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December 2020

Dec 22
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Film Birmingham: Festive Opening Hours

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Film Birmingham: Festive Opening Hours

The Film Birmingham office will be closed for the festive break from 23rd December – 5th Jan (inclusive). No filming applications will be processed during this time.

Filming request forms can still be submitted online here. We will process your request as soon as we return in the new year.

Resources

Please keep up-to-date with national guidance for filming here.

If you are searching for filming locations, view our online location database here. You can also register your property as a filming location.

To search for local crew, visit our crew database, or register yourself as crew here.

To view current industry opportunities, view our news page.

 

We wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and may your 2021 be prosperous!

 

Film Birmingham Team

Dec 18
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Netflix Launches U.K. Documentary Talent Fund For Emerging Filmmakers

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Netflix is launching a Documentary Talent Fund to identify and support emerging documentary filmmakers from the U.K.

Working from the brief “Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s A Story,” 10 filmmakers and their teams will get the opportunity to make a short documentary film. The budget is between £20,000 ($27,000) and £40,000 ($54,000) each. All teams will be under the guidance of Netflix and other filmmaking professionals, to ensure that filmmakers and everyone involved in the production are fairly paid. This is done with the view to open doors to those most under-represented in the industry.

In their finished forms, each documentary must be between 8-12 minutes long and will be available on Netflix U.K.’s social channels, with the potential for further development in the future. Entries will be open Jan. 4-31, here for U.K. residents.

Kate Townsend, director of original documentaries at the streaming giant, said: “We’re really excited to open up this opportunity to ambitious documentary filmmakers in the U.K. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a camera before, we want to encourage anyone with a great story to tell, to go for it. We are on the hunt for the bravest, wittiest, most surprising stories out there and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got.”

The initiative is part of Netflix’s Hardship Fund, which aims to support creatives hardest hit by COVID-19 in the TV and film industry around the world. So far, the fund has donated £2.25 million ($3 million) in the U.K. to the Film and TV Charity’s Emergency Relief Fund and the Theatre Artists Fund led by Sam Mendes. Netflix recently doubled its U.K. production budget to $1 billion.

Read more and apply here.

 

Source: variety.com

 

For more industry information, visit our news page.

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Dec 16
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Film Birmingham’s ‘Working in the Locations Department’ course is back. Apply by 31st January

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Film Birmingham is excited to announce Working in the Locations Department (WILD) 2021. This successful course is in its fourth consecutive year. It will be delivered online over 2 weekends in Spring 2021 (dates to be confirmed). It is designed to inform, educate and give hands-on skills to the next generation of aspiring film and TV location managers. The deadline for applications is Sunday 31st January 2021.

WILD 2021 will be led by award winning Location Manager, Harriet Lawrence. Harriet has worked in location management for over 20 years and her impressive CV includes Downton Abbey, Parks and Recreation, Dancing on the Edge, The Personal History of David Copperfield, My Cousin Rachel, Suffragette and Burton and Taylor. 

Eligible participants will have an opportunity for a 1-month paid placement with Film Birmingham following completion of the course.

 

About the WILD 2021 course:

The locations department has a wide and varied remit within a production. It extends from the creative beginnings of a script breakdown, working alongside Directors and Designers and scouting locations, to the logistical and detailed planning of a shoot. It enables all other departments to go about their jobs as smoothly and safely as possible. This film locations course will cover what to expect in this challenging, yet rewarding work environment.

It will give an overview of the industry, the different types of productions and then move on to the exciting challenges of scouting, planning a shoot and managing all aspects of the shoot day. The sessions will also outline some of the essential principles of health and safety, touch on some of the many things included in the locations budget and give tips on how to take great location recce pictures. 

 

Course Outline*

The online course is made up of 4 sessions, to take place over 2 consecutive weekends in Spring 2021. Each session lasts for 3.5 hours and includes a break. Dates will be confirmed. 

Please note this is an online course so participants must have access to Zoom in order to take part. . All you need to participate in the WILD 2021 course is a stable internet connection – all documentation will be provided!

