BAFTA newcomer
Angharad Penryhn Jones never really dreamt of a glittering career in the media choosing instead to pursue a scholarship to study English Literature at the University of Wales. So it was even more of a surreal experience when, 8 years later, she found herself at the 2003 BAFTA Cymru ceremony clutching not one but two awards for her documentary Ar y Stryd (Streetlife)
"It was amazing. I ended up in this line of work by accident. It wasn't really a decision I made. And to be at the BAFTA Awards with all those people celebrating my documentary was one of the best moments of my life. Especially after the all consuming experience of making it."
Ar y Stryd was broadcast on S4C in June 2002 and documented the harrowing tale of heroin addicts living rough on the streets of Caernarfon and Porthaethwy. It won producer / director Angharad the BAFTA for Best Newcomer and Best Current Affairs program.
"Like Ricky Gervais recently said, one is useless around the house but two are a great set of bookends! It was an incredible boost to my confidence and my career. Making the documentary had been such a challenging experience. Not just in terms of the technical aspects of the project but the emotional boundaries I had to set myself. I kept having to remind myself and my small crew that we were there to document what was happening and mustn't get involved with the subjects being portrayed. But keeping that distance when confronted with one of the most harrowing sides of human existence was very hard. There were so many touching and moving stories."
The Best Newcomer BAFTA is sponsored by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries, and as part of winning Angharad received £1000 towards training of her choice.
"There's so much to learn in this industry especially in terms of the technology which keeps changing and getting better and better. Because I work freelance it can be hard sometimes to take time out to up date my skills and courses are expensive. But it's so important so the Skillset vouchers were a great bonus to a superb night. I used them to improve my camera skills. On Ar y Stryd I produced and directed and my sister Sara operated the camera but she's pregnant now so I thought I'd better learn how to do it all myself! It's a very competitive industry and the more versatile your skills are the better you'll do."
Skillset Cymru Director, Gwawr Hughes, told us: "There's so much talent in Wales, just like Angharad, and we have to support and develop that talent to enable the industry to grow. It's a very optimistic time with the Bridgend studio development and the blah, but much of our future success depends on the people in our workforce - making sure they are highly skilled is a priority."
Angharad left University in 1998 and after 6mths as a Researcher for a TV company moved to Nant Films as a trainee producer / director. "It was the perfect training ground. I got to work closely with Will Aaron, a very experienced filmmaker, on developing program ideas and pitching them to broadcasters. I got thrown in at the deep end and it taught me a lot. Will really encouraged me and he has done it all, been all over the world, so his faith in me spurred me on."
After her BAFTA success Angharad, who grew up in Flintshire, made the most of the exposure she had been given to encourage as many people as possible to see her film. "I worked on selling the film to festivals across the world which gave me a great insight into how the distribution side of the business works and how to accept rejection! It was an important lesson for me to learn and I did have some success The Celtic Film and Television Festival showed it and so did the Gaelic channel TGA. I also got an endorsement from Ken Loach. I'm a huge fan of his work so that was unbelievable. Then I decided it was time to take a break which is one of the great things about being self employed. I needed some recharge time after putting my whole life into making the documentary. And I wanted to come up with fresh ideas so I could tell new stories."
The break didn't last too long. Angharad has since worked on another two documentaries taking her to Taiwan and Milan. "In Taiwan I was interviewing two Welsh botanists traveling the world in search of new plant life. And in Milan I interviewed a senior member of the Bush administration about climate change as part of a six part series for BBC Wales - O Flaen Dy Lygaid (In front of your eyes) which will be shown on S4C in May. They were both fascinating experiences. And it was good working for other people instead of having the whole weight of the project on my shoulders. It meant I could home at night and actually sleep and there's a lot to be said for that!"
Still only 27, Angharad is now working on a new idea for BBC Two which will see her branching into English Language programming. "I can't say too much just yet but if it all works out it will open me up to a really big audience which I'm really excited about." Her advice to any young filmmakers hoping to follow in her footsteps is to be focused, resourceful and open. "You have to have the ability to listen and tune into other people. It's their stories you are telling and you've got to honour that. It if becomes more about you then it will be superficial. You also have to be totally bloody minded! Sheer determination has got me where I am."
