Pictured Above: Award winning LVS Student, Constance Bole
TEENAGE FILM DIRECTOR WINS NATIONAL AWARD | Budding film director, Constance Bole, 17, from Warfield, has won a national competition for her short film “Marked”.
Constance, who attends LVS Ascot in Berkshire, won the Key Stage 5, short film category in the Independent Schools’ Association (ISA) national Film & Digital Art Competition. The film which was written, directed, edited and filmed by Constance, depicts a dystopian future in which people are marked and monitored.
Constance originally created the film as a piece of coursework for her Media BTEC, and was influenced by events including the recent pandemic and the #MeToo movement.
Due to the pandemic, filming was restricted and Constance had to edit her original 12 scene script, down to just three chilling scenes. The final version features a cast of two; Chloe Barlow and Angelina Yu, who are both drama students at LVS Ascot.
The ISA’s annual Film & Digital Art Competition offers students an opportunity to use both creative and technical skills to produce art works in the digital genre. The competition includes Computer Animation and Digital Art as well as Short Film categories and offers a range of ways for pupils to explore and showcase their work.
Commenting on her win, LVS Ascot student, Constance Bole said; “I have always been a fan of dystopian stories, reading lots and gathering my own ideas and opinions on what a world classed as ‘undesirable’ or ‘frightening’ could look like. I wanted to explore the isolation and victimisation experienced through social prejudices and the stigma of being ‘marked’ as different - an experience many people face daily. I also wanted to look at how society’s perceptions of a person and their own identity can change the second a label is attached.”
The independent day and boarding school, on London Road, Ascot, offers a range of creative courses at sixth form, including A Levels and BTECs in art, design, drama, media production, photography and textiles. Its Media Studies department is headed up by former ITV journalist, Sarah Melhuish and students are encouraged to engage with a diverse range of art forms.
Speaking on behalf of LVS Ascot, school principal, Christine Cunniffe, commented; “Constance’s natural talent is clear and her award is well deserved. We look forward to her next project and one day hope to see her name on film screens nationwide.”
ISA national arts officer, Marie-Ange Moncuy, added; “Well done to everyone who took part in the competition this year, we received over 200 fantastic entries and selecting the winners has been very difficult for our judge.”
Ed Boase, director of the Young Film Academy, who judged the awards said; “This film pulled off a rare feat: creating an alternate reality that felt familiar yet terrifying. A fantastical premise (that people who are randomly ‘marked’ must be hunted down) is made totally convincing by two excellent performances, expert camerawork, editing and sound design… also, a shocking twist ending!”
Constance’s winning film can be viewed in full here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv-u58MK4nQ Following her award Constance has set her sights on going to university after her A-Levels to continue her Media and Communications studies.
For further information about LVS Ascot or to arrange a tour, visit www.lvs.ascot.sch.uk
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