Film graduate Rachel Clear Burton on working as a production coordinator  

Rachel Clear Burton has enjoyed a series of exciting achievements, including the success of her final-year project Underbelly, which won two awards at 2023’s BFI Future Film Festival, and working with BAFTA-winning writer and director Mark Jenkin on Enys Men while she was still a student.  

We chatted with Rachel to find out more about her experience of working in the film industry, and how her time at Falmouth helped prepare her towards becoming production coordinator for Andrea Arnold’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Bird.  

Your time working in the film industry began while you were still a student at Falmouth. When was it that you first knew that you wanted to pursue film?  

I studied film for both GCSE and A Level which I really enjoyed, and thought it had the potential to make an exciting career. But my decision to attend university to study film was initiated by my interview with Mark Douglas, whose enthusiasm and broad knowledge solidified my choice to study at Falmouth. There was such a good vibe about Falmouth. There was a such a good vibe about Falmouth, and I already felt like I was treated as an equal by the faculty rather than a school student. It was from that interview that I really knew I wanted to pursue both a degree and career in film.   

Can you tell us more about how you made the most of your time at Falmouth?  

I built a very good relationship with my lecturers by the end of the course, and I really valued how the university offered me various opportunities to get into the industry. I set myself a goal to be earning money from the film industry by the end of my first year, and this led to me constantly looking for opportunities. One of my first placements was on Enys Men, which was the start of meeting people in the film community here in Cornwall.   

I also ensured that I made the most of the facilities on offer at Falmouth, such as using the camera and sound equipment, and making the most of the editing suites available. From working on external projects, to meeting people in courses and lectures who were working on jobs outside of university, there were always ways to network and gain opportunities.   

When did you first realise that you wanted to pursue producing?  

At first, I was interested in documentary cinematography, and it wasn’t until I started studying at Falmouth that I realised producing was what I wanted to do. I made good use of the facilities to work in camera, sound and editing, but as things evolved, I realised that my favourite part was the initial planning and creative build-up to a project.