BFI Film Academy VFX in Swansea 24th February to 2nd March 2025
This course is run by Bulldozer Films funded by the BFI. It is a BFI Film Academy Specialist Course. We are listed on the BFI website here under VFX course: https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-academy-opportunities-young-creatives/courses/bfifilm-academy-specialist-courses
Bulldozer Films was set up in 2012 in Wales, with an aim to help grassroots filmmakers break into the industry. We started this mission by setting up Cardiff Mini Film Festival, an annual film festival featuring short films of many genres. We are now delivering training courses in film for the BFI. We often offer other special events providing great networking opportunities. If you want help breaking into the film industry then you’re in the right place, follow our socials for the most up-to-date information. Bulldozer Films is proud to be an NCFE approved Learning Centre. All of our staff are DBS checked.
ARRIVAL DAY
23rd February is your arrival day. Your accommodation is at Cwtsh Hostel, 10 – 14 Castle Street, Swansea, SA1 1JF. We will have been advised by yourselves when you arrive and will endeavour to meet you at your drop off point, or there will be a member of our staff at the hostel to greet you. If you have any problems when arriving please text Sarah Farthing on 07715985036.
We have booked the entire hostel so no other public will be there. Bedding is provided by the hostel, however you will need to bring your own towel, there is only one thin duvet provided so if you want to bring more bedding or a sleeping bag with you then please do (we can always buy you a sleeping bag if needed). There is a cage or locker for each bed to store your belongings, you are responsible for the safety of your property, so encourage you to use these, we will provide you with a padlock. You can bring your own toiletries, however we will provide communal shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, hand soap, shower gel, menstruation products, and deoderant.
There are 4 dorms which will be divided into Under 18 Male, Under 18 Female, Over 18 Male and Over 18 Female, you have been assigned the dorm that is associated with your gender at birth. Each dorm has its own bathroom.
There is a kitchen at the hostel that we will fill with food for you, we will cover all of your food for the week, but you are very welcome to buy your own food outside what we are offering. There will be a buffet spread waiting for you in the kitchen on arrival day. Or if you don’t fancy any of that there will be cupboards stocked with food. This food belongs to all of you. If you do bring your own food please make sure you label it with your name. Please make any food request to us if you would like us to buy you anything specific.
There will also be a goody bag waiting for you at the hostel to welcome you to the course.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
We will meet in the kitchen of the hostel at 8.30am each day to walk over to the location of training which is the IQ building in SA1. Those who have mobility issues will be ordered taxis, however it is just a 20 minute walk. If the weather is against us we will get taxis for everybody.
There are evening activities and we are eating out at establishments most nights of the week (All of this is covered by us and you do not need to pay a single penny). Please note that you are not required to join us in our evening activities or dinners, if you wish to not participate and just go back to the hostel after the training day then you are free to do so, there will be a member of staff who can take you back to the hostel.
Lights out will be at 10pm each night, please do respect your fellow students who wish to go to sleep and be fully rested for the next day. You are allowed to go on your phones or watch videos, but please do put your earphones in if you wish to do this.
Outside of the training course we ask that those under 18 remain with a member of staff at all times. You are allowed outside the hostel but you must tell a member of staff who will go with you. We hope that we keep you busy enough in the evenings anyway and show you what Swansea has to offer. Those that are over 18 are free to come and go as they please. You will have hostel key cards that will give you access.
We ask that you respect your fellow students and if we find anyone acting inappropriately then we will ask you to leave the course. We just want everyone to have a great week.
HOSTEL TEAM
The Hostel Team
The hostel team consists of Sarah Farthing, Niall Glynn and Michael Karam. If you are in the Under 18 Male Dorm, your designated staff member for the week is Michael Karam. If you are in the Under 18 Female Dorm, your designated staff member is Sarah Farthing, and if you are in any of the Over 18 Dorms, your designated staff member is Niall Glynn. If any problems arise during the week please report to them as they are largely responsible for you outside of the training. They should know where you are at all times.
All of our staff are DBS checked and have previous experience of the training academy. If you have any issues with any staff during the week, please do report to me, Jody Tozer. I will be around at the course, or you can email me on jodytozer@hotmail.co.uk
SARAH
TEACHING TEAM
The Teaching Team
The teaching team will meet you during the course. Adam Shailer is a university lecturer at UWTSD (University Of Wales Trinity Saint David) and he will be with you for the entirety of the course leading the way. Kate Chesson is a lecturer of media at Coleg Gwent, Tom Betts is a programmer and tutor, and Laurence Hall is a freelance lecturer and cameraman. All of these tutors have led BFI Film Academies before and hold a wealth of career progression information.
