Recently we caught up with Klaudia Janas to talk about her time at Access Creative College in London, her recent achievement of winning the Media Student Award for 2024, and her future plans.
Hi Klaudia, please can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hello! My name’s Klaudia and I will be going into Year 2 of my Level 3 Film, Videography and Photography course at Access Creative College in London!
I started taking an interest in photography when I was around 11. I was clueless about what I wanted to do and had no sense of direction, but I had an open mind to creating. My first ever photograph was a badly taken and edited photo of a small animal toy for an Instagram photography competition! Ever since then, I’ve been creating by all means possible.
I’ve recently taken an interest in fashion and portrait photography as I think it’s enjoyable and really builds your communication and creativity skills. As well as photography, I love film and cinematography. Some of my favourite films include Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson and Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski. I love the creative freedom you get when practising filmmaking and cinematography. Seeing my thoughts and ideas come to life is an amazing feeling, as I get to explore and experiment with filming techniques, colour, sound and also work with amazing people.
Alongside creative media, I love music! I think music influences my work the most. Music can be intensely visual, just like photography and film; combining the two together creates and builds most of my ideas!
Congratulations on your ACC Award win, how do you feel?
Thank you! Winning an ACC award has meant a lot to me! After countless mistakes and self-doubt, I’m happy to see that my work is paying off. Being nominated for 2 awards was already enough for me! I really pushed myself this year to be the best I could be, both personally and creatively. It’s extremely rewarding to know that people value my work and enjoy it!
Tell us about your time at Access. What have you enjoyed about it? What have you learned?
My time at Access so far has been amazing. I entered the course with no previous media or photography studies, so I really had to rely on my creativity and willingness to learn and progress as a young creative entering the creative industry.
For my first few months at Access, everything was brand new to me, from the equipment to the studies. Transitioning from a stricter environment in Secondary School to a more relaxed environment at Access took me some time to get used to, but it has helped me to create a playground for my creativity. I mostly enjoy the people I’m surrounded by; I’ve met a lot of new people and have created numerous friendships. Having supportive people around you really boosts your confidence in yourself and your work. You sort of learn everything with them along the way and go through the same ups and downs which reassures you. Alongside learning a variety of creative skills, I’ve learnt to always keep trying and be proud of what you do!
Have you done anything in the industry outside of your studies?
Unfortunately, I haven’t had any big opportunities yet! I have done some photography outside of college for family and for leisure. However, I’m hoping to find work experience on a film set or an unscripted show set soon!
What’s your proudest achievement from your time studying with us?
My proudest achievement from my time studying at Access was producing and directing my first-ever short film for my Final Major Project. Although it was seen as an assignment, I saw it as an opportunity to use my creativity to its full potential and really try out the skills I’ve gained within 10 months. It was a very challenging and slow process at first as I was overwhelmed with too many ideas, but after a while, my thoughts and ideas were pulling together. It’s been quite a dream of mine to produce and/or direct a film, so having a starting ground has boosted my confidence!
If you would like to see my short film, you can find it on my YouTube: “Zagubiona w Kulturze”, or it will be linked in my 2024 portfolio!
What are your plans for the future? How are you going to take what you’ve learned at Access into your career?
I will most likely carry on to University after my time at Access to study Film and a short side course in Marketing and Business alongside. After that, I will see what the future holds! Nevertheless, I am keen on Directing or Producing, whether that’s working as the Director of Photography or being a Film Director/Producer, both scripted and unscripted. I’m also looking forward to travelling the world in my future career! I feel as if the world has so much to offer within the creative industry. All the soft skills and hard skills I will have gained after 2 years at Access will be vital for me to use when officially entering the creative industry. Access has built the foundation to my future career! Doing this alone would have definitely been challenging; the creative industry is tough to go into alone.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying at Access?
Build strong relationships with the people around you! It will help you in the long run with motivation and support as you are all going through the same creative process together! You will naturally go through a lot of ups and downs, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. Network, stay consistent and don’t stop creating!
If you have enjoyed this interview and want to find out more about Klaudia, you can find her via her LinkedIn page.
- Nina Coman – Best Animation/VFX Award 2024 - September 13, 2024
- Grace Matthews – Esports Student Winner 2024 - September 13, 2024
- Kellen Champion – Music Student Award Winner 2024 - September 13, 2024