Bringing Your Stories to Life Through Film
There are so many brilliant ways to capture stories on film, many of which can be done with equipment you may well have at home or school.
Film-maker Fotis Begklis gives you some top tips and activities to get started.
Reviewing the footage
A community interview is filmed
Filming begins at the start of an interview
Visual Storytelling activity
To tell a story through pictures, use a camera or smartphone to capture a series of photos. You could choose to document a day in the life of your pet, a little adventure in your backyard, or the process of preparing and cooking a meal. Make sure that each photo represents a crucial moment in the narrative. Don’t forget to check for any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors before sharing your story.
Tips for First Film:
- Visual Sequence: Show and don’t tell. Try to tell the story visually and structure a visual sequence. The order of images is crucial in telling a coherent story.
- Focus on Details: Pay attention to details in each shot. Even small elements can add depth to your story.
- Experiment with Angles: Try different angles and compositions to make your story more dynamic and interesting.
Scriptwriting activity
Write a script for a short film where each page of writing represents one minute of film. The plot could be centred around a conversation between two characters, a monologue, or a brief encounter. The main focus should be on how the dialogue or narration moves the story forward. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
Tips for First Film:
- Strong Dialogue: Develop strong, realistic dialogue that reflects your characters’
- personalities and the story’s mood
- Script Structure: Understand the basic structure of a script, including acts, scenes, character, introductions, and dialogues.
- Read Aloud: Read the script aloud or have others read it. This helps in catching any
- unnatural dialogue or pacing issues
Character Development activity
Think of a character you would like to include in your film. The character could be based on someone you know, a fictional character, or a completely new creation. Write a brief background story for your character, describing their personality, likes, dislikes, and significant events that have shaped them. Ensure that your writing is clear and check for spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
Tips for First Film:
- Character Driven: Make your film character-driven. A strong character can carry a simple plot effectively.
- Acting Out: If possible, act out the character or have someone else do it. This brings insight into how the character would react in different situations, which is useful for scripting.
- Relatability: Create relatable characters. Audiences connect more with characters that have relatable traits or challenges.
Sharing Our Lives: Thurrock Films
Five films were created by young people and members of the local community in Thurrock, with support from film-maker Fotis, as part of the first phase of Sharing Our Lives.
A film created with students from the Gateway Learning Community in Tilbury, along with film-maker Fotis Begklis, looking at the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in 1948, the legacy of the Windrush Generation and the Cruise Terminal itself.
Directed, produced and edited by Daniel Callow, with stories collected by Kelsey Callow, this moving soundscape describes the experiences of a young girl and members of her family escaping the war in Ukraine to safety in the UK.
Migration Stories From Thurrock
A film directed and edited by Luiza Sestini Dos Santos with stories collected by Perola Sestini, exploring migration stories from South America.
This film, directed by Alan Bright with stories collected by Toya Abrahams, uncovers memories from members of Thurrock’s Sikh community, shared at Grays Gurdwara.
We’d love to see what you create! E-mail it to us at hello@togetherproductions.co.uk