Former Xaverian College student, Finlay Cronshaw-Hardy, has been named runner-up at the acclaimed Weekend Film School Manchester short film competition, thanks to his raw and resourceful filmmaking talent in creating the no-budget short film, ‘Bobby’.
The script for the film, written during the summer by Finlay’s housemate and friend, Cameron, came to life through pure passion and creativity. Finlay said: “Cameron presented me with the script and asked if I’d help him make it. We shot it in our spare time with no budget, using friends as body doubles and voice actors.”
‘Bobby’ gained unexpected traction after being uploaded to YouTube. He continued: “We didn’t purposefully enter the awards! We were sent an email saying the film had been put forward for ‘Short of the Month’, an online award voted for by viewers. After winning that, we were then placed runners-up for the Weekend Film School Manchester short film award and were then entered into the Cultplex Festival, where ‘Bobby’ went on to win runner-up for Best Film.”
Now studying Filmmaking at The University of Manchester, Finlay is quick to credit his time at Xaverian College as the foundation of his journey. “I mostly remember my film class, unsurprisingly. It’s what made me realise that film is what I want to do as a career. Phil Drinkwater, being such an incredible teacher, played a big role in that.”
Finlay, a former The Barlow RC High School pupil, studied A Levels in History and Film Studies, alongside an Applied Diploma in Criminology. Reflecting on why he chose Xaverian, he added: “I chose the College mostly because of the campus. Leaving high school, I loved the idea of lots of open space. Being able to move around different buildings was freeing and felt very grown-up at the time.”
Finlay’s passion hasn’t diminished. He said: “My next goal is to win a film festival! Having ‘Bobby’ achieve runner-up has just made me want it even more.”
He and his team are currently working on two ambitious new projects:
The Commonplace – a 30-minute film set to release this summer, following Caleb, a vampire struggling to come to terms with his powers. “This film even has a small ‘Bobby’ feature.”, Finlay teased.
Folk – a thriller set in Wales, currently in the crowdfunding stage. “This one is in collaboration with Oxygen Films, a larger production company best known for their LGBTQ+ films.”
Xaverian College is incredibly proud of Finlay’s achievements and looks forward to seeing his continued rise in the UK’s creative industries.
Show your support by watching ‘Bobby’ on YouTube and by following ‘FUZZYHEAD’ on social media.
The Film Studies A Level at Xaverian is run by experienced and knowledgeable teachers who teach students about the history and evolution of the film industry, different film genres and directors’ styles, as well as the mix of skills they need to write, shoot, direct and edit their own professional film. Gaining high-level skills and the passion students have for the industry opens-up opportunities such as this that are highly sought-after and can be an excellent route into exciting careers.
As one of the largest providers of post-16 education in the region, Xaverian College offers an extensive range of A Levels in addition to several BTEC courses. Visit xaverian.ac.uk to find out more.