Students Speak: Robyn Guthrie, Tommy Howell, and Mallek Aminullah

The Boar Film interviews Robyn Guthrie, Tommy Howell, and Mallek Aminullah about their latest venture, filming for LINE’s fashion project.

Lakshmi Ajay: How did you get this opportunity?

Tommy Howell: BFT, the society on campus, were recommended to LINE by a photographer they used to work with. They approached me with the original concept which eventually turned into the final video. Mallek produced it and Robyn and I filmed, co-directed, and edited it.

LA: How has working for a fashion company been different from films that you have made before?

Robyn Guthrie: There was a lot more room for creativity and the models were very easy to work with. They knew what looked good and were willing to try out new ideas. I used to film my friend (who is gorgeous and now a model) quite a lot back home, so it was actually a shoot I felt more comfortable doing.

TH: Visually, it made our job a lot easier as their team had a good eye for aesthetics and detail. Working with confident and experienced models also added a very professional touch. The ambition of LINE matched with the creative freedom we were given really worked well.

Mallek Aminullah: In previous services projects, the theme was to showcase upcoming or past events, so it was more of capturing the moments rather than being creative with it. With LINE, it was aimed to promote their new jumper. So we were able to interact with the models and be more creative with the whole thing which was a lot of fun.

LA: Have you had previous experience or training? If so what were they?

RG: Most of my experience has been self taught. I did an A-level in photography where I mainly focused on film and I have done quite a lot of work with BFT Productions this year. I try and get involved in as many events as possible, such as the Channel 4 Talent days which I would recommend to anyone trying to get involved in any kind of media or creative industry!

TH: I’ve been making short and commercial films for a few years now. I’ve been principally self-trained but, I’ve learnt a lot from just putting myself out there and getting involved in all kinds of filmmaking. You learn a lot from the people you work with.

MA: I have only made one film of my own, which was a parody music video. Other than that, my experience is more of a ‘watch and learn’ basis.

LA: Other than your primary jobs, were you part of any other aspect of the production of the video? 

MA: It was a very spontaneous experience. I was just there to initially help out with the filming but they were short of male models. So they asked if I’d like to help model the jumper. They were very relaxed about it which made it easier to do. Especially since I haven’t done any modelling before.

LA: What was the most rewarding part of the experience?

RG: The editing process, because with the help of Tommy and Mallek I learnt so much about editing film and I think that’s what made the video work really well.

TH: Bouncing creative ideas off Mallek, Robyn and the LINE team was a great part of the experience.

MA: Part of it was being able to see how well the video came out after editing. Other part was the immense show of appreciation shown by our friends at LINE. Their positive response and show of gratitude did give a very rewarding feeling.

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