Lucy LuscombeWho are you and what do you do?
I’m a London-based filmmaker from a fine art background. Upon leaving Central St Martins, I spent some time as a jobbing actress before working my way into directing. I started writing/directing/producing my own narrative shorts before opening myself up to other media such as music videos and fashion film.
How have you been involved in the Future Film Festival in the past?
I’m always looking for talented directors of photography, producers and actors to collaborate with. I find the BFI’s Q&As incredibly inspiring. I’m always looking to learn more about the process of filmmaking; overcoming obstacles, sourcing funding and asking obvious questions which I have yet to find answers for.
How will you be involved this year?
This year I will be scouting for new talent to realise projects in the pipeline.
Which screenings/workshops are you most looking forward to and why?
I will be checking out tomorrow’s talent at the Future Film Fiction awards and listening to the BAFTA-nominated live-action shorts directors. I will be at The Writer’s Couch Pitching Experience because pitching is an essential skill that every filmmaker must master in order to succeed. Sally El Hosaini’s film My Brother the Devil looks beautiful and I’m very interested in hearing about her development experience in the Q&A after the screening.
Is there any advice you would give to young filmmakers?
Tell stories that are true to you. Honour your experiences, they are more fascinating than you think. Embrace the independence you are given with the technology of today, from production to distribution: small, high quality cameras, Vimeo and social networking.
Find like-minded people at short film events, there are plenty. Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely process; it’s so important for you to feel your project is real, therefore a great step is talking about it, bouncing ideas around and getting feedback. Filmmaking is a collaboration, you need people! So get a crew, multi-task on each other’s projects and grow together.
Most importantly, DO IT. Embrace failure, learn from your mistakes and move on quickly. It’s a constant process and someone’s got to do it so why the hell shouldn’t it be you?
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a number of ambitious short form projects, looking for brave producers and funding bodies, and making good progress on my feature script. I’ll be submitting my most recent film, Candy Girl, to global festivals and getting my work seen.
