Projects with National Film and Television School alumni involvement have received nominations in several categories at this year’s Royal Television Society Programme Awards across a whole host of film and television making disciplines from production design to editing and composing! The NFTS has dedicated course open days coming up over the next few weeks catering for all these areas; sign up for your place here.

The awards ceremony takes place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday 21st March and will be hosted by Sandi Toksvig.

All three of the nominated programmes in the ‘Best Mini-Series’ category – London Spy, National Treasure and Thirteen - feature NFTS graduate contributions:

British-American five-part drama television series, London Spy, created and written by Tom Rob Smith, credits NFTS Production Design graduates, Lisa Hall and Marc Anton Restivo as Production Designer and Art Director respectively.  

National Treasure is a four-part 2016 British television drama by Channel 4, written by Jack Thorne and starring Robbie Coltrane. NFTS credits include Paul Davies, Supervising Sound Editor and Katherine Pearl, Post-Production Co-Ordinator.

Thirteen is a British drama television miniseries created and written by Marnie Dickens.  NFTS credits include Simon Archer, DoP; Hazel Baillie, Editor; Alex Ellerington, FX Editor; Jon Opstad, Composer and Martin Jensen, Rerecording Mixer.

Competing for the ‘Best Documentary Series’ award are Exodus: Our Journey to Europe (Editors on this series include NFTS Editing MA graduates, Simon Sykes, Nick Fenton & Sunshine Jackson) and The Murder Detectives (Composer, Jon Opstad).

ITV series, The Durrells is nominated for ‘Best Drama Series’, which has Additional Music composed by Jon Wygens.

The BBC3 production, Murdered By My Father (DoP, NFTS Cinematography MA graduate, Felix Wiedemann) has been nominated for the ‘Best Single Drama’ award and the ‘Best Soap and continuing Drama’ category includes EastEnders (Writer, NFTS Screenwriting MA graduate, Laura Poliakoff) and Emmerdale (Director, NFTS Directing Fiction MA graduate, Diana Patrick).

The Channel 4 series The Secret Life of 4 & 5 Year Olds (Director, NFTS Directing Documentary graduate, Jackie Waldock) and First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon (Editor, David Hill) are both nominees for the ‘Best Science and Natural History’ award and another Channel 4 series, First Dates (Composer, Miguel d’Oliveira) is a contender for the ‘Best Popular Factual and Features’ award.

For more information on the NFTS open days, please visit https://nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/open-days

Academy award and four-time BAFTA award-winning director, writer and producer Asif Kapadia wowed this year’s BFI Film Academy participants with a masterclass as they took part in the opening weekend of the Craft Residential course, which is delivered by the NFTS. The students are made up of 66 of the nation’s most promising young filmmakers aged 16-19 and the weekend included inspirational talks, team building and practical workshops.

Asif Kapadia won a ‘Feature Documentary’ Oscar for Amy, which documents the life and death of British songwriter, Amy Winehouse, and is described as ‘piercingly sad’ by The Telegraph. His documentary, Senna about Brazilian motor-racing legend Ayrton Senna, was a huge international box office hit and won multiple awards including two BAFTAs, ‘Best Documentary’ at the London Critics Circle, the BIFA award for ‘Best Documentary’ and the Audience Award for ‘Best International Feature’ at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Following Asif’s inspirational Q&A session, participants were divided into six groups. They spent the weekend working with their tutors on interpreting the script and agreeing a shooting script for the short films so they can hit the ground running for the main Craft Residential week in April. Students on the course specialise in screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, production sound, editing and production design to reflect a real filmmaking environment.

Jon Wardle, NFTS Director of Curriculum and Registrar, said: “We were overwhelmed with applications for this year’s BFI Film Academy, so the group of young people who were lucky enough to be selected really are the brightest and the best. They all really impressed us during the opening weekend so we look forward to seeing the resulting short films in Easter and wish them huge success for their future careers.”

The course is supported by the Department for Education, the National Lottery, Creative Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen. The final films will be screened at the BFI Southbank in April.

For more information, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/bfi-film-academy

We have a wide range of open days coming up for anyone interested in our MA and Diploma courses - sign up here https://www.nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/open-days

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

London, 14^th March 2017: National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it is partnering with the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, on its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA.

The RSPB will work closely with the world-leading film school, its tutors and students to inspire a new generation of filmmaking talent equipped to create engaging and innovative content that champions the charity’s conservation cause  by reaching new audiences through new and impactful visual communications. 

The partnership includes the launch of an RSPB scholarship to support a student through their two year MA, starting in the School’s new academic year in January 2018. To find out more, sign up to the open day on April 18^th.

Students will benefit from access to RSPB nature reserves to practice and enhance their wildlife filming technique and will receive masterclasses and practical sessions, delivered by the RSPB’s  world famous Film Unit on conservation filmmaking, field craft skills, and the role of ethics and animal welfare in wildlife filming best practice.

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

First formed in 1953, the RSPB Film Unit is the oldest professional wildlife filmmaking outfit in the UK, producing many internationally-recognised, award-winning documentaries rewarded at Wildscreen, Jackson Hole and the Japan Wildlife Film Festival among many others.  It is well-known throughout the industry as a training ground for many of the world’s leading camera operators and producers, like Hugh Miles, Mike Richards, Ian McCarthy, John Aitchison and David Allen, who have achieved highly successful careers in natural history filmmaking.  Reconfigured in 2014 as RSPB Digital Media, the Film Unit continues to adapt and transform itself, embracing technical innovation to amplify its core, creative conservation messages in response to the changing digital environment. 

Highly experienced producer of wildlife documentaries and series, Paul Reddish, leads the Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA; Paul is credited as Producer and Director across a number of high profile natural history films and series including Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild, Hummingbirds Jewelled Messengers, and many more.