*Participants are required to take part in all sessions.

 

About Your Teachers

The WILD 2021 course will be led by award-winning locations manager Harriet Lawrence, who has worked in commercials, film and TV during her time in the industry. She was also the 2016 recipient of the Production Guild Inspiration Award and is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (“Overlord,” “Suffragette”).

Supporting the course will be BIFA- and BAFTA- winning production designer Cristina Casali, who gained a Best Production Design 2019 BIFA award for her work in The Personal History of David Copperfield. There will also be a session led by Freelance Producer & Assistant Director Ash Gardiner.

 

Previous Participants’ Feedback

WILD 2021 is now in its successful fourth year, with some of our past graduates going on to work in the locations department of a range of film and TV productions including Small Axe, Father Brown, and TV commercials.

Past participants have said: “Harriet isn’t only a font of knowledge, but her style of delivery is fantastic. I am suffering with screen time and meeting fatigue from work and COVID-19 but I have looked forward to all these sessions and each one has flown by. That is definitely down to how Harriet has delivered the sessions. I’m going to miss them!”

“The amount of information given was extremely useful and really motivating. Having had a love for photography and locations and interest in architecture and buildings, I’ve found my area in media. This has inspired me to want to work in Locations. Thank you so so much.”

“Most of my experience has been rooted in factual content, so it was great to learn about feature film processes. I loved the emphasis on how interdisciplinary the skillset is for working in locations and it was nice to have an ongoing case study in David Copperfield! All of the sessions were important and helped build a clear picture [of the locations department].”

 

To Apply

15 applicants will be selected for the WILD 2021 Online Course. Film Birmingham welcomes applications from a broad range of participants; from new entrants with some production experience to those more established in the media industry. The only requirement is that you have a keen interest in working in the locations department. We especially encourage participants from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and minority ethnicities. Priority will be given to people who live in the West Midlands.

The course fee is £50, although subsidised spots are available. Please indicate in the  form below if you would like to be considered for one of these places.  

If you are interested in being considered for the course, please complete this form. The deadline for applications is Sunday 31st January 2021 and successful applicants will be notified Friday 12th February 2021. Successful applicants will receive joining instructions for the online Zoom course once their place has been confirmed.

If you have any questions, please email wild2021@filmbirmingham.co.uk, with WILD 2021 in the subject.

 

For more industry information, visit our news page. Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Dec 03
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TV Production Bootcamp connecting West Midlands creative talent to jobs

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Create Central has come together with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Solihull College to develop a fantastic opportunity for those who want a career in the TV industry. And what’s more it’s free for those who meet the person criteria and live in a WMCA postcode.

They’re inviting you – the creative talent from across the West Midlands – to join this innovative new bootcamp where you’ll have the opportunity to learn the skills to become a production co-ordinator,  researcher or runner. The bootcamp has been designed in partnership with the local professional production community and will include immersive learning through industry set briefs, masterclasses and career development to support a successful career as a television freelancer.

The bootcamp is a month-long programme followed by a two-week work placement in one of the region’s top TV companies. It is focused on nurturing people from a diverse range of backgrounds who have the drive and commitment to succeed in the TV or film industry. Members of Create Central who work in the TV sector have helped to shape the Bootcamp content and are offering real-life work experience for existing gaps in their businesses, with a guaranteed job interview at the end.

If you’d like to find out more about these roles and how they fit into a career in TV production this careers map from ScreenSkills shows the different editorial and production roles in the industry. It explains the relationship between the different departments and how to get into entry-level roles.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “In the heart of the UK and the home of TV and film hits like Peaky Blinders, Man Like Mobeen, Gadget Show, Great British Menu and Small Axe, our creative sector offers a variety of rewarding careers for local people. Even in these difficult times when many people have sadly fallen out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are opportunities for residents to retrain for a new career in the TV sector.”

The closing date for applications is midnight on 3 January 2021.

Find out more and apply.

