RTS Scotland

TV Training: Getting In and Getting Noticed | RTS Scotland

You’ve done your training and now you need to break down the seemingly impenetrable walls of the television industry. Our expert panel shows you how:

Kate Efomi – Training Liaison Manager Scotland, ScreenSkills

Jeannot Hutcheson - Talent Manager, Raise the Roof Productions

Kaljeven Singh Lally - Editor and Director

Professor Dario Sinforiani - Head of Production Teaching, University of Stirling

Kevin McCormick - Head of Production, UK Operations, BBC Studios

Jane McLaughlin - Talent Executive, BBC Studios

Production management: More than just an admin role

Raise the Roof Productions head of production Sandy Robertson defined the role: ‘The production management team ensures that a production gets made safely, on budget and on time.… Usually it’s office-based, as opposed to on location. 

‘Every industry has admin roles but, within television and the creative sector, it’s just so much more fun. It’s enriching… so, although you are doing what is often kind of seen as quite a dull, uninspiring, logistical, admin role, it’s fun.’ 

From Guilt to revenge: the return of the hit Scottish drama

The stylish and twisty BBC Scotland show, which is shot in Edinburgh and returned for a second series this autumn, opens with the antihero, lawyer Max (Mark Bonnar), being released from jail.

“Guilt is spoken about a lot in this series... but this show is more about revenge. Max’s overarching desire is to revenge what has happened to him,” explained the actor.

How to make the most of remote production

Exploring the methods of making remote production easier, he said: ‘Streaming isn’t just about going live on a platform any more. It’s also about bringing remote presenters into a production or viewing a shot as it’s happening on set, live, remotely from anywhere in the world.

‘If you have a director on the other side of the world who needs to be involved in the post-production process, they want to see everything that’s happening and have a means of communicating with the people in that edit suite. We can do that using live streaming technologies.’

The calm amid the storm for TV in Scotland

Socially Distant with Susan Calman has been bringing some much-needed cheer to Scottish audiences every Thursday since the early days of the coronavirus lockdown.

But the six-part topical comedy show for BBC Scotland – filmed in the Glasgow comedian’s back garden, with virtual contributions from comedians, actors and musicians – has also given a huge boost to its producer, Red Sky Productions.