Matt Harris worked with the Seachange Trust in Great Yarmouth to make a few First Light funded films through our Filmmaking Partnerships scheme. 18-year-old Matt is now going on to study Media Production at University.

First Light caught up with Matt to see what advice he can give our budding young filmmakers.

FL: We understand you are going on to University to do some further education and training in media, why did you choose this course?

MH: I’ve just recently turned 18, so University is the next big thing in life. When I was leaving school I hadn’t even believed in going to college let alone to University, but I couldn’t stop hearing about how fantastic it was and began to get interested. I looked at lots of courses, but since high school I’d only ever been interested in media. Courses that appealed were normally in film; however I felt the course in Media Production at Lincoln University best suited me. The university campus is fantastic and the facilities are open all hours, which probably means I’ll be up all night finishing projects no doubt.

FL: Do you think that the experiences you learnt making a First Light funded film with the Seachange Trust is the reason you want to get involved with media?

MH: Yes definitely, and I’m not just saying that. Admittedly I was already interested in making films, but when I first started working with Seachange it certainly gave the whole experience a new flavour; creating with other motivated people, learning from their experience and your own. It showed me something that I really enjoyed doing. When it came to applying to university, the experience that I could put down on my CV from Seachange helped me no end in securing places on courses.

FL: What valuable things did you learn whilst making the film with Seachange? In fact which film(s) were you involved with, and what was your role?

MH: I was involved in making a James Bond audition spoof, a role reversal teen romance called Being You, the Forest of Film project in Thetford; creating the love story Ferovija (The Train) and some more. I’ve learnt so much from it all; how to write, how projects go from the page to the set to the screen, the importance of hard work, dedication to the project and working as a team to make films that are significant to everyone involved.

FL: What was it that you found particularly great about making films? What is your favourite part of the process?

MH: My favourite part of the process is probably the pressure you go under. Yes, watching the final project is always satisfying, but the journey is much more rewarding. Making the film and working to deadlines, having to complete projects there and then in order to keep to the schedule is great fun. I do my best under stress, and everyone involved gets a kick out of it at the end when you can say that you did your best when you made this film; makes watching it at the end even more enjoyable.

FL: What, if anything, didn’t you like about making films?

MH: The end was always the most difficult for me. Just letting go of a project, and saying it’s finished. I always have an urge to keep working on it to try and improve it, though I’ve learnt the importance of less is more.

FL: What are your long term career aspirations?

MH: My long term career aspirations are somewhat unclear; that’s why I decided to take Media Production, that way I avoid pigeon holing myself into a set category of media. I love telling stories, entertaining people, I work for them and that works for me, that’s why making films is so great. Nonetheless I would also like to try other types of media, broadening my knowledge of the art and then being able to draw from all aspects.

FL: Can you tell us anything else about making a First Light funded film, or do you have any advice to young people starting out in film?

MH: Just go for it; that’s my advice. With all the equipment, facilities and organizations such as First Light guiding and providing there is no excuse for not doing something. If you want to get into film, then it’s up to you to make the effort and get going.

FLM: Finally, and I know this is a hard question, what is your favourite film and why?

MH: This question is always awkward because it’s very difficult to say just one film, there’s a tendency to draw from the different aspects of several films. However, I will say for the purpose of this question that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is my favourite. Directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro it is based on the works of Hunter S. Thompson. Fantastic film and an even more fantastic world, it showed me that films don’t always have to be simple plots with simple characters getting from A to B. That a film was better when the characters had depth and their world reflected it, the pure disregard for A and B and just focusing on the getting there, and getting there how they want to.

First Light recently caught up with Matt again to see what he’s been up to and found out the following:

FL: How’s the studying going?

MH: Well, in fact my University course starts on the 15 September, so I’m not quite at University yet; enjoying my last summer of supposed `childhood`!

FL: Have you been involved with any projects since we last spoke to you?

MH: In June I worked as a runner on a short film `Curtains` that should be shown on Film Four in August if Post Production doesn’t take too long. It was a film directed by Julian Barratt (Howard Moon in Mighty Boosh) and Dan Jemmett about a rundown Punch & Judy man living his final days in wild lunacy as his life descends into a world not unlike the puppet show he adamantly maintains. Based in the Great Yarmouth area it was a great taste of the professional side of filmmaking, and allowed me a great chance to work on a project where I could learn some real skills. The only reason I heard about it and got a place was from SeaChange and my experience on previous projects only spurred me on to actively involve myself throughout the production process.

FL: That sounds amazing, what a great experience. So you are still in touch with SeaChange?

MH: Next week (though that seems to close already) SeaChange is taking us overseas to Portugal where I will actively take part as an emerging artist from the UK. Working with International artists from Portugal, France and Finland we will spend two and a half weeks collaborating on a spectrum of artistic endeavours in order to deliver sensational arts practise to the locals, but then also educate and share each other and our skills.

FL: You have been busy, anything else planned?

MH: With further projects possibly on the horizon but not concrete enough to speak of, I can only say that I have also set up a website www.onlinage.com that, although it doesn’t have content at the moment, will soon house my collective work. It will also be a site through which I can add pieces and articles of many different areas of my interest and convey more of my work to a wider audience. It will also take advantage of my basis in the digital medium, with Photoshop, Flash, ETC. to create animations, videos and more.

FL: Thanks Matt and good luck in University – keep an eye on this space for more news about all our Alumni.