ABOUT SANDI

Journalist, Actress, Film Lecturer

Sandi Durnford-Slater has been working as a freelancer in film, media, and theatre since 2004. Her work includes entertainment journalism, lecturing Film Studies, acting, writing as well as still photography.

“Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.” — James Cameron

 

 

Professional

Sandi has lectured Film Studies in some form or other since 1998 as well as doing part time freelance work since 2004. She loves working with STORY and CHARACTER, collaborating with other creative people to tell stories which impact popular culture. Though she has worn many hats in the media industry, that which currently forms the bulk of her time is freelance entertainment journalism.

Sandi has worked with Every Nation London, the BBC Schools Initiative, Selah Education, SACGD, DMI Productions, Liz Lugt, Future Productions, SVG Productions, The Sunday Times and currently writes copy for DSB Offshore Ltd, blogs at Nyamazela.com and writes for TheSouthAfrican and SAPeople.

Qualified

Sandi holds a Masters in Film from the University of Westminster, London. She also has an FCP editing qualification from Soho Editors, and has completed courses in Script Supervising and Continuity for Visual Effects in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

In addition to working with budding young film-makers, Sandi has run workshops and consulted for educators who wish to use the medium of video across various curriculum areas to enhance teaching and learning.

Passionate

Film and Theatre (and by extension many other areas of art and popular culture) is her passion and she takes an active interest in, and enjoys commentating on and writing about issues that surround the media.

Sandi says: “When I was little, I loved playing pretend. My grandparents lived on a huge farm in South Africa, and my brother and I would play at being ‘Robin Hood’, ‘Die Swart Kat’, ‘Heidi and Peter’, ‘Army soldiers’, ‘Detectives’, ‘Cowboys and Indians’, and whatever else captured our imagination on TV and films. I have always been captured by the power of good story-telling, devoured books and loved films and theatre.”