When joining university, it can feel overwhelming for some. Starting the next chapter of not only your academic journey, but also the next step in starting or finding the career you desire, and a personal crossing from being a naive, bright-eyed kid to a young adult wanting to make a mark, whether it be something for yourself or a statement to prove to others, it ends up being a lot to think about, almost like your brain is clouded with thoughts and ideas. If that is the case, then why not put those thoughts and ideas out there?

As a fresher, you have so much to look for in terms of expressing yourself, whether through a sport to boost yourself physically or through a society to showcase your knowledge and quirks to like-minded folk.

But if you are someone bustling with ideas and want a creative and fulfilling way to let your creativity flow, then I’ll suggest something that revolutionised myself and plenty of others – filmmaking.

It’s nearly a cliché to suggest this: the shoddy yet charming student short film is synonymous with creative subcultures of the university experience, especially for those studying in creative disciplines. With shoestring budgets and crowded schedules, working on a set can be a laborious and tiring task. But my god is it rewarding to watch, in production and in post.

It is a hobby that anyone with a pen, paper and a camera can take part in, with so many different facets to the fun. To the prolific-minded and those who can find stories in the mundane, being able to sit down and build from the ground up, a snapshot into a world of your own feels fruitful; every piece of dialogue, a window into a character’s life, an extension of you almost. It’s near therapeutic to write, whether it be journaling, novel writing, or screenwriting, but what makes writing for film so malleable is the power to make the world more hilarious, more understanding of the darkness we can face, more spectacular and magical or something completely absurd.

As a student, writing meticulously every day for an essay due or wasting away in the library staring at a lab report can feel as if your scope for creativity has been narrowed; if that’s the case, then start writing for fun, let go of your stress and let your own thoughts take centre stage. Be the main character.

If writing isn’t your trade, you aren’t excluded. Filmmaking offers you the chance to hone your applied abilities in various ways, with the most valuable being the lead behind the camera as a cinematographer. Whether you use your own phone, rent from the media suite, or you’re lucky enough to have your own camera, setting and capturing the vision from the script can feel like enchantment where the room you stand in isn’t just a room; it’s a shot into your mind where every frame is a painting.

On set, the camera person is the heart of the crew, but there are always other shoes to fill for the crew. From working with audio to stretching with the boom mic or decorating the stage and being the production and set designer, a team is central to the heart of student productions. But above all, the most essential role is the director.

Being a director is a challenging feat to undertake, where the crew and cast look up to you as the chief of the operation, but you can gain confidence by learning to communicate what’s happening in your mind. Be able to ask and call the shots, and push yourself to feel pressure when things can and may go wrong. It can all sound like a lot, but seeing face to face how your words can turn a simple phrase into something longing and meaningful is something that will stick with you both in your career in any discipline and in real life.

Seeing your actors take your inspiration to reality, through voice, movement and animated life, makes any idea and emotion feel physical, tangible and valuable. On the flip side, being on the stage as an actor allows you to morph into a new body, granting new perspectives that allow you to morph into bigger personalities that people will gravitate towards.

Maybe you’re someone who wants to apply their ideas technically with video editing and post-production, where you sit at the console of constructing a real movie, something exciting that you can put your own spin on through simple VFX, to turn a room into something obscure, absurd, magical, paranormal or loving. It is enriching and can even be described as one of the most laborious roles of a film crew, but in the end, putting the final signature on the canvas of your movie will be an immense and proud accomplishment.

It is your skill that can be passed on in your career, nothing artificial but incredibly intelligent. And that is the conversation at the heart of today really: artificial intelligence within the creative market is a plague spreading, in both passive use and commercial use and in major productions.

It’s a heavy thing to place moral obligation onto a hobby. But simply writing, acting, directing and editing with tangible skills is a celebration of art, a keeping of humanity where art isn’t a sole commodity to mass produce but something to be passed down like every trade from before to now.

Start now. Collaborate with your friends, make that two-minute skit you guys thought about the other day, make it crude and grow from it, share your imagination with others and build a world with a pen, paper and a keyboard.

If you are a fresher, a returning student or anyone reading, no matter what skills you have, tangible or imaginative, there is always a place on set for you, and we’ll see you at the next festival.

Image credit: Unsplash