Rebecca Marshall

Where You Live: Hastings
Company: Electric Palace Cinema and Shot by the Sea Film Festival
Job Title: Creative Director

Describe your job/role?
Between myself and my business partner - Rachel Pearson - we do everything involved with running a small cinema. That means programming, making sure films are there on time, distributing leaflets etc. We now have a programme designer which helps. We do everything down to the last detail with the help of a few fantastic volunteers.
It's lucky because me and Rachel work well together sharing the organisational side as well as the creative elements and planning for the future.

What is the best thing about your job?
I love the lifestyle: I like watching the films at the weekend and saying hello to people. It is a real community in a way. Its great when people clap at the end of a screening.
Last year, Screen South gave us money to buy a camera and microphone, which we now hire out under our 'Shoot and Edit' scheme where we train people with camera skills and then they can use the equipment at reasonable rates.

We also started networking nights. After the first few, we decided it would be nice if people brought along their work. Now we hold the evenings in the Revolver Lounge bar. I introduce the night's film-makers, they talk about their work themselves and then we watch it.
Afterwards, we all have a chat. It works out well and people are coming from miles around to join in.

What attracted you to it?
As filmmakers we realised that community groups and others needed someone to document their work for all sorts of reasons. We've helped a lot of other groups set up with camera kits locally. We screened some of the resulting work in a small digital film festival. After the success of this we realised there was a big cinema going audience here for whom the Odeon is not enough and things grew from there. We held a 10 day digital festival in 2004 as well as the cinema's weekly program. Rachel is now managing a big Interreg project with 10 films in production.

What schools did you go to and what subjects did you take?
I went to Bexhill College and did A-level Media Studies, English Literature and Art.

What was your favourite subject and why?
Well I suppose I'd say art because I really wanted to do my foundation in it.

Did you go to University / College and if so what did you study?
I did a degree in Visual Performance at Dartington College of Arts in Devon. That was how I got into film. My background was in dancing and I was making installations at college thinking about light and space. After college I discovered film editing finding that I could use my skills with timing, sound and lighting. It all seemed to come together and I loved it.

What was your first job?
I worked on a farm. But my first creative job was as a volunteer for Same Sky, the arts company in Brighton. They set up a group in Hastings called Radiator Arts for whom I created projections.

What does your career path look like?
Exciting. At first when you're working on festivals and community projects, you always have to seek funding, fitting projects to briefs etc. I think if we'd waited around to get the go-ahead to do something such as the cinema, it never would have happened. So we took the risk and started it up with no support. Now the cinema is packed out and we're thinking about expanding.

Which women have inspired and influenced your career?
Margaret Thomas Warren has inspired me. Born in 1912 in Texas she was one of the first and youngest women pilots. She held a full pilot's licence at 17 and was one of the famous 'Ninety-Nines', the society formed by 99 women pilots in the US. Her determination to follow her dream, which she did from very difficult circumstances, inspires me to take risks and have confidence when I feel nervous.

What would you say is your strongest attribute/s?
I think it's a combination of enthusiasm and naivety! I really enjoy what we do. You've got to just have the confidence to do what you like because if you like it, then chances are someone else might like it. So it's down to that and a bit of naivety because if we knew what it was all going to entail when we began I suppose we would have been quite daunted.

What do you think is the most exciting/interesting thing about working in the digital media industry?
It's such a great medium for people to show what they're thinking and feeling. Small digital cinemas are just catching up with all this work. I have just heard that an American company based in Ireland is starting up 90 small digital cinemas all over Ireland, so they believe there is a strong film-going community and I believe they are right.

What advice would you give to people who consider entering the digital media industry?
I'd say just be confident of what you want. Think about it and if you feel sure, then go for it!