Rishika Singh

Personal Statement
The expressionistic art form that is film transcends the basic means of communication and
entertainment, constructing complex ideologies through the craft of storytelling: it has shaped the
world around me. I first experienced this when I started my journey discovering critically acclaimed
auteurs such as Kubrick, Tarantino, Biglow, Zhang and Anderson. I quickly spiralled into an
intoxicating fascination with lesser-mainstream films such as Tarsem Singh's underrated 2006
fantasy: 'The Fall'. I was stunned and dazed by the fairy-tale grandeur of the film's cinematography,
costumes, sets and overall mise en scene. I grew a feverish desire to consume more film and media,
and I was inspired to create my own, which I did by publishing an anthology of poetry. Filmmaking is
not simply cinematography and post-production, but a highly technical skill that requires extensive
planning and pre-production, eg: storyboarding, proposals, treatments and screenwriting. Thus, to
refine my proficient writing and researching abilities, I proactively joined an internship at Y-Magazine
to widen my professional network within the media industry in Oman; it introduced me to a real
work environment and increased my awareness of censorship in the media. Last year I had the
opportunity to embark on a charity trip to Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, volunteering at two schools and
painting their classrooms and playground. I met with and talked to the students who told me about
their day-to-day lives and the daily challenges they faced. Despite the distance between our cultures
and languages, I was taken aback by the amount of similarities we seemed to share within our
spheres of work and life. Having returned from the lush green landscapes, I felt rejuvenated and
focused on wanting to impact people and society through the medium of film, to try to improve
upon the world we live in today. I also had a chance to partake in a performing arts trip to New York,
where I attended various workshops held by industry professional actors, singers, dancers,
filmmakers and photographers. Through this I matured my practical skill set as a performer and a
filmmaker. The diversity of culture, art, architecture and people there, gave me a new perspective
and appreciation for film and the creative arts, assuring me of my decision to pursue it as a career in
the future. In order to advance my comprehension of filmmaking, I founded and co-led a Filmmaking
and Photography Club: introducing younger pupils to the practical aspects of filmmaking. This role
allowed me to practice effective management, resourcefulness and communication as a leader. I
refined my leadership, technical and academic support skills as Student Director of the Media
Department and BSM News executive producer. As a producer, I delegated production and post-
production teams, alongside scriptwriters, often filling in the shoes of more than one creative role.
As I have taken part in numerous school productions, frequently as part of the main cast, my rising
comfort as a performer was advantageous during shoots where I had to direct my cast and crew.
Understanding the performer's mind-set enhanced my directorial role. I further challenged myself by
volunteering as the assistant director at my local Pantomime, and a drama leader at my school's
production of 'The Tempest'. The former gave me an empowering creative freedom, while the latter
offered me the daunting task of directing an ensemble of over fifty people, a vital skill for a director
in the film industry; I gained an in-depth understanding of blocking, which translated into my
construction of more effective framing and composition on screen, and grasping the value of on-set
communication. In the future, I aim to expand my filmmaking knowledge and reach my highest
potential through this course: to evolve into an industry professional producing authentic,
innovative, thought provoking films to challenge audiences and myself, as a filmmaker and an
individual.