Mark Percival at RSPB Digital Media says:

 “We’re delighted to be working with the NFTS. We face a considerable challenge as conservationists, working to reverse the declines in the numbers of species and the loss of natural habitats. As filmmaking technology rapidly evolves, it creates new opportunities for us to reach millions of people with the message that there’s an urgent need to look after our wild spaces and the wildlife around us. Supporting and developing new talented filmmakers who are passionate about conservation, and who can create powerful visual stories, is fundamental to achieving the RSPB’s goal of a sustainable world richer in nature.”

(Photo credit, Chiara Ceci)

Paul Reddish says: “It is a privilege to partner with the RSPB which does such vital and important conservation work. I can’t think of a better placed institution to work with the students to build their understanding of the challenges of communicating conservation messages in wildlife filmmaking. The NFTS has a great reputation for building careers and industry leaders and I look forward to working with the RSPB to mentor our students to do great things via this exciting new MA.”

The two-year MA course will equip students with the skills required to direct science, natural history and wildlife productions and the know-how to produce entire shows. Whether it’s using ultra long lenses or aerial, macro or time lapse photography, the students will build a wide portfolio of experience bespoke to wildlife programme making.

As with all NFTS courses, the MA is both hands on and practical and students will benefit from work placements at the UK’s major wildlife production companies.

Applications for the Directing Natural History and Science MA are open until July 6th 2017 and the course will commence in January 2018. There is a dedicated open day for the course on April 18^th– sign up here.  

For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

Contacts for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

NFTS funding: Studentfunding@nfts.co.uk

Jamie Wyver, Consumer PR Executive, RSPB: jamie.wyver@rspb.org.uk

(Photo: Ben Halnan)

NFTS graduate, Ben Halnan: “Without the Diploma, I would certainly not be where I am today”

I caught up with three recent graduates of the National Film and Television School Cameras, Sound and Vision Mixing Diploma - Paul Dewhurst, Ben Halnan and Toni Adepegba - to find out what they have been up to work wise, since graduating.

Paul completed the course in 2014 while Ben and Toni graduated in 2015. The 12-month Diploma is run in partnership with Sky and allows students to specialise in cameras, sound or vision mixing. Students benefit from a six-week work placement at Sky during the course in addition to a number of projects at Sky where they get to practice working in a multi-camera TV studio and gallery on a music show, a quiz and a comedy panel show. If their stories inspire you and you think you would enjoy working in a multi-camera TV studio environment, sign up to our dedicated course open day on 4^th April.

(Photo: Toni Adepegba)

What have you been doing work wise since graduating and what is your specialism – cameras, sound or vision mixing? 

Paul: Since leaving the NFTS, I have been working as a freelance camera assistant and operator on a number of different shows including EastEnders, Love Island and many different shows for Sky Sports. 

Ben: Since graduating last year, I have been working as a camera operator at Sky. This includes operating cameras for Sky News, Sky Sports News, and various other sports based shows in the studios. I also have the opportunity to do single camera shoots for Sky Movies and Sky Arts, as well as OB shoots for sky sports, such as Rugby, Golf and Football.

Toni: I specialised in cameras and post-NFTS, I've been working at Sky, starting off as a Camera Assistant and now as a Camera Operator on their different programmes.

What do you most enjoy about your work?

Ben: The most enjoyable part of the job for me so far is getting to work on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. This is a multi-camera OB style shoot in the summer, where we travel around the UK filming artists paint various Landscapes. Last series we shot in the Lake District, Tunbridge Wells and Scotland to name a few. I also enjoy working on a show called The Pledge for Sky News. It is a pre-recorded debate show, and its format of six panellists 'in the round' makes it challenging and enjoyable to shoot. Although I mainly work on studio based sports programmes (sport is obviously one of Sky's biggest sectors), there are many other opportunities to work on different genres. 

Paul: I enjoy the variety aspect of my work the most. Each week, I travel around the UK and abroad working at locations including football stadiums and studios. Working freelance, I also get to experience meeting and working with new people which has been great for networking. 

One of my first jobs after leaving the school was working as a camera assistant on the BBC soap, EastEnders. I quickly had to learn my role on the show but within a few weeks, I felt part of the team and have since gone on to work on many episodes.

Toni: I enjoy the variety of the job because in addition to the studio programmes that Sky do, I get to operate the robotic cameras for the news and sports news as well as doing portable single camera and OB (outside broadcast) work. The work experience at Sky that you get as part of the Diploma helped to the extent that I got to work on a variety of shows and with different crews during the placement, so when I started working here, the process of settling into the role was smooth as I was already familiar with the programmes, the people and how Sky do things. 

(Photo: Paul Dewhurst)

How has the NFTS Cameras, Sound and Vision Mixing Diploma helped you with your career? Do you think it has given you more opportunities than you would otherwise have had?

Paul: The Diploma gave me an excellent understanding of how TV shows are made and a very good understanding of how to operate the camera equipment that I now use. I also managed to build a network with some of the people I met at the NFTS, which was very useful upon leaving the school.

Ben: The six week work placement at Sky during the Diploma was invaluable to me - it's an opportunity to put the skills learned at the NFTS into practice. It is also a great chance to get to know lots of working camera operators in order to network and learn from them. The Diploma I earned at the NFTS is widely recognised in the world of television. Past students are now working throughout the industry, and with that, the value of the Diploma is only increased. 

Toni: I think the course has helped with my career by giving me that big foot into the industry via the work experience placements at Sky and the BBC. Yes it's all about who you know, but it's still important to have those fundamentals skills, which the course teaches, so the "who you know" might see the potential in you in order to offer you some work when the opportunity arises.

Why would you recommend someone apply to this course?

Ben: Without the Diploma, I would certainly not be where I am today. While interning, running, and assisting are viable methods to start from the bottom of the television industry, the course gave me a huge head start - so that when I did get my hands on a live camera for the first time at Sky, I already knew what to do. I think this is what makes Cameras, Sound and Vision Mixing students stand out from the crowd. This is why I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone serious about starting their career in television. 

Toni: I would recommend the course to others to apply, if they are certain that they are after a career in one of the three TV specialisms that the course offers.

