Louis Femi Adebowale is a filmmaker, editor and photographer, currently working for a pre-production company in London. As part of his job role as Junior Development Researcher for RAW TV, Louis sources and develops good, exciting stories that can be turned into documentaries. Having worked in and around the industry for almost five years, Louis has gone from being a runner to his current role, as well as a successful freelancer who has been commissioned to make promotional materials for charities such as Crohn’s and Colitis UK.
Being skilled in three roles, Louis is very much a filmmaker first and enjoys having total creative control over the projects he works on. In his own time, Louis has made films about Black identity, being stuck in lockdown, and his favourite game Bioshock.
Louis studied film at the University of Gloucester back in 2013 and has been perfecting his craft and developing his art ever since. Louis is currently working on a sequel to his film ‘Happy New Year’, where he plans on incorporating new techniques and visual effects.
Interview with Louis Femi Adebowale
Voice interviewed Louis on Instagram live on 22d October. Catch-up with the full interview here:
How to conceptualise a shoot
After the Instagram Live, Louis joined us on Zoom for a 30-minute workshop where he presented his advice on shoot do’s and don’ts. Louis went over how to meet your commission brief, how best to plan for a shoot and let us in on his top tips for making a shoot successful.
1. Create a mood board to make sure you and your commissioner are on the same page
A mood board can be made digitally, or it can be made on paper, but it is essentially a tool to collate all your ideas using images to express exactly what you are trying to execute. Have fun with the mood boards, and don’t be afraid to pack them full of images that evoke what you are trying to convey.
2. Make use of everything you have access to on the shoot
In a shoot, it’s essential to utilise your resources to the fullest and get creative with them. Don’t get side-tracked by what you don’t have; adaptability is vital.
3. Be prepared for things to go wrong
Bring extra bulbs for lights, batteries for cameras, umbrellas in case the weather goes against you. Whilst on a shoot, there is no such thing as being over-prepared, don’t let the little things slow you down – preparedness is everything.
4. Don’t be afraid to take five
We all have those moments during a shoot where what’s in our heads isn’t materialising in front of us, and that’s OK. Don’t be afraid to put the camera down and take a quick time out to gather your thoughts, and to allow new ones to come through.
5.Think of your audience. Ensure your content matches up to what they would like
Do your research, get to know your audience, and try and think about what they would like, because at the end of the day your content has a purpose to fill, and audience satisfaction is part of that.
Louis also shared an exercise with the group which you can see here to try yourselves, as well as send it to Louis for some insider feedback.
Exercise:
Create a pitch in response to this brief. Write a brief paragraph considering the content of the shoot you would create, alongside a mood board to help your vision materialise.
“A small LGBTQ+ charity would like promotional material made for its upcoming series of youth events.
The events are for queer youth aged 16-25 and are a safe space for them to share experiences, learn new skills and try new hobbies.”
If you would like some feedback on this exercise, send to [email protected]
Louis Femi Adebowale Work
More of Louis’s work can be found here:
https://www.louisadebowale.com/
Instagram: @pocketshock
More artist interviews and workshops
Thanks to Arts Council England, we’re excited to be offering you a whole series of artist workshops. Join us as we interview creatives and then hand over to them to run a workshop! Perfect if you’re doing an Arts Award and need to find out about an artist’s work and career.
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