Sandi l Thompson

“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

Sandi l Thompson is a creative and talented Londoner working as a freelancer in film, media, photography and drama under her company name, “Sardine Pictures”, since 2004.
Her work  includes video production, story consultation, lecturing and still photography for businesses, educators and charities, among others.

Professional

Some of her clients include HCPT Charity, Every Nation London, Selah Education, BBC Schools Initiative, SACGD, Liz Lugt (Speaker, Trainer, Mentor) and The Sunday Times Home Online.

Sandi has worn many  hats in the art and media industry over the years, but her real love and that which currently forms the bulk of her freelancing time is working with STORY and CHARACTER, collaborating with other creative people to tell stories which impact popular culture.

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 fancy on TV and films. These role-play games usually required hiding, climbing trees, dressing up, camping out overnight, fighting ‘baddies’, running across fallen logs and  straddling small streams. I have always been captured by the power of good story-telling, devoured books and loved films. My siblings and I could watch and re-watch our favourites. Later on, my sister and I would analyse films together and we often imagined that together – with her writing and my camera – there  would be no stopping us!”

Qualified

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

She is also a qualified Film Studies and Media Studies 6th Form teacher, working with  hundreds of students over the years (often taking the role of mentor/creative producer/director) to create short dramas, promos and documentaries for student productions.

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

Passionate

Film and TV Drama (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.