Paul: The Diploma is a great way of learning about television broadcasting from people that have worked within the industry. It is also a great way of networking and getting hands on experience with the equipment needed to produce television shows.

For more information on the Cameras, Sound and Vision Mixing Diploma, please visit https://nfts.co.uk/our-courses/diploma/cameras-sound-vision-mixing-television-production and to sign up to the course open day, click here.

(Kat Butterfield & Daniel Audritt - photo credit Quetzal Maucci) 

National Film and Television School Writing and Producing Comedy Diploma graduates, Kat Butterfield and Daniel Audritt have teamed up to deliver an online sketch – ‘The Designers’ - as part of the charity’s drive to support new comedy talent as well as to raise awareness for the upcoming Red Nose Day fundraising event on March 24th.

The sketch is part of the Comic Relief Originals series, all of which feature or are written by up and coming comedy stars.

‘The Designers’ is described by The Metro as ‘hilarious’ and centres around a brainstorming meeting to come up with a new design for this year’s nose.

Kat Butterfield, who works for Comic Relief as a Media Executive, and completed the part-time NFTS Writing and Producing Comedy Diploma while working at the charity, says that the course helped her build her confidence to keep coming up with ideas to pitch to Comic Relief Senior Platform Producer, Jon Aird.

“The course gave me a lot of confidence and helped me to take feedback professionally rather than personally. I got so used to taking feedback that when it came to submitting lots of ideas to Jon, I didn’t take it to heart when they didn’t quite work as I was confident that I would eventually get somewhere if I kept going.”

“I asked to be involved in writing ‘The Designers’ sketch and was able to team up with Comic Relief Assistant Producer and fellow NFTS Comedy Writing and Producing graduate, Daniel Audritt. I hadn’t actually met Daniel before as he graduated a year earlier but luckily we have the same sense of humour. In fact the partnership worked so well that we’re writing other stuff together!”

Further sketches set to be released as part of the Comic Relief Originals series include new comedy from Liam Williams, London Hughes, Massive Dad, Beasts, Birthday Girls and many, many more rising stars. Subscribe now at YouTube.com/ComicRelief

Applications are open for the NFTS Writing and Producing Comedy Diploma until the 7^th September 2017, for more information and to apply, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/diploma/writing-and-producing-comedy

Get involved with this year's Red Nose Day and find out how to  donate here!

(Alice Lowe at her recent visit to the NFTS)

We asked writer, director & actress Alice Lowe to continue our alt-film list series so adeptly started by director and visiting NFTS tutor Corin Hardy, who has so far tackled alternative Christmas and Valentines films! Given that Alice’s BIFA nominated ‘stunningly psychotic feature debut’, Prevenge, is about a woman who believes her unborn child is telling her to kill people and which she wrote, starred in, and directed it whilst 7-8 months pregnant with her first child, we thought she would be the ideal candidate for an alternative Mother’s Day film list! NFTS graduate, Matteo Bini edited Prevenge– if you would like to follow in his footsteps, we have open days coming up for our Editing MA on the 24^th March and the 26^th April – sign up here!

Known for her work as a UK television comedy actress, Alice Lowe made her move into film with her screenwriting debut Sightseers, directed by Ben Wheatley, in which she also starred as the hapless Tina. After premiering at Cannes, Sightseers went on to receive several accolades including Empire’s ‘Best British Film’, as well as acting and screenplay awards for Alice. So without further ado, here is Alice’s top ten alternative Mother’s Day films:

Carrie

One of my all-time horror films, eminently re-watchable. Firstly because you’re really hoping it’s going to work out okay this time for awks teen Carrie. Secondly because of the brilliant lead performances. Piper Laurie is so awesomely unhinged as Carrie’s god-and-sex-fearing, controlling mother, it borders on the kinky. The intensity of their relationship was a real eye-opener for me when I first saw it. The sometimes unhealthy claustrophobia and near cannibalism of a mother-daughter relationship is so rarely demonstrated on screen. That ‘you are part of my body therefore I can do what I like with you’ psychological element of motherhood, whether it be literal, psychic, or verbal annihilation. She’s a blummin’ nightmare! Forget the usually unfair teen lament about one’s mother, it really is all her fault. Poor Carrie. Laurie’s orgasmic stabbings in the glory of God, and her Christ-like death makes her the ultimate mother-as-martyr nightmare figure. And some of it is funny too! ‘Dirty pillows!’ She gives Kathy Bates a run for her money in the blaspheme-avoiding psycho stakes.

Alien

Body horror at its most iconic. Giger giving anatomical nightmares form through his extraordinary design. Casting a woman as ‘Ripley’ was a masterstroke. This sci-fi delves into our fears of ‘mother as monster’. In a sense, Ripley is the ‘final girl’. We kind of don’t know she’s the lead, until the death of the captain means she has to take over as second-in-command. Her sensible-ness makes her a Cassandra of the crew. She is the only member who forewarns about whether it’s a good idea to expose planet earth to this new life form. And it’s her caution that helps her survive. Not you usual ‘hero quality’. And I maintain that what makes this film so compelling is Weaver’s amazingly emotional performance. She shows fear. And that’s what makes her truly brave. Not the unrealistic bravado of your bog-standard Hollywood action hero. It propels us into belief of the whole terrifying concept. We see Ripley metamorphose into a heroine. And uniquely the creature, by its ferocity to survive, and its intelligence, begins to feel feminine. ‘Get away from her you bitch!’ Cat fight in space! By the end of the trilogy Ripley has an affinity with and respect for the beast. Like Schneider with Jaws, as deadly enemies, they are two halves of one whole, condemned to unity for all space and time. Watch this with your mum. Because it will be funny. Halfway through she might say, ‘can’t we just watch ‘Beaches’?’

