A DIGITAL media student from Stratford-upon-Avon College has been accepted onto a prestigious course at the BFI Film Academy.
Lewis Hawkins, 17 from Kineton, is in his second year on the Level 3 Digital Media Extended Diploma at the College.
Alongside his course, after a successful application process, he was selected to be part of a small team on the BFI Film Academy Documentary course to create a new documentary which would be screened in the capital.
To apply, he pitched the idea of a piece about the Free Nelson Mandela concert, which got him noticed and accepted onto the training programme.
The successful applicants were put into groups of eight to create a documentary. After finding out that multiple members of the group lived with hearing impairments, the focus was put on a documentary around that subject.
Lewis said: “I am deaf in my left ear so it was a subject I could really get behind.”
As well as getting a chance to use all the state-of-the-art filming equipment provided by BFI, Lewis also took on the role of Production Co-ordinator, which meant he was in charge of call sheets, risk assessments, locations and more: “It was something I found I was really good at and enjoyed. It’s great to find the name of the role that you want to do as a career and now I know for sure!”
Digital media lecturer at the College, Sarah Downing, was incredibly proud of Lewis’s achievement: “I’ve been really impressed with Lewis’ progress during his time on the Extended Diploma Creative Media course as he has shown dedication to his work and a commitment to beginning his journey in the film industry.
“Lewis’ participation in the prestigious BFI Film Academy Documentary Production course is a fantastic achievement that has boosted his confidence as a media practitioner. He should be incredibly proud of this success.”
The documentaries were shown at a screening in London for all the groups to see each other’s work on the big screen.
You can see the documentary, as well as a second behind the scenes video, on Stratford-upon-Avon College’s website.
