SAE Studios is a new initiative launched by Film Production Tutors Dez Gray and Joshua Oliver to help create career opportunities and forge industry connections for SAE students, alumni and staff.
Aditya Sanjeev was one of 12 students who had the opportunity to work on Non Compos Mentis, the first film project to come from SAE Studios.
The film has been written by SAE students Alanna Mae-Flynn and Eithne O’Sullivan about Charlie, a caregiver for a dementia sufferer, who struggles with his own self care.
Here, we quiz Aditya on his role, how it has led to further opportunities and more on his time at SAE. If you’d like to follow in his footsteps and join our Film Production programme, then get in touch now.
How did your interest in film begin? Who were your first inspirations?
My journey in film started a few years ago back in India. I was always intrigued by cameras and how they operate. I fell in love with them by seeing my father use an old film reel camera to take family photos. So growing up I started to shoot short films with my friends and eventually I decided I wanted to have a career in film.
A few of my early inspirations included the acting of Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight movie, the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins and some of the other filmmakers back in India.
What led you to join SAE’s course?
I really want to start my career in the Hollywood/English film industry. I thought coming abroad to study the advanced techniques in filmmaking would be a good starting point for me, so this led me to SAE.
How do your studies feed into your career ambitions? What are you looking to do?
I think I have learnt some crucial elements in filmmaking through this course which will definitely help me in my career.
All the different filmmaking techniques, exposure to some new equipment … this will all feed into my career progression. My goal was and is to be a Cinematographer and hopefully I can make this happen.
How have you found your experiences on the course so far?
The experience on this course has been very valuable to me personally.
I have learned a lot during these past two years (almost). Communication, teamwork are some of the things I have gained more experience with.
Meeting and working with so many creative people during this course will always be the highlight for me. I have learned a lot when working with them.
Hearing all the stories of the lives of these creative people has been so much fun and lead to far more knowledge. So far everything is going well and I hope that it will be the same in the future.
What projects have been you working on as part of your studies?
Currently, I have just finished two projects and now I’m trying to look for others to work on and gain more experience.
I have also started to look for interesting stories to shoot for my upcoming major project submission.
You’ve worked on the Non-Compos Mentis film as part of the SAE Studios project. What was the best thing about getting this on-set experience?
The project Non-Compos Mentis by SAE Studios with Josh and Dez was an absolute mind blowing experience for me. It was an exciting journey because it was my first official short film with a production and some budget in the UK. This led me to connect with so many creative industry professionals and opened up a few important opportunities for me.
I was offered the role of Second Assistant Cameraman (AC) and I absolutely loved working with the camera team. The Director of Photography and the first AC were really patient with us and helped us learn so many new elements in the process of filmmaking. The first AC was really generous to me by letting me ‘focus pull’ an entire scene which I will definitely cherish. So, learning new things and networking will be the main highlight of working on this project.
What other opportunities have come through the SAE Studios project?
The first Assistant Director had an upcoming project in which she recommended for us students to apply to, so I took this opportunity and applied to work on this new project from the Odd Eyes Theatre production company.
Fortunately I was offered the role of Second AC on this project and I have just finished working on it. Also, the Director of Non Compos Mentis has been very generous to us students and told us she would refer us to some new projects in the future, so I am also excited and looking forward to this as well.
What is next for you?
Hopefully I will get to work on as many projects as I can, from these past two valuable projects and meet many other creative industry professionals to gain more knowledge and experience for my career in film.
Find out more about SAE Studios.
STUDY FILM Production at SAE
If you want to work in film production in the film industry, get to grips with the latest video editing software and hone your skills in a uniquely collaborative environment, then our Film Production degree could be for you.
With high-end digital cinema cameras and production suites, our facilities and expert tutors are well placed to give your career the best possible start in this fast-paced and dynamic industry.