Grey Gardens

This classic documentary by the Maysle brothers is one of my all-time favourites. A mother and daughter, relations of Jackie Onassis, live in faded glory at their tumbledown mansion Grey Gardens in the Hamptons. These eccentric twosome are like something straight out of Tennessee Williams by way of Manhattan. Racoons piss on the family paintings, whilst little Edie drapes herself in the family furs. It’s tragic, but hilarious. Again, themes of thwarted hopes and faded dreams. We get the sense that Big Edie may have hobbled her daughter’s ambitions out of jealousy or a sheer need to keep her with her, afraid of being alone. Seeing the two of them compete to sing ‘Tea for Two’ is one of the most hilariously memorable scenes. You’d think it was French and Saunders. It’s a fascinating insight into an intense and usually secret world, of private contests and complex emotions. It was one of the major inspirations for the weird mother-daughter relationship in Sightseers. There’s some gorgeous lyricism in the doc though, ‘sometimes it’s hard to see the line between the past and the present’. ‘I am a staunch woman!’ ‘A libra man!’ By the end, you’ll feel an affection for these two and their delicate delusions. Though, it’s not healthy is it? Maybe watch this if you’re still living with your mum. And then move out. 

Mommie Dearest

This has developed a cult following even though it was roundly derided upon release. Faye Dunaway stars in this Joan Crawford biopic about the abusive relationship she had with her adoptive daughter. Despite the heavy subject matter, it’s the styling and performances that have caught the cult-hunter’s eye. Dunaway’s eyebrows probably had their own trailer. Her frenzied attack of her daughter’s curls, rose bushes and coat hangers (whilst wearing a facemask) is the height of camp. But beyond that, the story is actually a fascinating investigation of expectations of ‘motherhood’. The nurturing mask adopted by a Hollywood star whose mothering instincts were lacking. Yet a star who projected an idealized image of ‘the perfect woman’. The strictness of parenting in that age was a perfect cover for abuse. And the pressures were on women to conform to a feminine ideal. Yet, ironically, for me, Crawford and Bette Davis, represent an era where female power was more familiar and assumed, particularly in cinema. And we see this in the powerful dramas, female roles, female performers. Mildred Pierce, Of Human Bondage, Katherine Hepburn, Dietrich et al.

Psycho

A cautionary tale of another controlling mother. Norman Bates’ mother is dead, but she’s still controlling him. She’s a mouldy old corpse. But we still see the vehemence seeping out of those desiccated pot-pourri lips. It revolutionized film at the time by showing us the killer’s POV, hence lending us Norman’s perspective. And by the end he has our sympathy too. Psycho’s Oedipal kinkiness must have been shocking at the time. But the symbolism is now iconic, pervading all of our psychological notions about cinematic serial killers. I mean, Buffalo Bill? – what did his mother do to him?

The Brood

A brilliant horror peculiarity, in that it focuses on a real woman, horribly mutated. And the shape of things to come for Cronenburg, who continued to explore body horror, with particular focus on the female anatomy (Dead Ringer’s double vagina anyone?) A man’s wife is receiving new experimental treatment for her mental illness. And her past traumas take physical form in the shape of mutant infants birthing out of her nether regions. Who then kill people. It’s a great concept. And hilariously apt in its fear of both female psychology and childbirth. I first read about it in Kier-La Janisse’s incredible House Of Psychotic Women, which details with surgical precision, female cult horror cinema. Alongside Janisse’s own autobiographical narration, it explores the relationship between female psychologies and horror. Barbara Creed’s The Monstrous Feminine also explores cinema tropes of ‘woman-as-monster’ through a Freudian lense, ideas which go back as far as classical notions of female transgression, Medea, Clytemnestra, Medusa, et al.

The Babadook

This was a game-changer, not just for female authored horror, but for horror in general. The mother in this film is, in a revolutionary move, both victim and aggressor. An idea that grabbed me at the time. And it’s definitely made its mark on the horror subsequently being made, taking more of a psychological spooky bent. E.g. Under The Shadow. For me, the best horror comes from the human drama, not from the external threat. The monster is always within. And this conforms to that notion. People often talk about it as a female counterpart to (masterpiece) The Shining. But I think that is to denigrate by comparison. The Babadook stands alone as part of the canon of human-transgressive-drama-as-horror, such as Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now, etc. And don’t focus on the effects. That’s not the scary bit. For me, the spine-chilling moment was, ‘You’re not my mother!’…. ‘I AM YOUR MOTHER’. The monster within. Truthful. Brilliant.

We Need To Talk About Kevin

NFTS alumna, Lynne Ramsay’s skillful adaptation of a best seller about the mother of a psycho, from her perspective. I found the book perhaps more illuminating and honest about a woman who feels no maternal affection, thereby spawning a sociopath. And that responsibility is interesting. Again, the monstrousness has its source. All of these films could be seen to be quite incriminating of the female gender! But then – Eve. It’s the same old story. Women are to blame. But then, equally you could see it as a cautionary tale of what happens when women are conditioned into taking roles they neither want or fit naturally into.

Black Swan

Aronofsky’s melodrama is also denigrated as ‘camp’. But it’s an unusual depiction of a woman’s artistic and existential struggle (rather than a love story). Again, something we’re not used to seeing in modern cinema, and which in fact was more common in films of the past, The Red Shoes, A Star Is Born, etc. In this film, yes, there’s Pygmalion-like sadistic ballet teacher. But there’s ALSO a crazy mother, in the shape of Barbara Hershey. She still envelops her daughter in pink and white, and rose-encrusted birthday cakes. And this infantalisation, like Carrie, creates pent up violent energy within the protagonist. And of course, female sexual energy, if repressed, leads to disaster. In this case, it's self-destruction. Nina is the martyred saint, crucified upon her talent. This is like an episode of ‘Dance Moms’ on acid. The bit where the paintings come to life sticks in the mind. A warning to not hothouse your children. They’ll turn into bloody swans!

Special mention to: Postcards from The Edge. Film based on Carrie Fisher’s autobiography about her hilarious fraught relationship with her mother.

