trophy for his work on Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. The aim of Jack’s Masterclass was to inspire students to play with Foley techniques on their own productions, adding depth and texture to scenes without breaking the bank, whether it be for comedy engagement – the over exaggeration of sounds for comedic effect – or re-creating the noises of a car crash that cannot be re-recorded on set.
Paraic Morrisey- CC Wade
Paraic and Michael Morrissey began making films and music together in their teens and were soon being asked to create music videos for their friends under the moniker CC Wade. The twins learned on their feet, looking for ways to create imaginative, high-quality films – often with low budget and minimal crew. Paraic brought with him the treatments that secured their pitches with Goat Girl and King Krule, showing the detail that the brothers go to when discerning their visual style. With a wealth of success behind them- including their video for Fat White Family that won Raindance’s Best Music Video 2019- our students were thrilled to hear advice and top tips first hand.
Elaine Pyke
Elaine Pyke started her career in the industry as an actress on The Bill. She moved on to script editing and producing, then was hired as the Head of Drama at Sky and promoted to Director of Sky Atlantic in 2011. At Sky Atlantic, she commissioned Sky Original high-end TV dramas such as The Tunnel, as well as overseeing all other programming for the channel, including Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and more. In 2014, Elaine joined New Pictures as an Executive Producer for Indian Summers (Channel 4) and is the lead Exec on The Innocents for Netflix. Elaine discussed her journey into producing and gave an exclusive insight into how commissioning for high-end drama has changed, and what is now expected.
Hannah Williams
Hannah Williams is a casting director for Backstage, an online casting platform for filmmakers and actors. At Backstage, she has cast background actors for Being Human, Broadchurch, Toast of London, Man Down, Pride, The Legend of Tarzan, and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. She’s also started her own casting company, where she has works on BBC and BFI film projects as well as for commercial and creative agencies. Hannah gave the students an exclusive insight into the importance of casting, noting that a great cast can elevate even the simplest of ideas, whereas bad casting can ruin an otherwise fantastic project.
Simon Stolland
Simon Stolland began his filmmaking journey by creating music videos for friends, where they caught the attention of SB.TV. founder: Jamal Edwards. Jamal put Simon in contact with Rapman, where the two worked together for almost 3 years before creating Shiro’s Story, a 3-part YouTube mini-series that sky rocketed both of their careers. Simon gave tips on creating shot lists, managing others and working with an AD, as well as what he would look for in an AC/2nd AC, before looking at scenes from his critically acclaimed feature, Blue Story.
Michele D’Acosta
Michele D’Acosta is best known as producer of the award-winning documentary Biggie & Tupac, which has been acknowledged as one of the 50 most important documentary films of the past 25 years. At her Masterclass on 23rd October, Michele discussed in detail the importance of finding your authentic voice when storytelling, be it fiction or documentary. She also invited students to participate in a task to create a short film plot using items and words that were important to them, which they then had to present in groups.
Toby Whithouse
Toby Whithouse is a writer and producer, known for creating Being Human (2008) and The Game (2014), as well as writing many much-loved episodes of Doctor Who. Toby came to Screen and Film School for a Q&A hosted by Industry Engagement Manager, Fiona Adams, where they delved into the details of his early acting career, how that transitioned into writing and the ups and downs of creating content for the BBC and beyond.
Paul Van Carter
Paul Van Carter is an award-winning producer and writer, known for the double BAFTA-nominated McQueen (2018), Churchill (2017), and My Name is Lenny (2017). For his Masterclass, a Q&A led by Fiona Adams on 30th October, Paul went through the ins and outs of producing – from festival markets to legal battles, and licensing to finding funding.
Graham Duff
Graham Duff is an experienced and prolific writer for screen, radio, stage and print. However, he’s best known for sit-coms such as Ideal, Hebburn and Nebulous and talked about creating comedy characters that resonate with audiences. He shared detailed insights during his October masterclass about writing strategies that help unlock the potential for both self expression and fun in writing for screen. He also discussed ways of maximizing student’s chances to get their script read and into development.
Mia Xerri
Mia is a highly experienced producer specialising in branded content, with a wealth of experience in TV, short film, drama, documentary, commercials, music videos, charity, educational and corporate. During her Masterclass, Mia went through her impressive deck of work, as well as speaking in detail about the opportunities that Be The Fox have given Screen and Film School, and what the future holds for them.
