Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé

After completing a Media and Film & TV BA in 2023, Matilda Osbon has gone on to become a Filmmaker & Creative Freelancer. Matilda speaks to us about her fond NTU memories, discusses the various roles she has undertaken in the film and TV sector, and shares her career highlights so far.

Why did you choose to study at NTU?

I hadn’t always planned on going to University. After two gap years working full-time in multiple hospitality sector jobs and deciding to drop out of my Musical Theatre and Acting course, I was incredibly confused about what to pursue. So, I considered the things that gave me the most joy in life. My fondest early memories would be going to the cinema with my family, choosing what film to get at the local Blockbuster on a Friday night, and squeezing onto a two-seater couch with my four brothers and sisters to watch (the then scheduled) Doctor Who episodes. So, I put countless hours of research into universities offering to study Media, Film and Television. I was fortunate to find that my home city happened to provide such a course. My Dad, in fact, graduated from Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé in 1990 and always spoke so fondly of his experiences studying at the University. It felt like the perfect fit!

What did you learn – both inside and outside of lectures?

My relationship with education and learning could have been better before NTU. School and College were never my favourites. NTU massively changed my outlook on learning, and I fell back in love with education during my three years at the University. My confidence in sharing my thoughts and opinions, debating, asking and answering questions grew immensely. I love to look back at the fun my peers and I would have in seminars, the films and television programmes we were introduced to and watched collectively to then study and discuss, along with the multiple quick runs to Costa between lectures and on 5-minute breaks. Stepping onto campus was always a guaranteed laugh!

What does your current day involve?

As most freelancers say, no day is the same. Often, it includes working a flexible hospitality job, staying up to date with the creative community, communicating with other Filmmakers and Creative Freelancers, giving and receiving advice, strengthening ideas, putting ideas into action, planning the next steps, potentially preparing for a shoot and, subsequently, a day on set. I have gained experience in multiple roles within the film industry, often opportunities created by my friends and me. One day, I will wear my Production Assistant hat; the next day, I will wear my Programming and Screening Curation hat; the next day, I will wear my Assistant Director hat. One consistent in my not so ‘typical’ day, I must say, is at least 10 cups of tea (an on and off set essential).

What attracted you to this field of work?

I loved the thought of no day looking quite the same. As a Creative Freelancer, I have the privilege of interacting with different and incredibly passionate creatives every day. They inspire, motivate and challenge me to be a better creator and collaborator. The possibilities in this field of work are truly endless!

What challenges have you faced?

Starting out in the industry was not and has not always been smooth sailing. I still have a part-time hospitality job to keep me afloat whilst pursuing, often free, local filmmaking work; this is, of course, a challenge in managing time and prioritising particular projects over others in accordance with my hospitality work schedule. I have come to rationalise that, although it shouldn’t be the case, it's incredibly common for freelancers starting out to have a flexible side job; there is no shame in it; it is, in fact, very sensible. As well as this, I hadn’t pinpointed the exact route I wanted to go down career-wise stepping out of University, so I decided to do everything I could get my hands on. This was challenging because I didn’t enjoy some jobs as much as others. But with that came the clarity that particular positions were not for me, so I’d swiftly try for the next. I genuinely feel that I have learnt so much more about how I work and what I love doing through the positions I enjoyed the least, making those experiences a vital and positive step towards the right direction.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

To start with a few highlights, since graduating, I have had the pleasure of working on so many incredible projects. As a Third Assistant Director, I worked on an Amazon Prime X NFTS Short Film, In The Cold Quiet (2024). This project was one of my first opportunities to work on set; I had so much fun and met some incredibly talented filmmakers. As a Production Assistant, I worked on Jake Bugg’s ‘All Kinds of People’ music video. This was a particularly sweet highlight as we shot locally, in Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, and my goodness, we all had a good boogie. A major highlight is that my fabulous filmmaking friends and I started a Film Collective and Production Company named Lounge Trip (Instagram: ). The Lounge Trip team curated a six-film season celebrating the works of Powell & Pressburger titled ‘Everything But The Kitchen Sink’, funded by the BFI and supported by Broadway Cinema. We’ve sold out and orchestrated numerous screenings at Broadway Cinema, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, including The Wicker Man (1973), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Swiss Army Man (2016) and many more. As a Production Company, we have managed and assisted in making multiple short films and other videography projects, to name a couple: Scratch Card Sunday (awaiting release) and A Few More Minutes, Please (awaiting release) in collaboration with Sheffield based Production Company, Cave Creatures. All these wonderful opportunities have allowed me to learn the filmmaking craft on the go. This doesn’t come without its challenges. It can sometimes be challenging turning up consistently at new and short jobs as your best professional self, surrounded by people you aren’t familiar with or look up to career-wise. It’s always best to remind yourself that everyone starts somewhere, and if you show that you are willing to work hard, get stuck in and learn, you will get along perfectly fine.

What are your plans for the future?

Truthfully, I don’t know! But I am sure it’ll be full of fun and new experiences, with many Sharpie pens (an on set bumbag essential) and cups of tea in travel mugs.

If you had a time machine, what would you go back and tell yourself at uni?

It’ll all work out, honestly. You’ll find your groove coming out of education and learn to enjoy going with the flow, so stop worrying about the outcome, get yourself out there and have fun. (P.S. Stop getting so many takeaways delivered; there’s a Local Sainsbury’s down the road…).

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with our alumni community?

Show up for yourself like you’d show up for others. Network, make lots of friends and be kind; you will find this helps you more in the film industry in the future than any grade you can get (although a good grade is a nice cherry on top). Try not to miss too many lectures; the catch-up game is never fun. Finally, join societies and enjoy yourself!

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