Connecting the latest technology with new creative practice, Future of Film Incubator reimagines how screen stories come to life.
Future of Film Incubator (FOF INC) is the unique programme designed to empower storytellers and bring exceptional new projects to market, this 8-month process will mentor, guide and support creators with 1-2-1 coaching, sessions with some of the most respected players in the industry and dedicated learning opportunities with new technology.
Taking place virtually, the programme is open to all storytellers globally and they are particularly keen to encourage applications from marginalised voices and stories that have not been told elsewhere. Finalists will have the opportunity to work with cutting edge technology partners and present their project to leading buyers, financier and investors.
Application fee is £27 (or £15 for applicants aged 25 and under). If you feel this precludes you from participating or accessing the programme, please get in touch at applications@futureoffilm.live.
Mo Gilligan wants YOU to apply for the RTS Bursary Scheme
The Royal Television Society wants the television industry to reflect the exciting, diverse and talented voices of the Britain of today, and that starts by changing the industry from the inside out.
The RTS Bursary Scheme was launched in 2013 by their Royal Patron, the Prince of Wales. Since then it has evolved and expanded considerably, and have now supported over 240 Bursary Scholars to date. Approximately 80% of graduating cohorts secured employment within the television broadcast industries.
The RTS runs three pioneering schemes – the TV Production and Journalism Bursary, the Digital Innovation Bursary and the Steve Hewlett Scholarship. Bursaries are awarded to talented students from lower-income backgrounds studying an undergraduate degree or HND Level 5 or 6. They will consider candidates studying all subjects: including but not limited to TV Production and Journalism; Humanities and Social Sciences; VFX; Post-Production and STEM related courses. What is important is an evident interest in pursuing a career in television, film or related media industries.
The Bursary provides free RTS membership; industry mentoring; access to the latest events and lectures; and numerous networking opportunities. It also support Scholars financially, awarding £1000 per academic year of study.
What sets their Bursary apart from other similar programmes is the emphasis upon utilising their phenomenal network of RTS members, patrons and supporters. With their help RTS can show these talented students that TV is attainable and support them in becoming the next generation of change making TV professionals.
Solihull College and University Centre have multiple free bootcamps aimed at people living in the West Midlands who would like to pursue a career in film, television, professional content creation and theatre.
The West Midlands Combined Authority is expecting to see 29,000 new highly skilled jobs in the region’s digital and creative industries by 2030 and these Bootcamp’s aim to help participants develop their skills and experiences in this industry.
The bootcamps are a mixture of classroom sessions, immersive practical workshops, guest speaker sessions and masterclasses and employability skills including a clear understanding of working successfully as a freelancer. The bootcamps are designed to complement and build on academic courses and identify transferable skills from your current career path.
Last year Solihull College and University Centre worked with Create Central and leading sports production company Sunset+Vine to enable 150 local people to work in production roles on the Commonwealth Games. The professional production team were very impressed with the ‘campers’ and many have been offered full time roles with companies involved in delivering the Games.
There is no better time to consider a career in production or the creative arts, and these bootcamps are designed to help you build on your existing skills or explore a new career plan, grow your industry networks and become a valued member of our inspiring community of professionals. Solihull College and University Centre continue to support everyone as their career develops.
TV Production Bootcamp
This TV Production Bootcamp aims to give you an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the key entry level and early career production roles of runner, researcher and production coordinator. In addition, there will be an opportunity to gain real world work experience with local production companies, effective employability skills, identify essential creative/cognitive skills, participate in creative teamwork and establish valuable connections across the sector. This bootcamp will run for 6 weeks.
This bootcamp will prepare you for work as a Production Management Assistant, Production Co-ordinator or Production Manager by helping you to develop essential skills through a series of hands-on workshops and an industry placement in scripted and unscripted television. Participants will get the chance to work to industry standards and use professional processes, software and systems throughout the programme. If you works well under pressure, can manage budgets, can communicate well and who is passionate about working in the TV and film industry then this is the bootcamp for you! This bootcamp will run for 6 weeks and includes a 2-week placement with top industry professionals.
The bootcamps are free for those aged 19+ who meet the application criteria and live in a West Midlands Combined Authority postcode, in Coventry, or in Warwickshire.
If you’d like further information about the bootcamps and details about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact bootcamps@solihull.ac.uk
2023’s BAFTA TV Awards was a memorable night with lots of representation from West-Midlands talent.
Black Country actress, writer, and comedy legend Meera Syal CBE received the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship Award, presented by Birmingham actor Adrian Lester, who called her ‘lightning in a bottle magic’. Syal’s moving speech calls for more diversity as ‘we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and giants’. She closes her speech with the powerful statement ‘the untold stories are the ones that change us and sometimes change the world’. After Syal took to the stage to accept the coveted honour, she placed a Bindi on her Bafta Fellowship award. Upon receiving the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sherwood, Adeel Akhtar said looking around the ceremony at ‘all the different types of people telling different types of stories’ and honouring Meera Syal with a BAFTA Fellowship said it ‘feels a little bit like a miracle’.
