Alumni Focus: Three inspiring stories for National Careers Week

In the third article in our National Careers Week series (you can check out the first two below) we once again turn our focus to some amazing alumni success stories with three new accounts from Patricija Jankauskaite (21), Eve Grant (19) and Orlaith (17).

From an Access VFX mentorship and a programming role at the Glasgow Youth Film Festival to achieving second place in our lockdown filmmaking competition, Nature in Your Neighbourhood, their stories are packed with both inspiring and practical advice for young people exploring current opportunities in school and for those making the leap into university/their chosen careers.

Patricija Jankauskaite - Bristol, England

I moved to the UK two years ago dreaming of being a filmmaker. I first explored the world of film festivals and had a chance encounter with an Into Film team member who encouraged me to go after my dream and to get involved with the programme.

My first film industry experience with Into Film was the Cinema Rediscovered film festival in Bristol. Surrounded by old cinema enthusiasts and film industry experts, I realised that we all start from the same place - a love of film. Here, I gained the courage to talk with a variety of people, connecting with festival guests and even the local cinema team. My next adventure with Into Film was the INDIs festival in Leeds where I understood that anyone, from any background, can join the film industry at any time of their life. You just need to take opportunities that arise, even if you think you do not have enough experience or courage - you learn in the process.

In between these opportunities and working on student film sets, I explored an associated niche of the film industry - animation and game creation. I jumped straight in with a mentorship programme with Access VFX, which was advertised on an Into Film newsletter. I was researching the game creation process, and it was fascinating how the team can work efficiently on creating moving image, despite all their different roles and backgrounds, which showed me the importance of all types of diversity in this industry. I also connected with other mentees and once again learned that all of us have the same passion for moving image but channel that in different ways, whether through creating concept art or writing code. Creating film on the set and in the game studio is still the same; we all work as a team to produce the best art possible.

In these difficult times, we are all challenged to work differently and I choose to see it as an opportunity to explore more about film, such as looking into further mentorship programmes and creating my own scripts. I am also connecting with my favourite comic creators to learn about their experiences in the field and in the future, I want to create a podcast channel and interview my favourite creators. All the experiences I had with Into Film pushed me to become more flexible in my creativity so that I can express it in any circumstance. There is so much to explore in the world of filmmaking!

Eve Grant - Renfrewshire, Scotland

It is difficult to fathom that I originally came across Into Film completely by accident. I was just scrolling through YouTube one day when I found a video of a young person interviewing Kate Winslet. Intrigued and inspired, I clicked on the channel to find out more and after first becoming an avid consumer of the content, I became a Young Reporter in 2017. The experience was one of the most formative of my life and provided me with the tools to start navigating the film industry.

During my time as a Young Reporter, I experienced a lot of firsts: attending film festivals, writing articles and reviews for publishing, recording vlogs, sitting on panel discussions, and even interviewing Benedict Cumberbatch! I truly had a jam-packed two years on the programme, which challenged me and built my confidence, as well as opening up different aspects of the film industry, from film journalism and distribution, to production and performance.

Since graduation, I attended the BFI Film Academy Residential Scotland, where my script was selected to be produced on the course. With no previous filmmaking experience, I developed a range of practical techniques and gained insight into the production processes of a short film, including directing, casting, camera operating and editing. The film was later selected for competition at the FANs (Film Audience Network) Youth Film Festival in 2019 and our team participated in a Q&A for it. After this, I was selected to be a Young Film Programmer at the Glasgow Youth Film Festival, helping to curate a weekend long film festival for young people. One of the major events was the UK premiere of Norwegian drama Phoenix, where I hosted a Q&A with its director and lead actress in front of an audience of young people.

I am currently at university studying International Relations, Sociology and Film, which I am loving! With regards to what the future holds, I hope a career in film is part of it. The chances Into Film gave me to connect with like-minded people, engage with film on a whole new level, and be thrown in at the deep end of professional film press and journalism has had a huge impact on me, and I still draw inspiration from it every day.

Orlaith Oates - Kent, England

After two very tedious months in lockdown, I decided to spend more time honing my filmmaking skills. I am currently studying IB (International Baccalaureate) film studies at sixth form but had limited opportunities to explore the practical side of filmmaking in my spare time until I found Into Film and the various film competitions and resource they offer young people.

I first encountered their Film of the Month competition but soon noticed a more uncommon opportunity, encouraging young people to show their experiences of life in lockdown through the Nature in Your Neighbourhood competition. Many of the films centred around topical issues such as climate change, mental and physical wellbeing, community and isolation, and the importance of human interaction. As a clinically extremely vulnerable person, I wanted to highlight the amount of time lockdown afforded us to appreciate the beauty in the details that are often missed in our natural surroundings. My film aimed to convey themes of isolation and confinement contrasted with the beauty and open space of my local area.

I sought help from my dad to compose the film's score and I also recruited my younger sister, who can be seen in the majority of the shots, although a lot more bribery was required for her involvement. The competition gave me a sense of achievement as I was able to complete something meaningful over the lockdown period and it also enabled me to develop my practical filmmaking skills, such as editing and directing. A couple of weeks after submitting my film, I received an email from Into Film saying that I had won second place in the competition. I was absolutely thrilled and it gave me a massive confidence boost.

This achievement inspired me to study Film Production at university and pursue a career in filmmaking. I would like to be a screenwriter and director in the future, although I'm willing to explore all avenues of film. Since the competition, I continue to make use of Into Film's incredible resources for young people interested in film and the film industry, which have allowed my creative and practical skills to develop and flourish. 

Check out Orlaith's brilliant film, Time To... below.