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Regulations

For Full Terms and Conditions of the Performance Film & Media Short Film Competition 2019, please click here.

Submit your film here.  For more information, contact 0208 256 4931. To hear about last year’s Performance competition, click here.

Source: https://www.astonlark.com

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For more industry information, visit our news page.

Or add us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Two former gaming students at Coventry College are passing the pad to the next generation after making the transition from students to teachers. Joseph Casey and Karol Marchewka left the college in 2015 and 2014 respectively, and are already teaching young pupils how to make a career for themselves in the gaming industry and its many growing offshoots.

Joseph, who is based at the college’s Henley campus, teaches level 3 extended art and games design, while Karol teaches level 3 games development at the City campus on Swanswell Street. The pair see their youth as being a huge benefit in terms of understanding the industry that awaits their students and what opportunities lie ahead.

Joseph, 22, said: “The industry is developing so quickly and even from when I was a student here, provisions have improved to comply with that. The students are working on the best software possible – the industry standard – which will help set them apart when it comes to University and careers. We use software called Unreal Engine 4, which the most popular games of today are made on such as Gears of War, Fortnite and Borderlands 3 so this is a huge draw for students.

“As a former student, I am proud of how far the college has come and I am excited to see where we can take it. My teacher Rob Lambert is someone I really looked up to and I am very grateful that I can provide the same guidance to my students, as he did for our class.”

Other previous students have gone on to study subjects such as game art, games programming, 3D modelling, special effects for film and even screenwriting at university level. Some move on to jobs at huge gaming developers such as Rockstar, famous for creating the Grand Theft Auto series of games.

Karol, 23, said: “The industry is really booming now and there are so many opportunities open to games students, so we encourage them to think as big as possible. Having myself and Joseph teaching them also gives them someone to relate to. We have industry experience and we have not long finished university ourselves, so we can tell them honestly about what that experience will entail.

“There is a really positive social side to games studies too – you meet a lot of like-minded, creative people and you can really become yourself in this environment. We also organise our own Esports team, which competes on a national level with other schools and colleges. This provides excellent opportunity for the student to grow their industry contacts and get career help and advice from industry leaders.”

Source: https://www.fenews.co.uk

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The film department has signed up to the BAFTA Albert Educational Partnership and is working with a number of other universities to contribute to a graduate training programme which promotes sustainable practices. The move was inspired by film production student Rebecca Head who researched eco-friendly filmmaking for her final year project and encouraged her lecturers to make the change.

Rebecca, age 25, from Birmingham, said: “The idea came after I saw a campaign to use different lighting in theatres – in the film industry we use very similar lights and they are not very eco-friendly. Then when I started researching it more, it just snowballed.” Through her project, Rebecca discovered a number of ways that film makers can embed sustainable practices into their productions.

“In pre-production, most of it is paper-based but we can try be more digital and have less physical paperwork. Then going into production, we can use LED lighting on film sets which represent colour better as well as being more efficient and cost effective.” she explained. “You can also do things like stop using single-use plastics, have vegan catering on set and recycle as much as you can – for example by re-using costumes. I’m also really excited about the idea of using more solar energy!”

Rebecca graduated this summer and hopes to become a cinematographer but continues to promote green filmmaking as part of her freelance work.

From September, Staffordshire University will include sustainability in all its film courses. Senior Lecturers Paul Ottey and Colin Mottram have attended training and development sessions in preparation for delivering the scheme.

Paul said: “We will aim to offer the training to all film students. There will be specific training days and we will integrate the principles of more sustainable filmmaking through all of our teaching. It’s a great opportunity to join up with the albert educational consortium, as a group we can make a real difference for more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the TV and film industries. Also, as Albert graduates the links to BAFTA and major companies such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and SKY give our students great opportunities.”

Source: www.expressandstar.com

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New Casting Award

BAFTA will be introducing a Casting award. This is the first new category since Outstanding Debut (as the Carl Foreman Award) was presented in 1999 and will recognise achievements in the craft of casting and its importance in film-making. A Casting award will also be introduced to the British Academy Television Craft Awards in 2020, marking the first time BAFTA has simultaneously introduced a category.

Pippa Harris, Chair of BAFTA, said “BAFTA’s Awards exist to recognise excellence across the industry and we are delighted this year to be including the highly skilled work of casting directors for the first time. Casting is essential to the screen industries, and vital in terms of promoting diversity and inclusion on-screen. We hope this Award will also help to promote an understanding of casting and look forward to seeing who will be the first winner in February!”

Lucy Bevan, Casting Director (Cats, Maleficent), said “I am delighted that a Casting award will be introduced at both the Film and Television Craft Awards this year, it is a great honour for our industry to be recognised by BAFTA and I look forward to seeing many deserving, talented casting professionals receive the award in the years to come. I would like to thank BAFTA on behalf of casting directors across the world, it is terrific news for our profession.”

BAFTA also announced that the Original Music category is to be renamed Original Score, underlining a focus on composer and score, and acknowledging the integral part they play in contributing to the narrative, atmosphere and emotional landscape of the film.

