More than just Blind Luck

BSc(Hons) Film Production Technology student, James Sieradzki, was one of 12 up-and-coming film directors who were shortlisted to win kit worth thousands of pounds in the 2010 Virgin Media Shorts awards.

Called Blind Luck, and costing just £50 to make, James’s film was chosen from 1,600 entries and was judged by a glittering panel of celebrities, including BAFTA award-winning actress, Thandie Newton, Harry Potter director, Mike Newell, and director of Moon, Duncan Jones.

And even though Blind Luck didn’t secure the main honour, it will still be shown at 214 cinema screens across the UK, along with the other shortlisted films.

Running for just one minute and 45 seconds, the film produced by James tells the story of a blind man buying a winning scratchcard in a local shop and highlights the moral dilemma faced by the shopkeeper on discovering that the card is a big winner. Needless to say, there’s also a little twist.

“I had a lot of spare time in the summer,” comments James. “I decided to walk to my local shop and have a go on a scratchcard - the plot came to me on my way back home. Similar to my coursework, I nearly left it too late to enter the competition. So I was genuinely surprised to get this far after having a go at the last minute and making the film in a couple of hours.”

A third-year student at Staffordshire University’s Beaconside campus, James - in part - attributes his success with Blind Luck to the expertise of his tutors and the film production facilities available for him to use.

“I’m glad I chose Staffs Uni. The lecturers are great guys and really know their stuff. They also understand what the film industry wants, in terms of technique, quality and accuracy. For example, they always expect us to work to precise time limits when making films. Although that’s much harder than it sounds, it’s a skill that clearly helped me to stick to the constraints of Virgin Media. The equipment we get to use on the course is great and prepares you for the real world of film making.”

Convinced that time and effort – not necessarily big budgets - are the essential ingredients for making great films, James intends to be a film-maker when he graduates and plans to call on the expertise he has gained from course lecturers John Bradburn, Andy Paton and James Fair.

“The whole experience at Staffs Uni has been excellent,” he adds. “Last year the students had their course work screened at a cinema in Birmingham. This summer, I was lucky enough to go along with the lecturers to Australia to help make a feature film in 72 hours. Called 'The Ballad of Des and Mo', it made the top 10 at the Melbourne International Film Festival Audience Awards.”

Around the globe and across the UK, Staffordshire University is making a real impact. From providing sustainable solutions to the problems faced by society, to transforming lives, tackling global issues and stimulating flexible new ways of teaching and learning, our academics - and graduates - are helping to make the world a much better place.