BA (Hons) Film Production students Joe Stringer and James Reilly have produced a behind-the-scenes of The Small Hand, a Channel 5 feature film by Awesome Media and Two Rivers Media. Filmed in Scotland and adapted from the Susan Hill novel of the same name, it follows an antique dealer investigating the strange occurrences in the life of a boy whose ghost haunts him.
Joe and James, currently on a self-employed placement year, got to go on set in Scotland after responding to a job posting shared by School of Film, Media and Communication lecturer Jane Steventon. Jane, a producer on The Small Hand, guided the students throughout the commission – from acclimatising to a big-scale set to shooting an electronic press kit (EPK), highlighting the behind-the-scenes process and cast and crew interviews.
While Joe was in charge of the camera, James was sound-recording – a skill he admitted wasn't his strongest, but he nevertheless recognised as important for gaining experience in various areas of filmmaking. He revealed that the University's drop-in workshops enabled him to quickly learn audio recording.
On the other hand, Joe felt confident with his camera skills gained in his 2nd year of studies. He also appreciated the help of the CCI Loan Store, which gives students access to high-end equipment as it did for the EPK.
Joe recommends that students chase similar opportunities, as any experience on a professional film set is valuable. He adds that having industry-active lecturers like Jane Steventon is a great advantage of the Film Production course at the University of Portsmouth.
The Small Hand will be broadcast on Channel 5 later this year.
To see the other exciting film projects our students produce, visit our BA (Hons) Film Production course page.
Getting to work on a professional set and see the day to day operations was a great experience and one I am extremely grateful to Jane and the production for. Being able to create an EPK for the film presented a unique opportunity and insight into the filming process, and was great to spend the day with Barbara Machin (executive producer), Justin Molotnikov (director) and the rest of the crew.