The Piano. Another intense and refreshingly candid representation of motherhood. There’s a power struggle, emotional blackmail, petty aggression. So much more like real life than we’d like to admit. And directed by a woman. Who probably knows.

For more information about Alice Lowe and her feature debut, Prevenge, please visit www.prevengemovie.com and @Prevengemovie on Twitter.

Follow Alice on Twitter @AliceLowe  

Projects with National Film and Television School alumni involvement have once again won awards in several categories at this year’s Royal Television Society Programme Awards across a whole host of film and television making disciplines from directing and sound, to editing and cinematography! The NFTS has dedicated course open days coming up over the next few weeks catering for all these areas; sign up for your place here.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Sandi Toksvig, took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday 21st March.

Emmerdale, directed by Directing Fiction MA graduate, Diana Patrick won the ‘Best Soap and continuing Drama’ category, while National Treasure, a four-part 2016 British television drama by Channel 4, written by Jack Thorne and starring Robbie Coltrane took the award for ‘Best Mini-Series’. NFTS credits include Paul Davies, Supervising Sound Editor and Katherine Pearl, Post-Production Co-Ordinator.

NFTS graduates are also credited on the other nominated mini-series in this category including London Spy - Lisa Hall, Production Designer and Marc Anton Restivo, Art Director – and Thirteen - Simon Archer, DoP; Hazel Baillie, Editor; Alex Ellerington, FX Editor; Jon Opstad, Composer and Martin Jensen, Rerecording Mixer.

Exodus: Our Journey to Europe won the ‘Best Documentary Series’ award and credits Editing MA graduates, Simon Sykes, Nick Fenton & Sunshine Jackson. The Murder Detectives received a nomination in this category and credits composer, Jon Opstad.

The BBC3 production, Murdered By My Father (DoP, NFTS Cinematography MA graduate, Felix Wiedemann) won ‘Best Single Drama’ while First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon (Editor, David Hill) won the ‘Best Science and Natural History’ award.

Channel 4 series The Secret Life of 4 & 5 Year Olds also received a nomination in the science and natural history category and credits NFTS Directing Documentary graduate, Jackie Waldock as Director.

Sally Wainwright, who recently delivered an inspiring masterclass at NFTS, won the award for ‘Writer-Drama’ for Happy Valley – read about her masterclass here.

Other nominated programmes with NFTS involvement include:

Channel 4 series, First Dates (Composer, Miguel d’Oliveira) nominated for ‘Best Popular Factual and Features’.

ITV series, The Durrells nominated for ‘Best Drama Series’ (Additional Music composed by Jon Wygens).

EastEnders (Writer, NFTS Screenwriting MA graduate, Laura Poliakoff)

For more information on the NFTS open days, please visit https://nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/open-days

Academy award and four-time BAFTA award-winning director, writer and producer Asif Kapadia wowed this year’s BFI Film Academy participants with a masterclass as they took part in the opening weekend of the Craft Residential course, which is delivered by the NFTS. The students are made up of 66 of the nation’s most promising young filmmakers aged 16-19 and the weekend included inspirational talks, team building and practical workshops. (If you would like to find out more about studying at the NFTS, have a look at the wide range of open days we have coming up and book your place here!) 

Asif Kapadia won a ‘Feature Documentary’ Oscar for Amy, which documents the life and death of British songwriter, Amy Winehouse, and is described as ‘piercingly sad’ by The Telegraph. His documentary, Senna about Brazilian motor-racing legend Ayrton Senna, was a huge international box office hit and won multiple awards including two BAFTAs, ‘Best Documentary’ at the London Critics Circle, the BIFA award for ‘Best Documentary’ and the Audience Award for ‘Best International Feature’ at the Los Angeles Film Festival. If you are a keen documentary maker, have a look at our Directing Documentary MA, which has an application deadline of the 4th May 2017 - more info here.

Following Asif’s inspirational Q&A session, participants were divided into six groups. They spent the weekend working with their tutors on interpreting the script and agreeing a shooting script for the short films so they can hit the ground running for the main Craft Residential week in April. Students on the course specialise in screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, production sound, editing and production design to reflect a real filmmaking environment.

Jon Wardle, NFTS Director of Curriculum and Registrar, said: “We were overwhelmed with applications for this year’s BFI Film Academy, so the group of young people who were lucky enough to be selected really are the brightest and the best. They all really impressed us during the opening weekend so we look forward to seeing the resulting short films in Easter and wish them huge success for their future careers.”

The course is supported by the Department for Education, the National Lottery, Creative Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen. The final films will be screened at the BFI Southbank in April.

For more information, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/bfi-film-academy

We have a wide range of open days coming up for anyone interested in our MA and Diploma courses - sign up here https://www.nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/open-days

We caught up with Nick Olorenshaw, Keith Morrison and Kirsty Wright who have all just graduated from the NFTS Production Sound for Film and Television Diploma, to find out about their experience of the course and what their career plans are. It was fascinating to learn that the course had literally taken them all over the world from Tajikistan to Singapore and Italy! (If this sounds like your dream course, don’t miss our Post Production open day on the 26^th April – sign up here.)

What have you been doing since graduating from the NFTS Diploma in Production Sound; did studying at the NFTS help kick start your career?

Nick: Towards the end of the course, I worked as a sound trainee on a documentary/commercial for Toyota, which involved a three-week road trip through Vietnam with lots of off-road driving and documentary pieces in the cities and jungle, which was an amazing experience. That led to another car commercial for Lexus in Spain this year, and I've also been doing some smaller corporate and commercial shoots. I first met one of the recordists I worked for when he gave a guest lecture for our class, so the NFTS has certainly helped to open some doors and got my career going.

Keith: Since graduating from the Production Sound Diploma with the NFTS at the end of 2016, I have been working towards obtaining trainee roles for drama productions. Having completed the course, I feel that I am much more prepared and confident in my abilities on and off set. The NFTS has also given me the opportunity to network with sound mixers and organisations that can help me achieve my goals. 

