A team of students from Nottingham Trent University took home the Sir Lenny Henry Award for best overall film with Chords of Conflict at the RTS Midlands Student Television Awards.

Henry said: “They are all great films and I congratulate you all. You are knocking it out of the park. Chords of Conflict was really nicely shot, funny, well acted and had a lot of heart.”

Chords of Conflict also triumphed in the Entertainment and Comedy Drama category, and won Tom Holden the Writing prize.

Nottingham Trent enjoyed a successful night at the March ceremony, which was held at the Mockingbird Cinema in Birmingham: the Animation award went to Ryan Leung’s film, See You Soon! and the Editing prize to Samuel Burke for Helix.

Warwick University and Birmingham’s MetFilm School entered the RTS Midlands awards for the first time, with the latter scooping two prizes: Drama for Last December and Camerawork for Night Dreaming, which was shot by Luke Lawrence.

‘Help and opportunities are there’

Don’t overlook the simple things when trying to break into TV was the clear message to nominees at the awards. Speakers at an industry roadshow highlighted the need to watch a lot of TV and to check emails while job hunting.

Martin Simms from Create Central said: ‘I can’t tell you how many opportunities people have missed by not checking their email.’

Perjit Aujla said: ‘Watch loads and loads of TV and be able to talk about why you’re passionate about it. Isn’t that the best job in the world? Research the production company you’re interested in by watching their programmes.’

Aujla, an executive producer, discussed navigating freelancing in TV. She said: 'You are unlikely to have a job with a pension and sick pay, so you'll have to get used to the hustle. The people who survive have a diversified career. They monetise their existing skills and develop new ones.

'Make a list of all your experiences and skills. There will probably be more there than you expect. I was a waitress, which shows great communication, collaboration, patience and presentation. Working in a call centre is a brilliant thing – it shows you know how to talk to people on the phone.’

Simms talked about the ‘positive journey’ the industry is on in the West Midlands and said there were ‘exciting high-profile incoming productions in the early stages of development.

‘Sign up to newsletters to stay updated with industry news. Attend events, and utilise social media and LinkedIn. Networking can sound daunting but every time you meet someone, you are networking.’

Sam Rifkin of Filming in England urged people to download its just-launched New Entrant Starter Pack and to sign up for the National Crew Directory, even if they have no credits: both are free.

‘The starter pack has information on apprenticeships and training schemes and two CV templates. With CVs, be concise, demonstrate your versatility, be honest about your skills and exclude your photo or birthdate to reduce unconscious bias in hiring. The help and opportunities are there, it’s knowing where to look.’

RTS Midlands Student ­Television Awards winners

Sir Lenny Henry Award Chords of Conflict Tom Holden, Brett Bernstein, Joe Styles, Luca Vukovich, Seanan Glynn, Mack Buckley, Josh Drake, Ruby Phillips, Morgan Davies, El Higgins and Dami Abass, Nottingham Trent University

Animation See You Soon! Ryan Leung, Nottingham Trent University

Drama Last December Lewis Anthony Smith, Matthew Pate, Anna Piggott-Reeves, Raziel Rehman, Oliver Butler, Orlando Wade, Rohan Pittman, Ilvars Lelis, Mirium Bibi, Harrison Newball-Underwood, Thomas Gee and Josh Rasco, MetFilm School

Entertainment and Comedy Drama Chords of Conflict Nottingham Trent University

Factual: Long Form Screentime: The Normalised Addiction Thomas Aliwell and Kerry Bibb, Birmingham City University

Factual: Short Form Win Kyle Adams, University of Staffordshire

Craft Skills: Camera Night Dreaming Luke Lawrence, MetFilm School

Craft Skills: Editing Helix Samuel Burke, Nottingham Trent University

Craft Skills: Production Design Lonely in Time James Wilson, Coventry University

Craft Skills: Sound ¡Ay, Marta! Owen Williams, University of Derby

Craft Skills: Writing Chords of Conflict Tom Holden, Nottingham Trent University