Film and TV societies look forward to a productive year at UoB

Epigram Film & TV have compiled a list of societies at the university to inform new and returning students of the opportunities available. There's something for everyone interested in film!

UBTV
by Jecca Powell, President of UBTV

Photo by UBTV

UBTV is Bristol’s leading student TV station, producing regular high-quality videos across a range of genres.

With categories including News & Current Affairs, Features, Music, Nightlife and Entertainment, there’s a wide range of options to choose from.

UBTV gives you access to professional equipment and software, and helps you to develop your knowledge of the industry. You will have the opportunity to pitch your own video ideas, get involved in ongoing projects, and try your hand at directing, producing, filming, presenting and editing.

If you’re interested in a career in TV or film, this is the society for you.

Anyone is welcome to drop into UBTV’s regular society meetings, held on Monday afternoons in the Richmond Building, where you can chat to our committee members and find out more.

Don’t forget to come to our taster session on Monday 1st October at 5pm in the SU's Odlum Room!

Bristol Screenwriter’s Society
by Rory Hosty, President of BSS

Photo by Bristol Screenwriters' Society

The Bristol Screenwriters’ Society is an ideal society for anyone interested in the craft of writing for film.

There’s a lot happening in the first term — our Intro To Screenwriting workshop is designed to take beginners from their first FADE IN: all the way through to having a finished blueprint for their own short film. There’ll also be more casual sessions, where we’ll be creating spaces for writers to drink, socialise, and bounce ideas off one another.

We’re cognizant of the fact that some of your more ambitious ideas might not be filmmable; it’s hard to make a building explode on a student budget. But we intend to circumvent that by hosting table read evenings around Bristol, where we’ll collaborate with drama socs to get your script we’re unable to film read aloud on stage.

Finally, we’ll be running screenwriting competitions throughout the year, with the best scripts getting produced to a high standard. Additionally, for students struggling with the entry fees to national screenwriting competitions, we’ll look into funding your entry to ensure you get the opportunities you deserve.

Finally ready to get that story you’ve been daydreaming about down on paper? Come write our way.

InFilm Society
by Alex Troman, President of InFilm

Photo by InFilm

Are you looking for a new creative outlet? Have you ever been dazzled by the magic of the silver screen? Are you looking to fill up those periods of existential dread that dominate the life of every student? If so, InFilm might be the place for you!

As UoB’s best and only filmmaking society, InFilm is looking for anyone with a passion for film or interested in learning new skills in a friendly, low pressure environment. With a host of professional filmmaking equipment and a dedicated production team, InFilm prides itself on providing creative freedom to our members for short films, YouTube videos, entertainment series, video essays or anything else that excites those creative muscles!

‘Woah there friendo!’ you might be saying, ‘Hold up now, I’m no Tommy Wiseau! I wouldn’t know the first thing about a camera if it smacked me upside my facial area!’

Have no fear! InFilm will be hosting a series of workshops to help members learn how to handle lighting, cameras, and action, taking you through every part of the filmmaking process so you can be confident in your abilities.

InFilm will also be hosting curated masterclasses featuring advice from some of the film industry’s best and brightest (Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, and Spike Lee to name just a few). With your new found confidence, you may want to take part in our First Time Directors’ challenge, or InFilm’s very own Project Elephant (the university’s first all female filmmaking initiative) or maybe earn some dolla filming events for one of our fellow societies through our paid Videography scheme.

Oh and the best part? Membership is only £4 a year.

If the above has peaked your interest and you’d like to find out more about everything InFilm has to offer, or maybe even suggest your own ideas, make sure to check out our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you on set!

FilmSoc
by James Turnbull, Secretary of FilmSoc

Photo by University of Bristol FilmSoc

Each week, the University of Bristol Film Society hosts a film screening at the Students’ Union, where hardcore cinephiles and curious newcomers alike are welcome to experience the magic of cinema – and escape from the outside world for just a little while.

FilmSoc is a place where you can meet people who share your passion for the silver screen, and where you can experience the best that cinema has to offer. We will leave no genre unturned and no era of film history unexplored in our quest to leave you mesmerised after each FilmSoc screening. From Tarkovsky to Tarantino, Bigelow to Bergman – nothing is off limits.

Facebook / University of Bristol Film Society

As well as our regular screenings, we also have a few extra special events in the works this year, like pub quizzes, bar crawls, all-day movie marathons and even local cinema trips on the horizon for 2018/19. In previous years we have journeyed to Watershed on Bristol’s Harbourside and The Cube Cinema, an eclectic microplex that everyone needs to visit at least once.

For a tiny membership fee of £3, all of this could be yours – so what are you waiting for?

Our first proper screening of the year is October 5; we will be showing the 1989 Spike Lee classic Do The Right Thing.

Wildlife Film Society
by Siwan Davies Busby, President of WFS

Photo by University of Bristol Wildlife Film Society

Wildlife Film Society is for any and all passionate wildlife and factual filmmakers and enthusiasts here at Bristol, the wildlife-filmmaking capital of the world!

Membership is £5 for the whole year and will give you access to discounted or free tickets to talks by big name presenters, BBC producers, cameramen and others. In the past we have had talks from the likes of Chris Packham, Patrick Aryee and Simon King!

You will also be able to attend screenings, equipment tutorials and tours of the BBC as well as having access to exclusive work experience or volunteering opportunities. Recently the Wildscreen Panda Awards – the BAFTAs of the wildlife filmmaking world – offered volunteer roles exclusively to our members!

We also make our own films and members have a chance to apply for production roles, which is a great addition to have on your CV! An annual competition is also held in second term with great cash prizes!

Our next event is with Mark Brownlow, a producer of the critically acclaimed Blue Planet 2! He will be giving a talk in the Pugsley Lecture Theatre on 9 October. Make sure to buy your membership and follow our Facebook page so you can stay updated!

Featured Image: InFilm / Clement Jochem on set of 'Water' (dir. Elli Purse) part of Project Elephant

Which of the societies will be trying out this year?

Social media links: UBTV // BSS // InFilm // FilmSoc

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