Kirsty: Since graduating from the NFTS I have been granted a place on the Creative Skillset Trainee Scheme for which there were 500 applicants. Studying at the NFTS has helped me to be prepared for a freelance career in production sound both by learning about the practical and theoretical aspect of sound on and off set, and also by receiving career training including sessions in financing and CV development.

What were the highlights of studying Production Sound at the NFTS (please mention if you got to go anywhere interesting or work on any exciting sets)?

Nick: My main interest is in documentary sound, and I was fortunate to work in Tajikistan and Sicily with students from the documentary department. As well as being a lot of fun (and hard work), working abroad really helped to sharpen my skills and improve my self-sufficiency as a sound recordist; but culturally I also learned a lot, and it has definitely contributed to shaping my understanding of the world.

Keith: The highlights of studying with the NFTS included the variety of productions I worked on, the places I got to travel to and the people I had the opportunity to work with and learn from. During my time, I was either sound mixer or boom op on at least five full-scale drama shoots and two documentaries, one of which was in Singapore for three weeks. As a small group of eight production sound students, we were in demand across the film school. This meant that we worked with a variety of people in all departments from production managers to sound designers. Understanding what their roles were and how you impact them was an important part of learning.

Kirsty: I had the opportunity to work on a variety of productions as part of the curriculum, and also extra-curricular projects. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Bologna, Italy, to record sound for part of a graduation documentary in summer 2015. I also had the opportunity to attend a sitcom workshop at Sky where I operated the Fisher booms, and also created a live mix of the production in the sound gallery. One of my favourite aspects of the Production Sound course is the opportunity to learn from sound mixers and boom operators who are currently working in the industry, and gaining an insight into their techniques. Russell Edwards, for example, taught us how to rig different vehicles for sound.

Why would you recommend someone apply for the Production Sound Diploma rather than other sound courses? And why is the NFTS a good place to study?

Nick: By the end of the course, you will have spent a lot of time using professional sound equipment in a wide range of situations, which puts you in a good position when you leave the school and look for work. Also the teachers have a huge amount of experience between them, which is an amazing resource of knowledge and advice (and anecdotes) to learn from.

Keith: The NFTS production sound course is dedicated to the craft and is taught by industry professionals. It is a very practical course, with hands on experience of drama, documentary and television sound using current industry equipment. If you are interested in production sound, this course is for you. The NFTS is a great place to study because the classes are small and there are dedicated courses for each discipline (directors, producers, editors etc.). Being taught by tutors that are highly acclaimed in their fields and being surrounded by creative, dedicated people has a positive effect on you and the work you do, this is why the NFTS is a great place to study.

Kirsty: I would recommend that someone apply for the Production Sound diploma due to the emphasis on learning through practical experience on set. Students get the opportunity to work on a multitude of productions across many genres, including drama, documentary and television production. I would also recommend the course as it is taught by leading industry professionals, whose experience, insight and wisdom are invaluable for anyone developing their career in production sound.

The NFTS is a good place to study due to the emphasis on collaboration and the opportunity to work with many different people in the School who are equally as enthusiastic about film and television production. There are also frequent masterclasses by leading individuals in the industry, which often leave one feeling inspired and enthused!

For more information about the Production Sound for Film and Television Diploma, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/diploma/production-sound-film-television and sign up for the open day on the 26^th April here.

We caught up with National Film and Television School Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA alumnus, André Sousa to find out what he has been doing since graduating. (If you are interested in following in André’s footsteps, sign up to our TV Entertainment open day on April 6^th– more info here!)

André is working as Development AP (Assistant Producer) and acting up as a Producer-Director at Potato, an ITV Studios label. He did his work experience at Potato while studying at NFTS and was snapped up by them as soon as he graduated. “The work placement element of the course is key; do the best you can to prove yourself as it could influence your early career. During my work experience at Potato, I got to work on Beat TV, an ITV entertainment magazine show, which was broadcast live during the 2012 Olympics.

My NFTS graduation project, The Big Steal got a Warner Bros option deal (since then, every year all NFTS Directing and Producing TV Entertainment students pitch their graduation projects to Warner Bros and they have first option) which was a fantastic experience and after graduating in 2013, I was invited to join ITV as a Development Researcher. They saw The Big Steal and loved it so I worked on lots of quizzes when I first started!

I now mainly work across game-show development  and fact-ent development, produce, direct and edit taster/sizzles and pitch decks that have led to a number of commissions (highlights include Ninja Warrior UK, Go For It, Devon and Cornwall Blues, An Hour To Catch A Killer, Cannonball). I did a taster tape for Ninja Warrior UK soon after starting, which was a big responsibility. I have also content managed three YouTube channels and managed the launch of the first UK concert release straight onto YouTube (for The Big Reunion), which has now amassed over 1.5 million plays.

I have just had my first Producer/ Director credit on Ninja Warrior UK and first Edit Producer credit on Bear Grylls Survival School, which I’m really proud of. My mum loves it when I send her screenshots with my name on it!

I particularly enjoy working in TV Entertainment and always knew I wanted to work at ITV. I love the thought of the audience on the other side of the screen; I see myself as a behind the screen entertainer!

I would advise anyone interested in studying at the NFTS to get experience beforehand. I worked as a Runner on Dancing on Ice and on Secret Story (a Big Brother on steroids!) in Portugal where I’m from. In fact, I was rejected the first time I applied to the NFTS and think that if I had been selected the first time round, I wouldn’t have learned as much.

NFTS gives you the foundation, experience and network you would otherwise take years to get. In the first six months of the course, you go from being a student to directing or producing your first show; it escalates very quickly. I have built a great network of NFTS peers who I speak to every day and it’s fantastic when we catch up face-to-face from time to time. I absolutely loved my time at NFTS and would never have been able to work in this country as I am now if I hadn’t studied there.”

For more information on the Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/directing-producing-television-entertainment and to sign up for the open day, register here.