"It was amazing. I ended up in this line of work by accident. It wasn't really a decision I made. And to be at the BAFTA Awards with all those people celebrating my documentary was one of the best moments of my life. Especially after the all consuming experience of making it."
Ar y Stryd was broadcast on S4C in June 2002 and documented the harrowing tale of heroin addicts living rough on the streets of Caernarfon and Porthaethwy. It won producer / director Angharad the BAFTA for Best Newcomer and Best Current Affairs program.
"Like Ricky Gervais recently said, one is useless around the house but two are a great set of bookends! It was an incredible boost to my confidence and my career. Making the documentary had been such a challenging experience. Not just in terms of the technical aspects of the project but the emotional boundaries I had to set myself. I kept having to remind myself and my small crew that we were there to document what was happening and mustn't get involved with the subjects being portrayed. But keeping that distance when confronted with one of the most harrowing sides of human existence was very hard. There were so many touching and moving stories."
The Best Newcomer BAFTA is sponsored by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries, and as part of winning Angharad received £1000 towards training of her choice.
"There's so much to learn in this industry especially in terms of the technology which keeps changing and getting better and better. Because I work freelance it can be hard sometimes to take time out to up date my skills and courses are expensive. But it's so important so the Skillset vouchers were a great bonus to a superb night. I used them to improve my camera skills. On Ar y Stryd I produced and directed and my sister Sara operated the camera but she's pregnant now so I thought I'd better learn how to do it all myself! It's a very competitive industry and the more versatile your skills are the better you'll do."
Skillset Cymru Director, Gwawr Hughes, told us: "There's so much talent in Wales, just like Angharad, and we have to support and develop that talent to enable the industry to grow. It's a very optimistic time with the Bridgend studio development and the blah, but much of our future success depends on the people in our workforce - making sure they are highly skilled is a priority."
Angharad left University in 1998 and after 6mths as a Researcher for a TV company moved to Nant Films as a trainee producer / director. "It was the perfect training ground. I got to work closely with Will Aaron, a very experienced filmmaker, on developing program ideas and pitching them to broadcasters. I got thrown in at the deep end and it taught me a lot. Will really encouraged me and he has done it all, been all over the world, so his faith in me spurred me on."
After her BAFTA success Angharad, who grew up in Flintshire, made the most of the exposure she had been given to encourage as many people as possible to see her film. "I worked on selling the film to festivals across the world which gave me a great insight into how the distribution side of the business works and how to accept rejection! It was an important lesson for me to learn and I did have some success The Celtic Film and Television Festival showed it and so did the Gaelic channel TGA. I also got an endorsement from Ken Loach. I'm a huge fan of his work so that was unbelievable. Then I decided it was time to take a break which is one of the great things about being self employed. I needed some recharge time after putting my whole life into making the documentary. And I wanted to come up with fresh ideas so I could tell new stories."
The break didn't last too long. Angharad has since worked on another two documentaries taking her to Taiwan and Milan. "In Taiwan I was interviewing two Welsh botanists traveling the world in search of new plant life. And in Milan I interviewed a senior member of the Bush administration about climate change as part of a six part series for BBC Wales - O Flaen Dy Lygaid (In front of your eyes) which will be shown on S4C in May. They were both fascinating experiences. And it was good working for other people instead of having the whole weight of the project on my shoulders. It meant I could home at night and actually sleep and there's a lot to be said for that!"
Still only 27, Angharad is now working on a new idea for BBC Two which will see her branching into English Language programming. "I can't say too much just yet but if it all works out it will open me up to a really big audience which I'm really excited about." Her advice to any young filmmakers hoping to follow in her footsteps is to be focused, resourceful and open. "You have to have the ability to listen and tune into other people. It's their stories you are telling and you've got to honour that. It if becomes more about you then it will be superficial. You also have to be totally bloody minded! Sheer determination has got me where I am."