To start at the beginning would take too long, but I would say it all began with an insomniac 7-year-old, lying awake in bed, creating imaginary sequels and spin-offs in her head.

Thankfully, my appreciation for storytelling has since branched into different mediums of writing, from scripts to stories to journalism. It was the journalism course that led me to the University of Lincoln. It seemed the pragmatic choice, but has opened many exciting doors.

The phrase “your degree is what you make it” rings particularly true in media.

Many think that in order to get from A to B, you need to follow a particular path. I would say that unless you’re looking to become a doctor or lawyer your degree doesn’t have to define your career. In the creative fields, you have more flexibility to create your own opportunities.

Rachel Scarrott’s filmmaking group was one of those opportunities.

Starting university, I made a promise to take any filmmaking and screenwriting opportunity that came my way.

I recall the moment I pitched my short story as a script idea. Back then, my voice shook whenever I felt nervous. It felt like a stab in the dark. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just knew what I wanted to do.

“Go for it,” she said, “and direct it, too.”

So, with money from the University of Lincoln’s Student Initiative Fund, that’s exactly what I did. 

Still, moving from pitch to production was a mission. For a start, I did not know students in the film department. Nor did I know much about directing, nor filmmaking for that matter.

I just knew how to write a script. Mostly.

So, I asked around. One contact led to the next and soon enough, we had a crew. That included James Learoyd, who, along with “Directing for Dummies,” showed me the ropes.

Post-production was a lengthy experience. In addition to communicating between a team of students, the script was evolving, and time was being spent to align everything so when we were shooting, we hit our targets.

Of course, that all took place alongside my studies. The balance was easy enough to maintain, although that meant sacrificing a lot of free time. Many people advocate for the “classic” university experience (although not as many as you may think) and that includes raves, parties, drinking and sex.

To put bluntly, I had other things to do – sorry, Bumble.

Lots was learnt in a short period of time. With extracurricular filmmaking alongside my journalism studies, it felt like educational whiplash. But working on the film never felt like a chore. It felt like a dream. 

Shooting itself was a highlight. By the end of each long day, the team achieved something remarkable.

The actors were so focused on their performances. Working with them was a delight. They made my first directing experience a positive one, and I would happily do it again.

Today, Petalled Apologies is still in post-production. This has taken longer than expected, mostly due to everyone’s deadlines for assessments. 

But I can’t wait to show you.

Overall, creating the short film Petalled Apologies has been a dance-inducing, caffeinated, stressful, fun experience. I have no alternative but to thank everyone for allowing me to have that.

So, if you’re asking yourself: “how do I make a movie?”

Opportunities do exist. Look around. And then ask around. You’d be surprised how quickly one contact can turn into three. Being friendly and confident helps. Initially, I was terrified talking to people. However, my voice grew stronger during work experience.

“Work” for a lot of young British people means manning the tills at Tesco or the local charity shop. I was no different. It might not be the most exciting experience, but value this as an opportunity to exercise your social skills.

Your social skills, or at least, enthusiasm, can get you far. Speaking to people in-person is always more successful than over email. Talk to your peers, lecturers, industry professionals, the friends of friends…

But be selective about who you hold onto. Only invest in people who are decent and good at what they do. And remember, you can conscript anyone into helping you create a film, but you can’t force enthusiasm.

Apathy is a project killer. So, when gathering a crew, I’d suggest either finding people who are excited about your film and indifferent about their job, or people who are indifferent about your film and excited about their job. Ideally, find individuals who are excited about both.

Sometimes you can’t choose who you work with, so diplomacy and a strong footing might be needed when collaborating with certain individuals.

Expect everything to take longer, but hold people accountable to their own deadlines – including yourself.

Deadlines are important things to consider when looking for funding. Sometimes you can gather a crew and then start crowdfunding. However, you might be lucky enough to secure funding before having a crew. That also says to people that you’re serious about the matter, which encourages crew members to join.

Remember, most money is spent in production and post-production.

• Pre-production (planning to film)

• Production (filming)

• Post-production (everything after)

Finding funding was easy for me, but only because I could speak with the filmmaking lecturers of the University of Lincoln. On top of that, we began a crowdfunder. But if you don’t have access to these sorts of contacts, you might need to be more creative with this.

Google helps. There are lots of grants and competitions around. You can also look for individuals and companies to sponsor your film, and offer executive producer roles in return.

Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know what you’re doing, but choose who you go to for advice. For me, that was James. Finding people who share your vision means that you can troubleshoot ideas with people who care.

However, learn as much as you can in your own strength, remembering to refill that strength as to avoid burnout.

And finally, keep going! Yes, there will be trials (plus at least one on-set disaster) but resilience will pay off.

Your determination is your weapon. So, say yes to as many opportunities as possible. The phrase “your degree is what you make it” is good and well, but I’d take it a step further: life is what you make it.

So “Go for it,” I say, “and direct it, too.”