 

Source: www.solihull.ac.uk and www.createcentraluk.com

Dec 02
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Find Industry Opportunities with ScreenSkills

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ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries – film, television (including children’s, unscripted and high-end), VFX (visual effects), animation and games.  

They are supporting economic recovery and future innovation and growth across the whole of the UK by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce who are critical to the global success of the  screen sector. For the latest training, including free online learning on issues including COVID-19 and addressing bullying and harassment, visit their Opportunities directory. You can find more resources, including masterclasses and the stories of others who have benefited from training, bursaries and mentoring, on the Resources pages.

ScreenSkills is funded by industry contributions to our Skills Funds and with National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI as part of its Future Film Skills strategy to help people get into the industry and progress within it. 

Visit the ScreenSkills Opportunities directory

Dec 01
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British Indian Immigrant Feature ‘Footprints on Water’ to begin filming in Birmingham

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Principal photography will commence at locations in and around Birmingham in December for upcoming feature “Footprints on Water.”. Indian thespian Adil Hussain (“Star Trek: Discovery, “Life of Pi”) and British actor Antonio Aakeel (“Eaten By Lions,” “Tomb Raider”) will headline the British Indian film.

Written by Neetha Syam (“Thaara”) and to be directed by Nathalia Syam, “Footprints on Water” will tell the story of an illegal immigrant father in the U.K. who is frantically searching for his missing daughter while trying to avoid the police radar. Through this search, the film will portray the lives of immigrants of various nationalities who arrive in the U.K. hoping to turn their lives around.

Hussain will play the father, and Indian actor Lena Kumar (“Anveshanam”) will portray his wife, who is the missing girl’s stepmother. Another Indian actor, Nimisha Sajayan, who was the lead in 2019 Venice Film Festival title “Shadow of Water,” will play the daughter. Aakeel plays the role of an Afghani refugee.

The film is produced by Mohaan Nadaar’s London-based outfit The Production Headquarters, whose credits include several U.K.-India features, including the upcoming, Scotland-shot “Rat on a Highway” featuring Bollywood star Randeep Hooda (“A Suitable Boy,” “Extraction”).

“This story is written by two sisters and it feels like its their first-hand experience that they have painted in words,” Hussain told Variety. “I trust that they will be able to transform words into intense and moving visuals. I feel the truthfulness in their endeavor. The dreams, the hope, demolition of the dreams, the realization as to what are the most important aspects in life, are very engagingly interwoven in the narrative. As immigrants of Indian origin brought up in Britain, we’ve had a ringside view into the lives of various people, their cultures and ethnicities,” Nathalia Syam told Variety. “Neetha’s script will be visually approached by elements of realism. Through the plot of an illegal immigrant father’s search for his missing daughter, we raise the question of what happens, when the invisibles go missing.”

 

Source: variety.com

Dec 01
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BFI Film Academy Labs present training opportunities for 16-25-year-olds

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Interested in career opportunities within regional production companies?

BFI Film Academy Labs are designed to support 16-25-year-old aspiring filmmakers and help you develop your skills and projects from home. Following on from our November Lab, which explored the various national and regional talent programmes for the UK’s emerging filmmakers, our December Lab will focus on early-career production opportunities available outside London.The Zoom Webinar will spotlight regional production companies that provide paid traineeships and job opportunities for new talent in TV, feature film and commercials. Panelists will outline some of the most exciting productions currently taking place outside the London bubble, give you a taster of what it’s like to work in entry-level production roles and discuss how you can best progress within a production company.

Following the panel discussion, there will be a virtual networking session, where you will have an opportunity to connect with other regional filmmakers, hear about each other’s projects and challenges encountered working outside of London, and discuss how to better engage with local resources. The event will run from 2:30pm – 4:30pm. Tickets are strictly limited! Register for networking here.

