Originally from China, Evelyn graduated from MA Film in 2021.
What experience did you have prior to joining the course?
My undergraduate degree was in fashion design and engineering. After that, I operated my online fashion business for several years until I started to love film, so I went to Shanghai Vancouver film school and took a one-year film production programme.
What attracted you to studying MA Film?
The two main reasons that attracted me to this course were:
Can you tell us a little bit about your graduation project? What was your role and where did your inspiration come from?
My graduation project, ‘One of Yangyang’s summers’, is a about a little boy, Yangyang, and his relationship with his mom after he loses his father, unexpectedly.
This film is written, directed, edited by Yaxi Liao, I cooperated with her on this project as the Producer. This film took more than one year, from Oct 2019 to Feb 2021, and was shot in a remote province of China with many logistical challenges and with international co-operation. Also, it was the first graduation shooting project under this global pandemic.
Did the course provide opportunities to engage with industry?
Yes, during the Collaborative Units in Term 2 we had the chance to produce safety films for Sir Robert McAlpine PLC, which is a renowned construction company in the UK. This developed our professional working logics and attitudes towards real clients.
The course team, and university in general, constantly sent us emails about external projects, cooperation inquiry, industry events etc. For example, I was able to became a volunteer for 2020 London International Film Festival through the university.
If you could give pieces of advice to someone thinking of studying the course, what would it be?
The first one is for the international student whose first language is not English - UAL is a diverse university, our lecturers and classmates are very friendly, so don’t be shy to show your ideas in English, just trust yourself.
This course is highly vocational, simulating a real film industry working pattern. Every classmate will become a team member in each project, therefore, a good team cooperation spirit is important.
What was the most important thing you learnt from studying MA Film?
I learned how to lead an international team to make a film in the UK, and how to deal with real western clients.
What was your personal highlight of studying MA Film at London College of Communication?
When my graduation film got university’s shooting permission and became the first MA Film shooting project during the pandemic.
Now that you have graduated from the course, what are your future career ambitions?
I worked in a UK film distribution company, Trinity Cine Asia, after graduation and gained experience in film distribution, and the online film festival ‘Chinese Cinema Season’.
My ultimate career goal is to become an independent film producer, to produce feminist feature films and fight for woman’s rights and equality.
View the MA Film course page.
To view Evelyn's final major project, visit the Graduate Showcase.