(L-R: Angelina Karpovich, Nathaniel Price and Oliver Henderson)

Despite huge competition and 1200 applicants, no fewer than three NFTS students and graduates have secured places on Channel 4’s prestigious 4Screenwriting scheme, which is open to 12 writers new to television drama.

Recent NFTS Screenwriting MA Graduates, Oliver Henderson and Nathaniel Price and current student Angelina Karpovich have been offered places on the scheme and graduate Jonathan Harbottle was also offered a place but was unable to take part due to work commissions. (There is an NFTS Screenwriting open day on Friday 30^th March – sign up here!)

Script Editor, Script Consultant, Producer and 4Screenwriting Course Leader,

Philip Shelley said: 'It’s fantastic to see so many NFTS graduates take part in this year’s scheme. Having read all the stand-out scripts, it wasn't until we started looking in detail at writers' CV's that we realised what so many of them had in common! I am really impressed with their work and am sure they have successful careers ahead of them!

The NFTS seems to not only school writers thoroughly in the craft of screen-writing and effective story-telling - but also, importantly, uses its extensive industry contacts to make sure that the writers all meet a lot of important, influential people - the sort of people who can offer them screenwriting work!

The Channel 4 screenwriting course is now in its 7th year. Every year we work over 6 months with 12 new, talented writers to develop a one hour pilot script. It's a great introduction to Channel 4 Drama and the industry for the writers, and we have had a lot of exciting success stories from the course. Getting onto the course in the first place is highly competitive. This year we had over 1200 applicants for the 12 places.”

I met with Oliver, Nathaniel and Angelina and asked them how it feels to be accepted on such a sought after course as well as how the NFTS MA has prepared them and what their future plans are.

How does it feel to be accepted on the 4Screenwriting scheme and what has it been like so far?

Oliver: Having made the shortlist a couple of years ago it was great to get on the scheme at the second time of asking. The competition for places is fierce, even more so than at the NFTS, and over the last few years it has launched the careers of writers like Vinay Patel and Charlie Covell so it's very exciting. The scheme itself has been an absolute dream so far, with talks from writers, directors and scripts editors who have worked on some of the biggest productions in film and television over the last decade. I've also been assigned a fantastic script editor from New Pictures (The Missing, Indian Summers) and a development exec from Channel 4 who have helped me to expand what was an embryonic idea.

Nathaniel: I was absolutely delighted to have been put forward and selected for 4Screenwriting. It and Philip Shelley are very highly regarded within the industry. I'd been fortunate to meet and work with a few of its graduates previously and they all couldn't recommend it highly enough. The first weekend of the course definitely lived up to the hype. One thing I really enjoyed was meeting the other writers and sharing our experiences. They were all really cool (as were the script editors and trainee script editors). We had fantastic speakers (writers and script editors and commissioners) who were all open and honest and provided invaluable insight into the industry. It's just great to be writing a script and honing my craft (because let's face it, treatments can get a bit tedious), and I'm really enjoying having Philip as my script editor.

Angelina: 4Screenwriting is a hugely respected and very competitive scheme for new television drama writers, and being selected to participate in it this year feels like a massive validation of how far my writing has developed since I’ve started on the Screenwriting MA at the NFTS.

Eggshells, the screenplay with which I applied to the 4Screenwriting scheme, was developed at the NFTS, during the 1st year “Movie in a Month” module, where each of us wrote an individual feature screenplay from scratch in a month, supported by regular feedback sessions with our fantastically insightful tutors, Angeli Macfarlane and Brian Ward. I used this opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone by writing in a genre I hadn’t worked in before, by exploring some dauntingly “big” themes, and by writing something much more personal than any of my previous work. Looking back at the screenplay now, I know that I would have never achieved those aims on my own, without the structure and the support put in place by the Screenwriting MA tutors.

How has the NFTS Screenwriting MA prepared you for the 4Screenwriting course?

Angelina: If you’re serious about developing as a screenwriter, then the NFTS offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine and refine your own writing, and to work with immensely talented people who are just as passionate about storytelling as you are. You can - and should - read all the screenwriting textbooks, but none of them can teach you how to make specifically *your* writing better. This, in my experience, is what the NFTS excels in.

Nathaniel: Applying for the NFTS Screenwriting MA is one of the best decisions I ever made. Once I realised I was serious about wanting to become a professional screenwriter, the NFTS was the place I was continually advised to apply to. It gave me such a thorough training across all the mediums (film, TV, theatre, radio and games) in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. The tutors at times went above and beyond in helping me develop my writing. Also, the fact they're all active in the industry, you can't help but find their advice helpful and inspiring. The NFTS also provides you with access to the industry prior to graduation, which has proved extremely helpful for my career.

Oliver: The TV module we do as part of the MA at the NFTS follows the same structure as the 4Screenwriting course in terms of feedback and outcome, so the transition has been relatively seamless so far. The 4Screenwriting course is a great platform for new writers and is renowned throughout the industry, acting as a bridge into the professional world of writing. Out of the 12 writers selected this year, 4 were from the NFTS, so if you apply then you've clearly got a very good chance!

What are your career aspirations?

Oliver: If I can make a living doing what I love then I'll be happy, but creating and writing my own series is the dream. Ideally I'd like to work across both film and television, and I currently have a number of projects in various stages of development, but my focus is on the script for C4 over the next couple of months.

Nathaniel: I've been lucky enough to be working constantly since I graduated last year. Recently, I've had a short monologue, Special Delivery released on BBC3 as part of the BBC ‘Writersroom's The Break II’ series. My first radio play, Baller, was broadcast earlier this month on BBC Radio 4 and was selected as their 'Drama of the Week'. I wrote Episode 5 of Five by Five, a co-production between Green Door Pictures and BBC Studios, featuring Idris Elba, which will be released on BBC 3 on Monday 27th April. I've also been selected as a trainee writer by Kudos for their new Sky Atlantic show Tin Star, and so will be involved in story lining series two. I've also just had my first feature play commissioned with the Nottingham Playhouse. Finally, my first feature film, Scandinavian Silence, that I co-wrote with director Martii Helde, will be released later this year.