Joe Lycett Vs Beckham: Got Your Back At Xmas won the TV Features award. The Channel 4 special of his show featured a stunt in which he threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money unless David Beckham pulled out of his deal with World Cup hosts Qatar, where homosexuality is still illegal. Lycett later revealed he had not destroyed the cash through a shredder. A statement from Lycett was read out on stage which said: ‘I’m sorry to not be there, but according to my PR team I have shingles.’ The reference to the conditions appeared to be about presenter Holly Willoughby who revealed she had shingles before taking time off from This Morning due to the illness. Comedian Lycett then thanked his team before ‘dedicating’ the award to ‘people still being oppressed in Qatar’.
The Daytime award was given to The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit which saw the King, then Prince of Wales, take part. Arriving on stage, Wolverhampton resident Jay Blades said: ‘Wow, just give me two seconds, I have to take a picture, it’s quite special. We started as a daytime show on BBC Two, I’m so glad we’ve got an (award).’ Blades added that it was the ‘first time’ that a ‘six-foot black guy, from Hackney, (with a) gold tooth, (from a) single parent’ was presented with an award for daytime TV’.
Brummie comedy legend Sir Lenny Henry presented the award for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme to Irish actress Siobhán McSweeney for her role in Derry Girls. He jokes that ‘once again (women in comedy’s) skill and talent proves that the only thing standing in their way is men who don’t know when to shut up, and yeah I’ve just realised I’m doing that now’.
The multitalented Birmingham actor, director, and author David Harewood OBE presented the BAFTA Special Award for outstanding contribution to television to historian and broadcaster Professor David Olusoga OBE. Harewood said ‘over a three decade career straddling academia, award winning books, and groundbreaking documentaries, David has always been a trailblazer’.
View the full list of winners from 2023 BAFTA TV Awards here.
We welcome applications from disabled applicants and are able to offer support and alternative application formats more details on which can be found here: https://careers.channel4.com/4talent/support Support is also available if successful candidates need to relocate to London or Glasgow for the roles.
Six emerging BME filmmakers from the West Midlands have been given the opportunity to fulfil their potential as part of a six-month artist development programme called BACK IN.
The dynamic programme, powered by innovative creative agency Punch and curated by talented director and entrepreneur Daniel Alexander enables participants to attend bootcamps and masterclasses, develop industry knowledge, professional connections, be mentored and concludes with the creation of a short film on a small budget.
“Participants were selected through their showreel quality, their references and their dedication and determination to succeed. They have already had a robust level of local success and we can see that they have the potential to replicate that nationally and beyond,” says Daniel Alexander.
The programme ran for the first time successfully last year and the 2017 cohort of the BACK IN film programme, will be hosting a panel discussion around diversity in the UK film market, and showcasing their work in the EVERYMAN cinema, inside the Mailbox on September 26 as part of BBC Digital Cities – a week-long series of events for the creative industries in Birmingham starting on Monday 24 September 2018. There will be a full schedule stripped across the week, offering insights and free digital skills training.
Punch Records owner Ammo Talwar MBE says: “Punches role in BACK IN is to support the next wave of young black filmmakers in getting better connected. It’s about new networks and partnerships.”
Programmes like this are important because the industry workforce does not reflect the diversity of the UK. Black, Asian and Minority ethnic backgrounds representation in the industry has declined across production, distribution and exhibition in recent years. In production, 59% of UK films do not feature a single black actor in a named character role and films that feature a black actor tend to revolve around stereotypical topics.
Local filmmaker and BACK IN participant Michael Ellis says: “The current state of diversity in the industry does seem to be improving but we still have a long way to go. There is still an ethnic imbalance and also gender imbalance in terms of representation. Certain communities are still underrepresented. It’s important for different voices to be heard and for us to be telling our own stories because that makes what we see in TV and in film more authentic and truthful.”
Production Guild Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting
Sat 6th October & Sun 7th October – Movie Magic Scheduling Sat 13th Oct & Sun 14th Oct – Movie Magic Budgeting
Do you want to train in Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting? Led by Line Producer / UPM Brian Donovan (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Allied and Dracula), this course offers an in-depth, hands-on review of the Movie Magic software and the environment in which they are employed both in Film and TV.
Run across two weekends in October, attendees are encouraged to attend both in order to fully appreciate how Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting are integrated. No previous experience with either is required but basic computer literacy and a familiarity with Film / TV production basics is assumed.
Training will use a training script with practical exercises to put the learning of the software info practice.
