This week SCAN spoke to the President of the Lancaster University Film Production Society (LUFP) Jamie Mills to find out more about the society and what they have to offer.
Tell us about what LUFP do.
We produce short films, so at the start of the year, we get everyone together – new members and members from previous years – and we split off into groups to make films. These films take about a year to produce, so at the moment we’ve begun writing the projects for the 2017/18 academic year. We try and encompass the range of skills that go into making films, from production design to make-up, hair, set props etc., right through to management of budgets, and the creative side such as cinematography, directing and writing etc. It brings them all together. When you split into them groups at the beginning of the year you take on a certain role and develop it from there. The aim is to be able to develop your skills and preparing people for a career in film.
Who is your society aimed at? Is there any experience needed?
This is something we are proud of – you don’t need any experience to join, we run training sessions in first term and we are completely open to anyone who wants to join. I said at Freshers Fair at the beginning of the year that you don’t even need to have seen a film before. As for people who are already experienced, we hope they can come in and develop their skills further with our society, while maintaining that new people can join our society and start afresh. For example, I have now been involved in seven short films with LUFP, and I had never done film before I came to university.
How often are your socials?
Last term we did our very first trip outside of Lancaster, we went to Manchester to the IMAX theatre and saw Fantastic Beasts, we went around the Christmas markets, we did a Halloween social last term. We also did a project theme social, where everyone came in a different colour depending on which project you were involved with. They are about every two/three weeks.
What events do LUFP have this year?
We have our showcase coming up, it will be about week 28. It’s right at the end of the academic year. It’s a really nice event, we haven’t selected a venue yet but last year we did it at The Dukes theatre. We all get dressed up and we show all the films, which are introduced by each director. Then we have an award ceremony afterwards, which is voted for by the audience. We try and pretend like it’s the Oscars, so it’s really nice.
How would someone get involved?
The opportunities now are limited compared to the beginning of the year as the projects have already started. It’s one of those problems we can’t really get around, that’s just the nature of the society, but you can still join and get involved. We’ve had an editor join last week and who has already joined a project and is now involved. The best way to get in contact is through the Facebook page; let us know what kind of things you are interested in doing. We are always looking for people to be an extra pair of hands on set, so if you just wanted to find out more about the society and what its like, that’s a nice way to do it. However, the start of the academic year is the best time to get involved properly.
How much is the society fee?
It’s just five pounds for the whole year, we have four thousand pounds worth of equipment, so you get full access to all our stuff, and that includes everything else too.
How would describe LUFP to a newcomer?
Lancaster University Film Production is a society that produces short films, we are open to all students of all abilities and experiences. We are a really enjoyable society with a heavy focus on the practical element of filmmaking, and the helping of students to develop their skills in filming.
