Another year, another sell-out event at the Watershed in Bristol, which was full of emerging TV industry talent and enthusiasm at West of England’s Futures Festival.
At the end of November, the RTS centre partnered with ScreenSkills – the industry body for the UK’s screen-based creative industries – to put on an event during the BBC Academy-run Digital Bristol Week. Sixteen companies from the creative community in the West of England were on hand to offer advice to and discuss opportunities with final-year students, graduates and those taking their first steps in the industry.
Indies in attendance included Keo Films, Wall to Wall West, Icon Films and Plimsoll Productions, alongside ITV News West Country and post-production facilities Doghouse, Evolutions and Films at 59, which brought along camera kit for students to try out.
A series of short talks covered a host of topics, including the digital skills needed to produce short-form video and the art of live streaming with artist and digital influencer Amrit Singh. He discussed how to create successful digital campaigns and build brands.
Jane Zurakowski from Marble Films talked about a career in production management to a packed audience, revealing that it doesn’t involve just paperwork and budgets but can be creative too.
Series director George Pagliero (BBC One’s Earth’s Natural Wonders) gave a guide to self-shooting, while ScreenSkills provided an overview of its Trainee Finder scheme, which helps place trainees on feature films and high-end TV drama across the UK.
Students also attended ScreenSkills’ “show and tell sessions” on film and TV lighting, make up, production and editing, which offered live demonstrations and the chance to chat to industry practitioners.
