Action Plan

Short Term Goals

My plan for the next year is to start my filmmaking studies at Salford University. I want to achieve a few specific goals from my time there.
First, it is a fantastic way of improving my skills in filmmaking and will allow me to find and focus on what I am good at and enjoy. Currently I am looking into specialising in editing or sound design, but this may change during my time at Salford as I get to properly experience all elements of the filmmaking process and may enjoy a different aspect instead.
I also want to use my time there to establish connections in the future. By meeting new people, I can start my networking process that I will be useful to me my entire career. I want to meet and work with as many people as possible and showing them that I can be a useful asset on a production which will help me put my name out there and in more credits.
I also want to use my time there as an easy way to access work experience at large media companies in the area, or even smaller film studios so I can work in a professional environment and improve my skills not only in production but general life and career skills.
Before and while I am at Salford, I also want to improve and develop my independent production skills. During my 3-month summer break, I want to make a variety of media products to practice different skills. I want to personally develop as many short films as I can, although after I have left college, I will no longer have access to high quality cameras, so I may need to learn how to film professionally with my phone. I currently have ideas that I would like to produce during this time such as a mockumentary and full music video.

I am also planning on looking into making new contacts from companies in the area. I might email companies in Preston, Chorley and Manchester asking about advice and work experience. I will ask about what areas of the industry are in demand or are worth investing time into and what to avoid.  I would talk about my aspirations about diving into editing and sound design, the workload, the culture and other details about those types of roles and the experiences I could have if I pursued them.
Similarly, I would also invest some time into media events such as trade shows and career fairs. These can be useful for learning more about the industry and finding new people and contacts for networking. Looking specifically at Manchester, I may attend the Manchester Film Festival which is a major hub at venues like HOME, Odeon Great Northern, and Aviva Studios for networking with industry professionals and there are regular meetups at The Sharp Project for filmmakers, writers, and actors to discuss collaborations, as well as a way to receive advice and feedback from other filmmakers.
Although I have noticed some issues with media events like these. Events like these are very competitive, and when I am just starting out, it may be very difficult to be noticed in these events when I am competing against many others who could be seen as “more important” or desirable. Many of the potential contacts you can make at these events will most likely fall flat and not follow up. These events can also be very mentally draining and break morale and your creative output. Attending online conferences from sites like ERIC may avoid issues like these and provide a lot of direct information for when I am looking for advice and inspiration. I am interested in the Manchester Film Festival because it is designed to be more “filmmaker friendly” and reduces the clout chasing downsides of other big film festivals. If I obtain an Industry Pass, I can get access to a Networking Directory. This would allow me to direct-message other attendees (producers, distributors, and crew) to set up specific one-on-one meetings which would allow me to make an impression much more easily and have more of a conversation rather than a short exchange.

Long Term Goals

A lot of my future goals could change very dramatically once I have been through university, as I will have discovered what content and styles I prefer and want to pursue. Currently I am interested in going into social media marketing and content creation. This would involve a lot of freelance work to begin with, doing small posts, videos, edits and possibly graphics for companies on their social media pages, this may also extend to television marketing as well depending on the company and their needs. I will be able to build a strong portfolio and improve my skills and hopefully can begin running marketing campaigns for companies for a more secure income and working my way up to bigger and grander companies. I may also expand my skills by working on different projects while freelancing, depending on what is available and what I am interested in working on.
I will also continue to investigate more festivals, conferences and meetings to keep expanding on my networking. I hope at this point I will be able to expand my reach and attend larger, more professional events.

I will also likely go through a lot of training for with new technology and software, so my skills are up to date and I am always learning. Understanding new technology will also make me appealing to companies who are rushing to adopt them, as they will need personnel who are experienced with it, and I can gain reputation for being an early adopter of new technology. A site I found that could help with this training is Mediafirst who have glowing reviews of their many courses from media professionals with experience in BBC, ITV, Sky, Sony and other broadcast and journalist companies. Having 1 to 1 meetings with media professionals who are working in higher ends of the industry and are looking into new technology as well could help me understand how to adapt and perceive new software, especially with the rise of ai technology. I will need to balance this, as technology moves and updates fast and I could burn myself out and gain fatigue from constantly having to keep up.
If I continue to focus on social media marketing, then I will need to take extra training and practice on marketing, developing those skills as many projects may be commission based, and I will need to show future clients that I am a trustworthy and can guarantee them a successful campaign or advertisement. Marketing courses like the Specialist Diploma in Social Media Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute offer training from experts and practical courses with the latest tools and software. These courses help boost your skills in research, content creation, and campaign optimization. They have positive statistics on the rewards and benefits of the course with a higher employability and can lead to promotions in your career. Although this area of the industry has its negatives and I will need to be sure I am confident going down this route before undertaking an expensive course such as this one. I would be under the control of algorithms and if a campaign fails because of factors outside of my control, I could lose trust gained with partners, so I will need to make sure the campaigns I make are the best they can be to have the highest chance of success, and making sure I have the skills to do so.
If I continue to pursue content creation as a side project, which will also help me keep learning new skills, then I will also need to learn new self-promotion skills that can tie into my marketing projects. If I can understand what is successful in social media algorithms, follow trends and can grow an audience that can get others attention, then I can apply those skills to my career. This would also allow me to have a very consistent, up to date portfolio for employers to have a look at as a proof of concept. It will show that I understand social media environments and I am a more trustworthy partner combined with previous advertisement work. Content creation can very easily lead to heavy fatigue and burnout as it takes up my personal time, which can make me feel like I am always at work, and could become too distracting or demanding. I will need to make sure I practice balance and do not put too much on my plate in the future.