Jamie Beckford: Documenting my Mentorship
At the start of his programme Jamie, an aspiring documentary maker, was given the opportunity to travel to New York with his mentor to the DOC NYC festival. He shares his story with us of his experience there, the time on his programme, and the documentary he is working on.
I remember picking up a camera for the first time in my GCSE film studies course and instantly falling in love with cinema. Right then and there, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue.
I applied for university, deferred my entry, and took a gap year but ultimately cancelled my application. A big part of that decision was financial, I didn't want to become an even bigger economic burden to my parents and myself.
“While many of my peers went and followed a traditional route, I had to carve out my own path and search for alternative programmes and ways to get experience. ”
Luckily, at 18, I found an opportunity at a diary agency as a camera trainee and landed a few jobs. When I finally got to work on set with brands like Calvin Klein, TikTok, and All Points East, I expected that to be the start of a breakthrough, but it wasn't so clear-cut. I learnt how unreliable, inconsistent and undependable freelance work was. I felt lost, the industry felt so closed off, and it felt like a space I didn't understand or know how to deal with. I wanted to make documentaries, but I needed someone who could help me find my way.
I was scouring through newsletters and social media accounts looking for opportunities, events and industry insights. I distinctly remember seeing the Soho Mentorship programme and just clung to how it described developing and nurturing creatives and matching them with industry-related mentors. I had no idea what Soho House even was. While I had heard of other mentoring programmes, what set it apart for me was the invites to events and mixers. It encouraged to not only meet other mentees and mentors, but gave me the potential of building a mentee network to connect and collaborate with others at similar stages of their careers.
I started the programme with a few rough conceptual questions about my documentary, a logline and some footage. Overall, my initial idea was to capture an “ungentrified” perspective of heritage and culture in Peckham and Brixton, amplifying underrepresented voices and highlighting the erosion of cultural identity in these communities. I wanted to give visibility to often misunderstood perspectives and experiences of South London.
When I was matched with my mentor, Emma, I didn't know what to expect. Although she was very experienced in documentary filmmaking, I wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to help me, or if it would be like some of my past experiences. I wasn't sure if she would understand my struggles or see where I was coming from as a young filmmaker.
On our first mentoring session, I got to know more about Emma, the work she does and how mentoring could help me with my documentary project and generally as a filmmaker. Emma spoke about her team and said they were heading to NYC the following week for DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival and invited me along. I said yes and flew to a city I'd never been to, surrounded by filmmakers and people I had never met before.
It was such a unique experience. The turnaround was incredibly quick, and doing something so significant so last minute felt surreal. I hadn’t been abroad in over three years, and just being at an event like DOC NYC with like-minded people on somewhat similar journeys, witnessing how documentary films come to be, was incredible.
“For me, the experience gave me a sense of confidence, purpose and inspiration. Confidence in myself and my work, and the feeling that because I was there, I was on the right track even though it doesn’t always feel that way.”
DOC NYC was eye-opening, sponsored by Netflix, HBO, Variety, etc. The festival provided a rare insight into how independent documentaries are made and funded. Their pitching programme gives filmmakers a platform to present their projects directly to prominent figures in film, including distribution, financing, publicity, marketing, and social impact. Even though I didn't pitch, the feedback was honestly invaluable. The judges emphasised the importance of finding the right buyer that fits your project, not figuring things out in the edit, and researching your audience. After the pitching event, a networking reception was held, and the pitch judges and filmmakers attended.
I struggle with networking, and confidence and networking were among the many goals I set with Emma to work on during the programme. In our meetings, we discussed the issues I faced and how to approach and deal with them better. Emma mentioned different perspectives on issues and problems that helped me break them down and deal with them more efficiently. I think these helped me remain calm and aware in situations like the reception that would’ve previously made me feel overwhelmed and anxious. I tried to push myself outside my comfort zone, engage in conversation and make the most of the opportunity.
On the surface, I got an insight into how many independent documentaries come to be made. But looking back, the feedback made me question my own project, its purpose and myself as a director. I returned home with new clarity and felt encouraged to take a step back and dissect my film. I became even more aware of my audience and how it had to serve them first and not just use it as my creative outlet. Since then, the project has evolved. My documentary isn't only a record of the change happening in Peckham and Brixton now, but it also has the potential to serve as a historical record of these places and their significance. I want it to spark conversation, to empower people to find their voices and to speak up for what matters to them. In a way, working on it helped me find my voice.
With a clearer vision of the theme and purpose of what I wanted to create, I turned my focus to the next step of production. But I ran into a major roadblock, I had the footage but had no idea where to go next with it. My meetings with Emma and others in her team highlighted the key differences between documentary filmmaking and narrative filmmaking. Instead of a pre-written script, it was real life shaping the story. This meant focusing on and diving into interviews and transcripts, piecing together the narrative from real-life experiences rather than a predetermined structure.
Since then, I've been neck-deep in the editing process. Working to shape the most authentic version of the story possible. I aim to document genuine change and bring awareness to an issue affecting so many South Londoners and minority communities. It's been a challenging but rewarding journey. It forced me to grow as a filmmaker and storyteller, while the path hasn't been a traditional one. I don't think it would've worked any other way.
I think every early creative who feels a similar sense of uncertainty in their industry or their work should look into getting a mentor. Whether you’re like me and you felt the industry was so closed off and hard to reach or you’re unsure of where to go next in your creative journey, a mentor can help guide you along the path and give you the confidence and reliance you’ve been missing. Just because it’s the end of the mentoring programme doesn’t mean it’s the end of mentoring. I know I’ll always be able to reach out to Emma and ask for support and guidance for as long as needed.
South Of The River is expected to be released sometime this year. As the project is still developing, I’m always open to hearing new voices and perspectives from people in South London. If you’ve experienced gentrification and any of its side effects please get involved and get in contact with me. You can send me a DM on Instagram (@jamie.beckford_) or send me an email here.