BAFTA Key Dates

The Film Awards will take place in London on Sunday 2 February, with nominations to be announced on Tuesday 7 January. The Film Awards will be returning to the Royal Albert Hall for a fourth year. The 2020 timeline is available in full at www.bafta.org

2019    

Monday 2 September              Deadline for Outstanding Debut titles

Tuesday 22 October                 Deadline for submission of Stage One entry forms

Thursday 21 November             Deadline for Stage Two entry submission

Friday 29 November                 Draft Entered Films list to be made available to voters and entrants

Friday 6 December                   Deadline for requests to changes to the Draft Entered, Films list and SVFX Statements

Wednesday 11 December        Films released in the UK after 1 January 2020 must be screened to BAFTA voters by this date to qualify

Thursday 12 December             Round One voting opens at 10:00

Monday 30 December             Round One voting closes at 18:00, Deadline for SVFX reels

2020    

Tuesday 7 January                   Nominations announcement, Round Two voting opens

Wednesday 29 January            Round Two voting closes at 18:00

Friday 31 January                     All entered films to have been screened to the public by this date (except for FNIEL titles, which must be screened to the public by Friday 28 February)

Sunday 2 February                   EE British Academy Film Awards

Source: www.bafta.org

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Are you a filmmaker from or based in the West Midlands, with a short film you want to see on the big screen?

Submissions are now open for Film Birmingham’s next ShortFuse event on Tuesday 24th September 2019. Regional Filmmakers will be given the opportunity to screen their short films at the Mockingbird Cinema and Kitchen with an audience of their peers and film enthusiasts. Filmmakers from outside the region will also be considered if their submitted shorts were filmed in the West Midlands, or use predominantly regional crew or cast.

ShortFuse is a bi-monthly event, aiming to engage with regional audiences and provide a platform for the work of emerging filmmakers. Creatives will benefit from workshops, expert talks and professional feedback. We are accepting films of any genre from emerging or established filmmakers for this regional event.

Past Events

In July 2019, our programme included ‘Sylvia’, winner of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker award at Cannes. David Poole, whose film ‘Visions’ was screened, took part in the Q&A along with other filmmakers. He said it was an “amazing evening for ShortFuse – terrific turnout, fantastic selection of films and a great atmosphere. Hugely positive feedback for Vision and I  loved being part of the Q&A afterwards… I’m still incredibly inspired.”

Our first ShortFuse event at the Mockingbird in May 2019 showcased six regional films, including the BAFTA-winning short 73 Cows, directed by Alex Lockwood. Audience members were invited to participate in a Q&A following the screening and to network at a post-event mingle.

According filmmaker Adam Palmer, whose short film Answer was featured on ShortFuse’s opening night, said: “It’s great that ShortFuse offers a platform to showcase the work of filmmakers who sometimes get overlooked in the Midlands. It’s often London and elsewhere. There are some really great films screened as well.

“If you have a short film, submit it. You get to watch it with an audience so you can gauge how your film is. A lot of the time you sit there one-on-one with your film and you don’t know how it’s going to be received. So it’s good to be part of a community of filmmakers and film lovers.”

Attendee Lee Davis said: “After seeing the regional films, it made me feel like filmmaking is something I could do. I thought the range of the films was very varied, and it was good to hear from BAFTA-winners. I had seen 73 cows online, but seeing it on the big screen I could concentrate more on technical aspects and shots. ”

To Submit

Deadline for ShortFuse submissions is midnight, August 31st, 2019.

Please email shortfuse@filmbirmingham.co.uk with a completed ShortFuse – Film Submission Form AND a viewing link for your short film. All films must be under 30 minutes. If selected, you will be asked to provide promotional materials including a trailer and stills and a hi-res version of your film, and a £25 screening fee.

Please email shortfuse@filmbirmingham.co.uk for any further information.

To find out more about Film Birmingham, visit our website, and visit our news page for more industry information.

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Leicester’s international short film festival, The Short Cinema returns to Phoenix for its 13th edition screening some of the best short films from around the world with a strong focus on Midlands makers. Why not walk the red carpet and celebrate the talent in our region and beyond?

See below a list of events during the festival, ranging from The Short Cinema programmes to workshops, award shows and industry days.

About the Event

The BFI NETWORK Midlands Short Film Fund Application Workshop is for talent based in the Midlands who want to apply for BFI NETWORK short film funding.

The day will give an in-depth look at the specific requirements of the fund guidelines and elements of the applications including:

• Presenting the creative track record of your team
• Communicating why your story is pertinent and why you are the best person to tell it
• Budgeting
• Scheduling
• Ensuring your script is ready for application

The morning will look at the application process led by BFI NETWORK and the afternoon will focus specifically on script development run by Writer/Director Steven Shiel.

Event Details

Book your place HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: Not turning up or cancelling last minute reduces the opportunities we are able to offer to regional talent and impacts on our ability to continue to provide these free events. Please help us by only booking if you definitely intend to come.

Source: eventbrite.co.uk

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On Thursday 22 August, BFI NETWORK will be hosting a free industry day for talent from the Midlands region.

About the Industry Day

In the morning the British Council Film Team are leading a session for writers, directors and producers, providing a chance to hear more about British Council’s Travel Grant Scheme, which has recently been further developed to help filmmakers travel to international labs, as well as international short film festivals. Come along and hear from a filmmaker from our region who has travelled internationally with the support of the scheme, and meet some of the British Council’s Film Team.

Following a networking lunch BFI NETWORK will be joined by the BFI Young Audience Content Fund team who will give some more information about the new £57 million scheme. The fund has been set up to stimulate the provision of public service-original UK content for 0-18 year olds, and will be a positive injection of investment to open new avenues for creators of original content and bring new voices to the market.

Event details:

PLEASE NOTE: Not turning up or cancelling last minute reduces the opportunities BFI NETWORK is able to offer to regional talent and impacts on their ability to continue to provide these free events. Please only book if you definitely intend to come.

Source: eventbrite.co.uk

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