Shu Lyn Emily Ng graduated from the new MA Documentary Film programme at LCC in 2010 and recently had the opportunity to screen her graduation film, 'Girl Boy Life and Being Me,' at the Barbican. Her education, however, did not start in film, arriving at LCC with a BSc in Economics; here she tells us what drew her to the art of documentary film.

Can you tell us what your background is in?

When I applied to do the MA at LCC, I was working full-time as a chartered accountant in a private equity firm specialising in media industry business, I had also just achieved a professional qualification under the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Professionally, I've worked within the finance department of multinational media companies, such as Universal Pictures International and Warner Music. As far as my education goes, I graduated with a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2002.

What drew you to documentary filmmaking (and the course at LCC)?

After completeing my degree in economics I was keen to continue in academia. Despite being offered a place at University College London (UCL) to do an MA in Human Rights, I didn't have the financial resources to attend. Later, I joined the corporate world as a trainee accountant, but always held onto my dream to pursue an academic course that could help me to explore the humility of the world. In 2009, I began looking for something to fulfil this long term ambition and decided that documentary filmmaking could be a good tool to help me explore this area. I was never a confident writer and thought that film production could be a way to allow me to truly explore the documentation of our world and daily lives. The course at LCC has a broad theoretical syllabus as well as production skills training. I was attracted to the course because it provides intellectual as well as creative stimulations.

What have you learnt from the MA at LCC?

The course gave me the opportunity to contemplate my interaction with other people especially while documenting their lives. It challenged the result focus attitudes I inherited within the corporate world and allowed me to observe the process and dynamics of people.

Have your previous studies helped you while on the MA? Did they inform your filmmaking in anyway?

My background in economics means I have the analytical tools that help understand historic development and significant influence of social movements in documentary. However, the MA Documentary Film course was a new experience for me and the first time I've had to make creative decisions as a film director. Coming from a background where I had never held any production equipment before meant that I had a steep learning curve to climb, but the MA is well structured to bring the students up to speed with the required skills.

What inspired you to make your graduation film, 'Girl Boy Life and Being Me'?

The course has inspired me to examine ways to interact with subjects to fairly portray people on screen. I wanted a group of people from a minority background to interact with each other and as a result create a discussion on issues central to their identity. A friend of mine, Jules Morgan, decided to start living his life as a transgender man in 2010. I requested that he invited a few friends around the table to discuss issues central to transgender men identity. We capture the discussion on camera and in that way capture the research that inspired the rest of the film.

How do you think the MA has helped/changed your career prospects?

First of all, it helped with my interactions with others. The course definitely helped me grow as a person. Then there are skills that I now have to carry me through my creative career. The MA is structured in such a way that allows full independence as a filmmaker. As such, I believe I can begin working slowly towards a creative career.

What type of industry do you imagine going into? Film/TV...?

I would like to believe that I will be entering the film industry as a first-time documentary film director in the future. I'd like to expand on 'Girl Boy Life and Being Me' into a feature length documentary and go deeper in documenting transgender lives and issues. Hopefully this is the beginning of a career as a film director!

What are you working on at the moment?

Currently I am gathering resources so I can set up a production company, Fig Films Ltd. However, while this will take some time, I am also planning on other things. I am researching into social networking and its impact on the distribution and marketing of documentary. I am looking to combine the 'creative hat' I acquired from the MA and the 'business hat' that I acquired through years working as an accountant in the corporate world. Hopefully, this will be complimentary to each other and provide me with the skills to start something.

Take a look at Emily's Showtime Profile or check a trailer of her film on Vimeo.