ADAM KATE
TOM LAURENCE
MONDAY 24THFEBRUARY
Day 1:
Location: IQ building as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1. 9am – 5pm. Room: IQ310. On Day 1 we will learn about the history of VFX and have a special guest who has worked with Aardman Animation and much more come to talk to us.
Evening:
We will head to Pub On The Pond for dinner and then to Taliesin Arts Centre to watch a screening of Robot Dreams as part of ‘Cardiff Animation Festival On Tour’. We will get taxis as the walk is 45 minutes, but you are welcome to walk this if you wish and are over 18.
TUESDAY 25THFEBRUARY
Day 2:
Location: IQ building as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1. 9am – 5pm. Room: IQ304. We will hear from some scriptwriters who have worked on Casualty and Hollyoaks, they will help us to develop our one-minute VFX films.
Evening:
We will go to Cinema & Co, a screening venue located just a few doors away from our hostel. We will have pizza from a takeaway for dinner at the venue, there will be a film quiz, and we will watch a film.
WEDNESDAY 26THFEBRUARY
Day 3:
Location: Base will be IQ Building. Filming location will be the Business School as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1 1NE. 9am – 5.30pm. Room AS414. We will make our one-minute VFX films that we have developed with a film crew. There will also be an extra film challenge where you can improvise another film. We give you actors, a film crew and VFX supervisor to create your films.
Evening:
We will be going to Vue Cinema to watch the highlights of the BFI Future Film Festival and some short films from Wales, including our very own VFX Alumni short film that they made back in October. Everyone will receive a Vue Combo Package which will include either large hotdog, large popcorn or large nachos, with a large drink and a chocolate or sweets pouch, there will also be food available to eat in the hostel before we head to Vue.
THURSDAY 27THFEBRUARY
Day 4:
Location: IQ building as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1. 9am –5pm. Room: IQ112/IQ110. On Day 4 we will ingest and plan our VFX edit.
Evening:
We will head over to Cwtch Café for some delicious grazing platters and homemade desserts.
FRIDAY 28THFEBRUARY
Day 5:
Location: IQ building as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1. 9am – 5pm. Room: IQ112/IQ110. On Day 5 we will be editing and using our newly learnt skills to add VFX to our edit. We will have special guests coming to talk to us who have worked on Doctor Who, Heartstopper, Asteroid City and Apostle.
Evening:
We will have our dinner at Founders & Co where you will be given a budget to choose whatever food you like from which ever vendor you fancy, cuisines include pizza, burgers and Indian food, plus more. After dinner we will take part in a round of crazy golf at Bunkers.
SATURDAY 1STMARCH
Day 6:
Location: IQ building as part of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, SA1. 9am – 6pm. Room: IQ203/IQ209. Our special guests today will talk about their worldwide festival success and creating commercials with VFX.
Evening:
We will be screening the work we have created in the Dylan Thomas Theatre of University Of Wales Trinity Saint David. This screening will also include a panel session where we hear from producers and directors about creating film in Wales, our guests have successfully created and distributed feature films across the world . After the screening, we will be heading out for Chinese food at the famous Gigi Gao’s. Whenever our team are in Swansea we head here as it is a sight to behold.
SUNDAY 2NDMARCH
Day 7:
Location: BBC Roath Lock Drama Village. We will be heading to a BBC Studio Tour in Cardiff. They have filmed Doctor Who, Casualty and Pobol Y Cym in these studios.
We will meet outside the hostel at 9.45am to be taken to Cardiff by coach to visit the studio.
DEPARTURE DAY
After the studio tour we will be doing a train station drop off at Cardiff Central around 1pm, so you can head home if you’re travelling to England or to that part of Wales. For those of you remaining in Wales we will head back to Swansea so that you can get transport from there. We will be back in Swansea at roughly 2.30pm. Please tell your parents if they are picking you up that you will be dropped off at Swansea Central Train Station.
OTHER INFO
We have emailed you a link to the Facebook Group, join the group and get to know each other before the course, some of you may even want to travel together.
