What is FOMI?
FOMI (Festival of the Moving Image) is a student-run film festival that takes place in the 550-seat Bloomsbury Theatre over three days in Term 3. The event, run solely by the Film & TV Society, features talks from high profile guests (such as Mike Leigh in 2017 and Oscar-winner Jenny Beavan in 2021), film screenings, short film competitions, workshops, and much, much more. The festival requires grant-funding from the Students Union, and sells tickets to both students and the public. It is by far the biggest event on the annual FilmSoc calendar, and is always a lovely way to wrap up the year.
The festival will take place in the last week of May 2023, and will run for 4 days (TBC).
What roles can I apply for?
FESTIVAL PRODUCER
Description: The Festival Producer will work closely with the Festival Director, developing the programming of the festival and working alongside the other committee leads to ensure the smooth execution of FOMI.
Requirements: The Festival Producer essentially “produces” the festival - e.g., helping to secure sponsorship deals and funding, organising timetables, helping the Director etc. Thus, the Producer is required to be incredibly organised, calm under pressure, and have very strong communication and team working skills. The Festival Producer will have to share the Director’s vision and be willing to get very involved with FOMI, especially during the festival week. It will be a rewarding job and you will have an opportunity to work with all committee leads, dip your toes into all departments, and interact with all the guests.
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Description: The financial director’s role on the FOMI team is relatively self-explanatory – they are responsible for all of the finances related to the event. This can often mean a few things. First, they need to decide how large the festival this year might be, and roughly how much they might spend depending on the scale based on the budgets from previous years. Over the first few months, they should attempt to raise sponsorship funds with the outreach officer to help elevate the festival to a higher level, but should not be surprised if this doesn’t work out. They will need to compile a detailed budget in the months leading up to the festival, and send this to the Students Union in order to apply for a grant to fund the festival. Ticket prices and turnout should be considered when deciding a budget, since it is expected that the festival does not lose money on the event. There are numerous other responsibilities of the financial director, but these are the main areas of concern.
Requirements: This role requires excellent organisational skills, and an ability to manage money well. This role would also benefit from pre-established networking skills when trying to raise sponsorship, as well as experience budgeting and financing events.
EVENTS COORDINATOR
Description: The Events Coordinator is responsible for organising key events in the lead up to the festival, the opening and closing ceremonies, and working with both the Festival Director and Outreach Officer to organise and deliver events taking place during the festival. The Events Coordinator will play a key role in the programming and delivery of the festival; ensuring that events both promote FOMI in the lead-up, and also engage a wider and diverse audience to the festival.
Requirements: This role requires excellent organisational, communication and team working skills. You will be required to organise events yourself and ensure smooth and also fun opening and closing ceremonies. Working alongside the Festival Director and Outreach Officer, you will need good communication and team working skills.
OUTREACH OFFICER
Description: The Outreach Officer will be in charge of reaching out to potential guests and speakers. You will play a key role organising workshops and Q&As as well as curating the integrity of the festival. Together with the director, you will be working to make this year’s edition unique and attractive for a larger audience ranging from UCL students and alumni, to members of film societies from other universities, industry professionals and journalists.
Requirements: Familiarising yourself with the history of FOMI will allow you to utilise the platform of the festival and UCL Film Soc to its greatest extent. Researching about your targeted guests’ work and history will enable you to write personalised and engaging emails. By organising the festival’s schedule beforehand with your committee you will be able to make sure that you don’t have to let anyone down in the end. If you’re kind and passionate, people will get back to you but it’s crucial to remind them of your invitation closer to the festival dates, as people tend to forget!
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Description: The Marketing Director manages all relations, communications and marketing materials published both digitally and in print. You will be solely in charge of all of FOMI’s social media platforms, and you will work closely with the graphic designer to create a campaign strategy, both for commercial ticket sales and for public visibility.
Requirements: This role requires excellent organisational and communication skills. An eye for design is important. It is not a requirement to be an expert at editing software but some previous experience and knowledge will help when working alongside the graphic designer. You should be confident in your use of various social media platforms and have a basic understanding of how advertising works on Instagram / Facebook / etc.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Description: The graphic designer is responsible for creating all visual art for the festival. Not only does this include posts on social media, but designs for promotional booklets, as well as all advertising for the festival itself.
Requirements: The graphic designer needs to have a fair amount of experience working in graphic design, preferably using the Adobe suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign). A subscription to the Adobe suite will be provided. They need to be well-organised and able to work to a deadline, and occasionally under pressure.
TECH LEAD
Description: The tech lead’s role is also fairly self-explanatory. Tech leads need to be able to understand the specific technical requirements of the theatre, manage and regulate all entries for the competition portion of the festival, work in partnership with staff in the Bloomsbury Theatre to ensure that the sound and lighting plans for each event are carefully made and reliably run, etc.
Requirements: Technical experience, specifically relating to media and stage, is essential. There is often a lot that can go wrong on the day with technology, and it is the tech lead’s job to foresee all potential issues, test and plan for them. They need to be able to learn how previous iterations of FOMI have handled each aspect of technology, where these plans performed well and where they might be improved.
How can I apply?
Click here to submit your application: https://forms.gle/pnJ387GzAj23y67D6
When do applications close, and when will I find out if I’ve been selected for the role?
Applications will close on Tuesday 27/12 at 23:59, so make sure to send yours in as soon as possible! Interviews will start on 02/01/23, and selections will be made by 09/01. Best of luck!
Who do I speak to if I have a question?
Rosa Prosser is this year’s Festival Director, and you can reach her via email here (rosalind.prosser.22@ucl.ac.uk). You can alternatively contact the President, Saul, for any other queries (saul.lotzof.20@ucl.ac.uk).