PANELLISTS

  • Glyn Middleton: Head of Skills, Screen Yorkshire (True North Co-Founder)
  • Rachel Robey: Co-Founder, Wellington Films
  • Rhys Bebb: Education and Training Officer, Screen Alliance Wales (Bad Wolf TV)
  • Soph Webberley: Regional Development Assistant, Warp Films

Host: Abena Taylor-Smith

Glynn Middleton

Glyn began his career making documentaries for ITV’s award-winning flagship First Tuesday series. He went onto to produce and direct a range of documentaries for ITV, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and the Discovery Channel, among others. In 2001 he co-founded the Leeds-based indie, True North, and helped to turn a start-up indie into the UK’s biggest factual producer outside of London. He developed and executive-produced countless series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and National Geographic Channel.

He joined Screen Yorkshire as Head of Skills in March 2020. He manages a number of skills and training programmes, such as Connected Campus, Beyond Brontes and the Centre of Screen Excellence: Yorkshire and his core aim is to develop a talented, versatile and diverse workforce for the region’s TV and Film indies and producers.

Rachel Robey

Rachel Robey is Senior Producer and co-founder of the multi-award winning Wellington Films, based in Nottingham. Their feature productions include the BAFTA-nominated ‘London to Brighton’ in 2006 (awarded Best Achievement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards), BAFTA Scotland-winning ‘The Levelling’ and Netflix Original ‘Calibre’, which was nominated for a record-breaking five BAFTA Scotland Awards and won the Edinburgh International Film Festival Michael Powell Award. Their latest production is the interactive film “As Dead As It Gets” by Simon Ellis, for global platform Whatifi.

Rhys Bebb

Rhys Bebb began his career in teaching, using film as a tool to teach narrative structure to primary pupils who found more conventional media less accessible. He worked as the Media and Education Officer at Keep Wales Tidy on their Eco-Schools initiative, and then with the educational charity Into Film. Since March this year, Rhys has been the Education and Training Officer at Screen Alliance Wales. Working out of the unique classroom at Bad Wolf TV, Rhys works to places trainees and work placements at the studio and other facilities, as well as working in schools and colleges to inspire the next generation of young filmmakers.

Soph Webberley

Soph Webberley is a Regional Development Assistant at Warp Films and a Writer/Director in her spare time. Soph first joined the Warp Films Sheffield office in 2018 as in-house runner through the ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund. Her role as a Regional Development Assistant is to find exciting stories and new talent in the regions, with the focus on diversity in all its forms. Soph has most recently been working on the screen adaptation of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Host: Abena Taylor-Smith

Abena is a multi-award-winning writer-director with experience working on funded short films for Sky Arts, Creative England, Disney UK and the NFTS. Her 2018 short film, Ladies Day, has screened at over 50 festivals internationally including Outfest, Encounters, Black Star and Raindance. She is a BFI Flare Mentee and an alumnus of the NFTS Directors Workshop 2019. She is an alumnus of the BFI/ Film Hub North Screenwriters Lab, through which she is developing her next project. Alongside BFI Network and The Showroom Cinema she has curated a programme of short films by rising Black British filmmakers called New Black Voices and is a public speaker at corporate events, previous clients include Facebook, McKinsey, Outfest, the British Council and the British Embassy (Berlin).

PANEL DISCUSSION

Sat, 5 December 2020

12:30pm – 1:45pm BST

Register for this event.

VIRTUAL NETWORKING

Sat, 5 December 2020

2:30pm – 4:30pm BST

Register for this event .

We’ll be breaking attendees into small groups to facilitate the networking. Groups will be shuffled multiple times to ensure maximum networking opportunities.

Please note: The BFI Film Academy Labs events are for 16-25 year olds.

ABOUT BFI FILM ACADEMY LABS

2021 BFI Film Academy Labs dates will be announced soon! Keep up to date on all the BFI Film Academy Labs 2021 activity.

Sign up to the Film Academy newsletter by emailing filmacademy@bfi.org.uk

 

Please note: this session will be recorded and event footage may be used on the BFI website and social platforms.

 

Source: eventbrite.co.uk

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