Luca Stančič Kodarin shares her Four Week Filmmaking experience

With summer finally drawing to a close, what was your highlight of the season? For Communications Consultant Luca Stančič Kodarin, it was taking a month off work and travelling to Berlin, where she joined our Four Week Filmmaking course.

Over four weeks, this short course teaches students the basics of filmmaking – from lessons on directing and cinematography, to screenwriting and editing. Then, it puts their newfound knowledge to the test, with the group coming together to shoot and edit their own short film – a tangible example of everything they’ve accomplished.

In today’s blog, we spoke to Luca about her time on the course, why she’s fallen in love with the craft of producing, and what she’s planning to do with her skillset next…

What made you decide to take Four Week Filmmaking?

Films have always been my passion, and I’ve always enjoyed storytelling and creative writing. In the past few years, I’ve worked as a producer on a few promotional videos, mainly within the tourism sector, and always enjoyed those days: the problem solving, quickly adapting to new ideas, and getting to spend time with a crew.

As an economist who’s been working in communications for the last 15 years, I had pretty much zero experience in art and film – so I decided I wanted to explore video production a bit more.

Plus, another big reason was to take a month off and do something just for me!

During the first three weeks, students cover a range of craft areas – did you have a favourite?

The programme is excellently designed, and you get a good sense of all the processes and roles that go into making a feature film. Plus, the stories and experiences that our tutors shared were so valuable.

I found the technicalities of camerawork a bit difficult at first, but I think with time, I could see myself starting to enjoy it more. Directing was definitely my main interest with the course, but I realised pretty soon that it comes with its own challenges!

In the final week, the group shoots and edits a short film. Can you tell us about your final project?

It was a wonderful experience! We chose a script written by some MetFilm School students – it reminded us all of Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.

My role was as Assistant Director and Producer, which I think suited me well. Having an overview of everything, helping out with all the various departments… the time flew almost too quickly.

We were a really good team, too. While we didn’t always share the same views, we were flexible and open to solutions. Although we made a few mistakes, I believe those were the most valuable lessons of all. You can watch one of the edits from the final film, called DresseD, below…

Watch an edit of the group’s final project, DresseD

Studying in Berlin, can you recommend any favourite spots in the city?

While Berlin is known for being anything but ‘calm’, I think you how you feel in a city reflects from within. My calm was from being with myself for a month, forgetting everyday life and just soaking in new experiences.

I lived in Friedrichshain for the month, and there were plenty of top spots to share:

• Boxhagener Platz: on the weekends, the park is full of food and flea markets. Plus, it’s surrounded by the coolest, lively neighbourhoods, full of great restaurants, bars, and clubs.
• FluxBau: the official hang-out of FluxFM, where friends of good music get together for parties and concerts. It was a great place to relax on the weekend, and to catch the sunset near the river.
• Holzmarkt 25: a cultural centre and park with plenty of bohemian bars. A great place to relax – it’s got a fantastic atmosphere, full of friendly people, and the pizza place is amazing!

Approaching the course with a director’s mindset, you found that producing suited you better. What changed your mind?

Even though I work as a communicator, expressing my ideas to the cast and crew as a director was sometimes challenging for me. And because I was constantly thinking about what was or wasn’t possible, I didn’t feel as completely ‘free’ with my ideas.

You can have a vision, and even experiment a lot, but in the end, you don’t have unlimited resources. And as one of my classmates said, ‘Luca, you get sh*t done!’ – which I think is a great characteristic for a Producer or Assistant Director!

Having finished the course, will you continue to build experience as a Producer?

I’m so grateful to have been a part of this course. I’m already trying to get more projects on the go – currently in the commercial sector, and less in the field where I’ve been working for so long. In fact, one contract is already signed!

I’d been feeling that it was time to change my path a bit, and I really see myself as a full-time producer in the future. It’s thanks to this course that I’m finally going for it!

And finally, for anyone considering a short course, what would be your top advice?

Being 38 years old, the most important lesson I’ve learned from this experience is that you can always completely change your life and career. Limiting yourself to other people’s opinions and ‘rules’ on how you should live your life is something we all need to overcome. Life can be whatever you want it to be.

If you want to try something completely new, whether you’re 18 or 68, go and try it! At the School, we were such a diverse team with different backgrounds, working experiences, and interests, but we all respected each other and truly enjoyed our time together. I think all my classmates would agree – I already miss them so much!

• Luca Stančič Kodarin completed our Four Week Filmmaking course in Berlin. This course is also available in London.
• Four Week Filmmaking is one of eight Short Courses at our Berlin campus. Find out more at our Open Day this October.