Patricia Wilson Smith – "I now value my moving-image work as a research tool, and I think of it as my specialism"

A temporary ‘artist’s block’ at the end of 2022 prompted me to want to develop my skills. I wanted to know more about filmmaking generally, to put my video work into a context broader than that of art history. I was ready for a challenge.

I was a little disadvantaged by having limited means: I wasn’t in a position to take up full-time study, so the online MA Film Practice course seemed the best option for me, especially as it seemed to offer the wide range of study I hoped for. Its obvious disadvantages are that students can’t benefit from face-to-face contact with cohort members, or experience the filmmaking environment, and I think you have to be very committed to take up distance learning.

However, the course was very well organised, and each of our units addressed in detail one aspect of filmmaking. The Co-Lab (collaboration) unit was particularly daunting, given that our small student group was scattered around the world, in different time zones and with no opportunity to get to know each other.

I really couldn’t see how it was going to work – three strangers getting together to make a documentary film! I’m used to working independently, and I felt I’d really struggle to share ideas with my much younger collaborators, one in the Netherlands, and one in the Philippines. We found we all shared similar misgivings but worked out a way to overcome them. As it happened, we collaborated really well, made a great little film and came top of our group!

We benefited from so many interviews and conversations with filmmakers offering insights into different aspects of the industry, and without exception our tutors were knowledgeable and experienced practitioners. I especially enjoyed the Constructing Narrative unit. It opened my eyes to alternative forms of film practice, and gave me the opportunity to develop my writing, which is something that’s always been an important part of my practice.

Completing my thesis was a major achievement. I now value my moving-image work as a research tool, and I think of it as my specialism, rather than simply another tool in my toolkit. I’ve also developed a more critical interest in storytelling, and I’m working to improve my scriptwriting skills.

Currently I’m researching the life of one of Cornwall’s underrated Victorian artists, John Thomas Blight, and will be making a short experimental video tribute this summer. I would love to continue my studies – it’s been truly liberating and a real challenge!