RTS Scotland

Two RTS Scotland Futures masterclasses, on audio post-production and scriptwriting, followed in early March.

Sandy Robertson, Head of Production, Factual Entertainment, at BBC Studios (Scotland), which makes Dragons’ Den, Amazing Hotels and Points of View, explained some of the roles in the production office.

A production secretary, she said, is an entry-level job, involving booking travel and accommodation. “The person would be quite green – I would expect to be telling them what they need to do and how to do it.”

BBC Scotland crime drama Shetland, which celebrated its first decade on screen last year, was put under the spotlight at an RTS Scotland event in February.

The event was held in partnership with the Bring the Drama Festival, which complements the six-part BBC Two talent show Bring the Drama, fronted by Bill Bailey. The festival opens up the world of drama to people interested in a career on screen or stage.

Key crew members discussed how they contribute to the success of Shetland, which is made by ITV Studios company Silverprint Pictures.

"I’d like viewers to get either a window into a world they don’t know much about or a mirror where they see themselves reflected …. I want people to be moved, feel connected and maybe feel a little less alone.”

This was one of Stef Smith’s aims for her BBC Scotland/Screen Scotland short-form digital drama Float. The first series won Smith an RTS Writer award. Series 2, which launches on iPlayer at the end of this month, was premiered at an RTS Scotland/BBC Scotland event in late February.

Both Gareth Gordon, Chief Technology Officer at Glasgow outside broadcast sport specialist QTV, and Morag McIntosh, Solution Lead – Studio Automation, BBC Technology, started as BBC trainees two decades ago.