From studying television to creating an award-winning short film: Bridget Bowers

Last month Bridget Bowers took home the ‘Craft Specialist in Writing’ award at The Royal Television Society for Devon & Cornwall’s award ceremony for her short film, Bin Glitter. 

The recent Television & Film Production BA(Hons) graduate created the film during her third year at Falmouth, where she drew on her own experiences and emotions to create a touching story on the deepening relationship between two close friends.  

We caught up with Bridget to discover how her time at Falmouth helped inform the film that led to her starting her own production company, Pink Belt Productions.   

How did your time studying Television at Falmouth help you to create your short film? 

Falmouth University nurtured a balance that allowed me to focus on my writing skills whilst also giving me practical opportunities within the university. I studied abroad in Italy as a journalist with Florence University of the Arts, and outside my studies I also had the opportunity to work as a script supervisor on Dean Puckett’s feature film, The Severed Sun. Because of these opportunities I got to work closely with industry professionals who went on to become mentors and executive producers for my graduate short film, Bin Glitter. By remaining focused on my film network after leaving university, I was able to create a short film in my third year that, in the end, set me up for my graduate job.  

You have recently been awarded the ‘Craft Specialist in Writing’ award for your short film, Bin Glitter. Can you tell us more about how you went about making this film? 

When writing Bin Glitter, my lecturers encouraged me to focus on the emotions close to me. I was feeling rather lonely at the time, and I decided to reflect on this experience by writing about the emotional impacts of a friend leaving. Quite quickly I started working with producer Jazmine Preece, and together we started gathering a crew and fundraising. We raised £2,000 from bake sales, pub events and a Kickstarter.  

As a writer and first-time director, I focused on creating the emotional intimacy of the story. I approached this by putting my actors in an escape room together, while my producer planned improvised dance classes to encourage human connection and co-ordination. I focused my writing on things I knew well, such as the emotions of the story. Every person on set was encouraged to bring their own love into the story, and I think that’s what made it so special.