> Your tutors
Kirsty Bucknell
Project Co-ordinator for Family Connections. Kirsty graduated from Kent University in 2009, with a Masters in Creative Producing. Whilst at University, Kirsty was an active student; voted course representative for her year group, won the title of Student Entreprenuer 2009, was a member of the drama society and the skiing/snowboarding society. She enjoys cycling, running, sailing, playing games and having a good old laugh.
James Price
Experienced in an artistic, film and musical creative background. Good team worker, with a good sense of humour who enjoys sharing skills and knowledge and working with others.
He works as a film-maker on a freelance basis for many organisations; PVA Media, The Study Gallery, The Engine Room, Wave Arts in Education agency, Activate, Inside Out, Exeter Phoenix, Interim, Suited and Booted and Bigger House Films.
Currently includes working with PVA MediaLab on a documentary for First Light films, also a film documenting the building of a new school in Wimbourne.
James has worked on a large variety of projects, song writing and recording, creative audio projects with travelling people, film-making with teenage mums and films workshops at youth clubs.
Peter Snelling
A graduate from the National Film & Television School and now works as a director.
His films have been screen on BBC2, Channel 4, Virgin Media, at the BFI’s Essentially British Festival, The Edinburgh Festival and Encounters Festival and won the BBC Big Screen award for Best Documentary and First Light awards for Best Drama and Best Screen Play. He has worked extensively on the Film Council’s First Light scheme directing, inspiring and facilitating young people to make films.
He has written three feature film scripts including ‘Ripped’ developed on Screen South’s Good Foundations programme and runs a peculiar website full of strange and wonderful animations.
Will Bix
Will is the Studio Manager for Somerset Film, at
The Engine Room. He runs the ‘Drop- In’s’ three times a week and is heavily involved in all projects at the Engine Room. Will’s most acclaimed work was being involved in the post-production of the Glastonbury Festival film.
Will has been working at The Engine Room since 2005. He helps anyone and everyone and is always going the extra mile to facilitate people with their technical and learning needs. You’re sure to find Will helping out, editing or being the sounds engineer on any Engine Room project.
Will has been tutoring for Family Connections and led the very first workshop!
Josh Randall
Full-time, freelance film-maker based in Somerset. Helped set up the YPFC (Young People’s Film Council) through The Engine Room and has won awards for his own short films.
Josh also has a wide variety of experience, ranging from editing drama and documentaries, lighting on the crazy survival independent projects, organising live event shoots, directing promos and music videos and running about with a walkie talkie on the sets of period dramas for the BBC.
Josh aims to prove that a career in film can happen without moving to the big cities!
Paige Copsey
Paige helps out with many workshops. She’s great with families and knows her technical stuff too! She works with Josh on the Young People’s Film Council and is studying film at college.
James Dean
A film school graduate who has been working as a professional film-maker since 2004. He regularly works across a wide range of projects from documentaries to short films to animations and beyond.
In 2008 he co-founded Bristol based production company; Level Films. They make film that screen internationally for, web, TV and Cinema audiences.
Adam Shepherd
Adam is starting out as a freelance film-maker after graduating from a film production degree last year. He has experience in a number of areas, including documentary & dramatic filming, TV production, audio design and special effects.
Mike Howard
Mike is the creative director of Film Tank, a multi-award winning film production company based in Somerset.
Along with his partner Jim Birkett, they specialise in creating factual, corporate and broadcast films, for a wide range of platforms, from DVD to web based video. They have worked with the likes of BBC Bristol, BBC Three and Grace Productions.
Marianne King
After graduating Marianne worked in the television and film industry for Channel 4, ITV, Partridge Films and BBC on news and current affairs, wildlife and children’s programmes. She began her career in the industry as a designer and then gained skills in camerawork, editing and directing for BBC Television.
Marianne also has some theatre directing experience and was involved in co-directing a son et lumiere theatre production for the millenium at Tintern Abbey.
In 2006, after 16 years in the film and TV industry, Marianne decided to change direction to a career that would be more conducive to family life and freelanced running theatre, design and film-making workshops for schools and community events for primary school aged children in Somerset.
In 2009 Marianne set up The Street & Glastonbury Film Awards for young film-makers with a local school team. She currently runs media and ICT clubs, animation and film workshops in schools and is working with local children on an animation project to showcase at the 2011 Somerset Arts Week.
Marianne also works for Barnardo’s South West play and participation service helping children, young people & their families in Somerset.
Paul Collins
Born in Australia in a small rural town after school Paul studied journalism at University. After a change of mind, he decided to move to London where he lived and worked for 8 years.
It was there that his interest in film photography and media, web design and video production began. Paul has always enjoyed travel and at various times have spent time living in Spain, France, India and Thailand.
He has been predominately self-employed and have worked as a stage hand, man with van and market stall holder as well as teaching English abroad.
I currently live in Weston-super-Mare and work as a freelance film-maker.
Gemma Williams
Gemma comes from an artistic background and covers various areas including film and photography.
She has recently completed the bursary scheme at
The Engine Room and often supports workshops for Family Connections. She now works on a freelance basis and loves any excuse to work on new projects and experience new things.
Alex Butter
Alex is a freelance camera operator/editor working out of Somerset. He has worked on a variety of projects from directing a historical documentary for schools, editing film for the NHS to lighting and shooting dramas. He has the ambition to rule the ants.
Jim Birkett
Having graduated from the International Film School of Wales in 2009, Jim (with Michael Howard) set-up a multi-award winning Somerset based production company Film Tank. Their films have been featured on BBC One, BBC Three and CBBC.
Film Tank continues to produce an array of content for broadcasters and corporate clients. They work closely with Family Connections constructing fun interactive workshops for the project.
Richard Tomlinson
Richard is a Somerset-based artist working with photography, film and the digital image. Over a number of years he has developed and delivered creative projects with a number of Somerset Arts promoters including: Take Art, Somerset Film, Somerset Art Works, SPAEDA, ARTlife and The Brewhouse Theatre & Arts Centre.
In recent years Richard has developed approaches to the use of film and photography as a means of creative expression for young children. Initially working as an artist on the Take Part scheme, enabling reception age children to make short narrative-based films and more recently as lead creative practitioner on the Little Big Bang project.
Richard said of his work on the Little Big Bang project “The children have opened my eyes to the creative possibilities within any given situation and the project has given me the time to learn how to respond...”
Pip Harris
Pip is currently studying a degree in Computer Animation at Bournemouth University. She has previously studied traditional animation and media production at college, alongside other subjects such as graphic design and computer science.
She volunteers with Family Connections in the week, helping Kirsty out with admin and design work. Pip also supports tutors on Family Connection workshops and trips.
