Hi I’m Tilly! I'm 21 years and an actress and writer. At the moment, I'm working on blending the two to create short films, that explore true transparency on what it is to be human, with authenticity and honesty at the centre. I'm excited to explore different topics and hopefully make films that can help people feel less alone with their experiences. 

Name Tilly 

Age 21

Artform Actress and Writer

Why did you apply for creative futures?

Honestly, I was just completely lost at how to move forward with actually working in the fields I wanted to and create work for myself . I’ve been chronically ill since I was a kid, so school was always a bit of a sporadic thing that I never really took advantage of and left me with no structure to base myself on. I’ve been fortunate to try work my way into opportunities, such as having my work selected this year by Penguin Randomhouse for their ‘Writenow’ initiative and as an actor I’m a member with the National Youth Film Academy which have been really amazing experiences. Although when it comes to trying to make work of my own I’ve never known the logistics in how to actually make that happen and because of my health further education just hasn’t been possible to keep up with, so I had no idea how to get access to the knowledge I needed to be a freelancer. So when I heard about Creative Futures it just seemed like the most incredible opportunity to not only learn about that all but also have a creative space to experiment with what I want to do, whilst meeting some other people looking to do the same thing. 

Tell us about the work you are currently making.

Most of my experience has been through writing and acting, but I’m currently looking to merge those forms to create a series of short films. It is at its most basic, a way of accessing an insight into the simple ways that we are structured as humans and to be truly honest about that narrative.  So the films I’m working on at the moment are all about putting that transparency front and centre, delving into explorations of all the different things we wish there were more knowledge or representation for, and about.  My motto for the series - and the basis of it as a production company on the whole -  is that the interest is in not just in telling stories, but retelling them. To undo all the bias and fake realities we’ve been sold and reclaiming the human experience one short piece at a time, so that cinema can remain a solid form of entertainment but have it also be a more insightful and inspiring thing too.

What topics would you like to explore and why?

It always sounds a bit morbid to say, but I’m so interested in the study of loneliness - because ironically it’s something we all have in common in one way or another.  I think it has a subtle way of infiltrating our lives, and there’s such an important distinguish between being alone and being lonely that I think sometimes escapes us. I’m also interested from looking at it from a cosmological standpoint, because really if you look back, from the beginning of time we have always been creatures fascinated with the idea of belonging and knowing who and why we came to be. As the modern movement of existentialism kind of waned out and philosophy became a bit academic and territorial, and religion more structured with (on average) belief on the decline, I think we’ve accidentally become quite insular beings. Where before the idea of finding out why we’re here was something that created community between people, our loss of interest in it has driven that wedge too, and personally, I think media - in particular cinema - has replaced it. There’s more of a fear of articulating our true feelings but if we voice those opinions through conversation about and through films and depersonalise those thoughts into characters, then we’re still trying to forge those bonds and connections but just in a different way. So if that’s the way in a modern era we’re exploring those ideas, I think it’s important to create simple, honest film, with representation at the forefront, which is what I hope to do! 

Where do you see yourself at the end of the programme?

I don’t know an exact place, but I know that I want to have created an exhibition of work I can really be proud of. I want to feel like I’ve laid solid foundations for developing my career in the creative industries and have a clear path forward, making work that helps and resonates with people. It’d also be great to have made some interesting connections and have some more ideas for continuing this project or other work in the future. 

 

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