Screen and Film School Brighton students produce short films for the world’s largest online platform for used film kit, MPB

14 July, 2022

Screen and Film School Brighton Level 5 students recently collaborated with the world’s largest online platform for used photo and video kit – MPB. Students were set a specific brief, given a deadline to work towards and were supported every step of the way by MPB. The video results, as you will discover below, were more than worthy of the illustrious company.

MPB were founded by Matt Barker in 2011; they have always been committed to making kit more accessible and affordable, and helping to visualize a more sustainable future. They recirculate more than 300,000 items of used kit every year, extending the life and creative potential of photo and video equipment for creators around the world. Not only that, but they are also headquartered in the creative hotspots of Brighton, Brooklyn and Berlin, and their team includes trained camera experts and seasoned photographers and videographers.

The proposal for students from the Film School was to produce a short film on the concept of how photography and videography has the power to drive change. That could be a change in the usual rules of videography, a change in their personal style, a subject matter that shows the signs of change, or a film that could provoke a change of feeling within its audience. The brief also had the following key components: 1-3 minutes in length; £250 budget per production; not a commercial for MPB and our services, but a film exploring the brand platform; deliverables include social media versions; the brief is open to videography of all genres, styles and techniques, including documentary and scripted piece; to help support each production pre and post completion, MPB will support at all stages.

The initial plan was to have only one of the submissions selected and shared on MPB’s socials, but they were so happy with the work that they shared all six productions. Consequently, each member of the crew received a £250 voucher to use at MPB. There was an overall winner: congratulations to Morgan Jones for A Moment in Time. You can watch the short films here, including Morgan’s winning entry.

This was an entirely new experience for our Level 5 students, and this is what the directors of each film had to say about the process behind working alongside MPB:

A Moment in Time

Morgan Jones, Director: “I wanted to show how important a photo can be to everybody; everybody has taken a photo at some point in their lives. The character Old Arthur is seen appreciating a photo he took of his late wife decades ago when every shot had to be thought out and smart phones were not available.”

I Don’t Quite Know

Nina Porteous, Writer and Producer: “We see a little bean character, in the middle of the night who can’t decide what to write but in their dreams they travel through their own imagination. Which was reflective of what writer’s block felt like for me as we were approaching the deadline!”

Slow In Life

Maya Dodwell, Writer and Director: “Gaining experience with MPB was beautiful, good communication, always. It’s inspiring to know that I can work with such a big company.”

Grandad’s Camera

Benji Smith, Writer and Director: “The character, Miles, discovers that his grandad used to be a war photographer, and then when he looks through his old camera, he is transported back into the life of his grandad. MPB have been really good with helping to make this film. Initially when I was pitching this idea I was worried about certain limitations, but they have been so helpful with their opinions and feedback and there for us whenever we needed them.”

Like Me

Caitlyn Parr, Co-Director: “This is a short narrative piece about a girl called Ava, who is gifted a camera for her birthday. The next time she visits her local cinema she sees a black director; she feels represented and that she can aspire to pursue filmmaking herself.”

Bottlecaps

Macy Broadbent, Director: “This is set 50 years into the future, it’s a dystopian piece. It follows two young teenagers as they scavenge for the new currency – bottlecaps. As they’re doing this, they find a camera, which flashes back to a previous time when climate change hadn’t ended everything and produced this dystopian world. What was so important about this experience with MPB was that it gave us a chance to work alongside people from the industry, as we’re used to just working with fellow students.”

Mark Tew, who oversees the Short Film Module and is also a Principal Lecturer, had this to say about the collaboration:

“MPB offered our L5 (second year) students a ‘real-world’ industry opportunity to create a series of short films based on the theme of ‘Change,’ to be promoted across their social media platforms. The theme was explored in exciting ways, with stories of diversity, climate change, and the power of the imagination upon the world. MPB were supportive and encouraging throughout, and for these filmmakers to have their work shared internationally is a testament to their enthusiasm, passion and professionalism.”

Congratulations to all the students involved and thank you to MPB for their support and endorsement of Screen and Film School Brighton.

 


 

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