September 2009: After deciding that there was not enough opportunity for young aspiring film makers, especially in Essex, Megan Salter and Sara Harrak decided to create their own project and make their own work.

The girls, both 19 and on their gap year, have always had a strong interest in the film industry. Megan’s background is in acting, she was part of RADA Youth and recently took a play to Edinburgh Fringe, receiving 5 star reviews. Sara’s background is in acting and presenting, most recently, ‘Is The BBC For Me?’ and is currently working as a Production Assistant with the National Youth Theatre.

Starting in early January, the Megan and Sara wrote their own script for You Will See Life , a short film which focuses on the struggles of being a blind teenager and having to adapt to the fast and unforgiving 21st century . The script was later given feedback by Esther Springer of BBC Drama. They applied to Essex County Council Youth Bank for funding and by March they had secured a budget and got straight on with production, filming locally in their home town, Theydon Bois with Sara directing and Megan taking the lead role of Sophie.

Their aim was to incorporate as many young people as possible, who were starting out in the arts, from gifted actors, to musicians, to directors and crew.  The film was shot in a week, and as soon as it was finished Megan and Sara were on the phone approaching post production companies. With their ‘don’t ask, don’t get’ attitude, they managed to get BBC Studios and Post Production on board for all Post Production services, despite having a low budget.

Sara says: “It has been a fantastic experience working with BBC Studios and Post Production. They really invested in us and cared about our film and we have learnt a huge amount. It wasn’t simply an edit; Rob Platt (editor), Chris Packman (Colourist) and Nick Machon (Dubbing Mixer) gave us lots of advice about how to make improvements for future films. For example, advising on decisions we could make before and during the shoot which could help create even better results at the post production stage. It was genuinely a real learning curve”.

Charlotte Forde, BBC Studios and Post Production Post Producer says: “We firmly believe in nurturing new talent and sharing our wealth of skills and creative experience with the industry, so working on projects like You Will See Life is very important to us”.

This is Megan’s and Sara’s first film, but they hope to do more in the future. In the meantime, they await to see what becomes of ‘You Will See Life’ in the film festival circuit.

BBC Studios and Post Production has supported a variety of short films   recently, including Stranded for Trinamite Productions as well as  the award-winning Criminal Justice for BBC One and more recently Margot, a Mammoth Screen production for BBC Four. 

For further information, please contact:
Georgie Hollett, Head of Communications, BBC Studios and Post Production
Tel: +44 (0)20 8624 9495
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk

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