Chris Bradburn
MA Digital Filmmaking
- Currently doing a paid internship as an Independent Filmmaker at the Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
- Used his personal experience of living with Autism to inspire his final year project
- Studied at Bradford as it was perfect for his career aspirations
Choosing Bradford
"Studying my Master’s Degree at the University of Bradford was one of the best things I have ever done in my life, but there were a few things that influenced my decision to study here.
"The main reason I chose Bradford over other universities was that the course I wanted to do was perfect for my career aspirations which were to become a video editor. After reading reviews from other students and visiting the university for one of the open days, I decided that this was the right decision for me.
"Doing a Master’s was a step forward for me as I had done an undergraduate degree at Teesside University in Graphic Design, but realised that I was quite skilled at using video editing software and therefore, I wanted a course that could help me develop these skills. After looking online, I decided that MA Digital Filmmaking was perfect for me and did not hesitate to apply.
"I also felt that doing a Master’s, there would be more time for independent study, which would help me become more independent as a filmmaker in the future. To anyone considering a Master’s degree; my advice is to just go for it, I did and it was the best decision I ever made."
Developing my skills
"MA Digital Filmmaking provided me with new skills in all areas of filmmaking, which has been of great value to me in my career.
"These skills included planning a production, filming by myself, editing and storyboarding. The final project which we did over the summer period as part of our degree allowed me to use the skills I had learned throughout the year to create my own video project, which was a great way to show off my independence as well as my creativity.
"My final project was called 'My Disability and Me: Living with Autism' and was made with the help of specialist autism services in Bradford and was based on my own experiences of autism.
"I wanted the message of the film to be that although autistic people have slightly more needs than normal people, they can do anything that other people can do with the right help and support."
Ever since I was born with autism, I always felt I would never be independent in life and that I would always need help and support. By moving away from home for the first time, this has helped me to become more independent as a person which has been a huge step.
Representing others
"While studying at the University of Bradford, I had the great fortune to be elected student representative for my course. It was a great honour for me to represent my fellow students at meetings and report to tutors about how we felt our course could be improved.
"During my time as student representative, I attended all student meetings within the Media, Design and Technology department and all meetings in the School of Engineering and Informatics.
"I also took part in training sessions and helped the Students' Union in promoting student surveys to students and getting them to fill them out online.
"For all of my hard work, I was awarded student leadership at platinum level. I had also earned the most student representative points out of all the representatives for the whole year and so was awarded Student Representative of the Year 2017."
Chris receiving his award for Student Representative of the Year 2017.
The best chance of getting into the industry is just to build up your network and get involved in any events you can.
My current role
"I am currently doing a paid internship as an Independent Filmmaker at the Great North Museum: Hancock, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in partnership with Beacon Films who are a filmmaking group for people with disabilities. As an independent filmmaker, I oversee all stages of production. This means that I have to plan what I am going to produce based on the brief provided by the museum, shoot the film with equipment provided to me and finally, I have to edit the film together and send the final product to the Museum.
"Independent filmmaking can be a really great career as you can find yourself working on the most interesting projects and meeting some of the most incredible people you’ll ever meet with the most interesting stories they have to tell. For me, telling stories as the best part of being a filmmaker as it is great listening to what people have to tell you but it is also great being able to record their stories in a way which everyone can engage with through social media and YouTube.
"The film industry is a hard industry to get into as it can take a while before you find work, as there are so many people looking for work in the industry. I have found that if you are patient then the right opportunities do come along."