My real aspiration is to continue to work on exciting and varied projects across the mediums and continue to develop my writing. Ultimately, I'd love to have my own TV series on day. I'm fortunate enough to be working on developing original ideas with a number of great production companies so... fingers crossed.

Angelina: I’m still at the start of the final year of the MA, so my plans for what to do after leaving the NFTS aren’t very firm - I feel that I still have so much to learn and explore while I’m at the School! Television is my first love, I grew up practically glued to the screen, so writing television drama would be amazing, but ultimately I just want the stories I tell to find an audience, be it on television, in film, or on the stage.

For more information on the NFTS Screenwriting MA, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/screenwriting (application deadline 4th May 2017 with a start date of January 2018). And for more information on Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting Programme, please visit http://4talent.channel4.com/get-involved/work-programmes/4-new-writers/4-screenwriting

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

London, 14^th March 2017: National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it is partnering with the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, on its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA.

The RSPB will work closely with the world-leading film school, its tutors and students to inspire a new generation of filmmaking talent equipped to create engaging and innovative content that champions the charity’s conservation cause  by reaching new audiences through new and impactful visual communications. 

The partnership includes the launch of an RSPB scholarship to support a student through their two year MA, starting in the School’s new academic year in January 2018. To find out more, sign up to the open day on April 18^th.

Students will benefit from access to RSPB nature reserves to practice and enhance their wildlife filming technique and will receive masterclasses and practical sessions, delivered by the RSPB’s  world famous Film Unit on conservation filmmaking, field craft skills, and the role of ethics and animal welfare in wildlife filming best practice.

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

First formed in 1953, the RSPB Film Unit is the oldest professional wildlife filmmaking outfit in the UK, producing many internationally-recognised, award-winning documentaries rewarded at Wildscreen, Jackson Hole and the Japan Wildlife Film Festival among many others.  It is well-known throughout the industry as a training ground for many of the world’s leading camera operators and producers, like Hugh Miles, Mike Richards, Ian McCarthy, John Aitchison and David Allen, who have achieved highly successful careers in natural history filmmaking.  Reconfigured in 2014 as RSPB Digital Media, the Film Unit continues to adapt and transform itself, embracing technical innovation to amplify its core, creative conservation messages in response to the changing digital environment. 

Highly experienced producer of wildlife documentaries and series, Paul Reddish, leads the Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA; Paul is credited as Producer and Director across a number of high profile natural history films and series including Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild, Hummingbirds Jewelled Messengers, and many more.

Mark Percival at RSPB Digital Media says:

 “We’re delighted to be working with the NFTS. We face a considerable challenge as conservationists, working to reverse the declines in the numbers of species and the loss of natural habitats. As filmmaking technology rapidly evolves, it creates new opportunities for us to reach millions of people with the message that there’s an urgent need to look after our wild spaces and the wildlife around us. Supporting and developing new talented filmmakers who are passionate about conservation, and who can create powerful visual stories, is fundamental to achieving the RSPB’s goal of a sustainable world richer in nature.”

(Photo credit, Chiara Ceci)

Paul Reddish says: “It is a privilege to partner with the RSPB which does such vital and important conservation work. I can’t think of a better placed institution to work with the students to build their understanding of the challenges of communicating conservation messages in wildlife filmmaking. The NFTS has a great reputation for building careers and industry leaders and I look forward to working with the RSPB to mentor our students to do great things via this exciting new MA.”

The two-year MA course will equip students with the skills required to direct science, natural history and wildlife productions and the know-how to produce entire shows. Whether it’s using ultra long lenses or aerial, macro or time lapse photography, the students will build a wide portfolio of experience bespoke to wildlife programme making.

As with all NFTS courses, the MA is both hands on and practical and students will benefit from work placements at the UK’s major wildlife production companies.

Applications for the Directing Natural History and Science MA are open until July 6th 2017 and the course will commence in January 2018. There is a dedicated open day for the course on April 18^th– sign up here.  

For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

Contacts for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

NFTS funding: Studentfunding@nfts.co.uk

Jamie Wyver, Consumer PR Executive, RSPB: jamie.wyver@rspb.org.uk

After a rousing welcome by NFTS Director, Nik Powell, triple BAFTA-winning director and NFTS graduate, David Yates gave students a fascinating insight into his journey from film school to directing international blockbusters such as the Harry Potter series and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

(Still from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Starting with a glimpse of his NFTS graduation film followed by a clip from his award-winning political thriller, State of Play, David explained that he has always been drawn to a diverse mix of textures, colours and tones, right from his early career to the Potter movies: “I make full utilisation of the tools at hand to express the texture and story.”

He stressed how exciting it can be at the start of your career to work with new and unknown cast and crew: “Starting out, you tend to by necessity discover other wonderful people and bring them to people’s attention. Go with those who inspire and excite. James McAvoy had only done one piece of telly then. It was very exciting; hopefully you’ll find some fantastic people to work with too! Everyone in this room who makes something will know what you feel when you meet the right actor; it’s instinctive, like falling in love; you know it’s them!

Even the extras in David’s productions get special attention: “Background action is so important; you need to make that part of the movie feel alive!” In State of Play, David asked the extras playing journalists to create their own desk space so it would feel personal and in The Legend of Tarzan, the extras were put through workshops including history lessons.

(Still from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)

On working with VFX for the first time on a big scale on the Harry Potter movies, David said: “I had a privileged introduction to big movies thanks to working with great producers like David Heyman who told me he loved what I did and to just get on with it! It was an amazing experience wondering into the movies and feeling that no one would say no to anything I suggested.”

David encouraged the students to be open to change in the filmmaking process: “Filmmaking is a constant process of evolution and change. It’s organic; you have to be open to things; it’s a very fluid process. The more confidence you gain, the more open you are to fluidity and change. I do loads of preparation including previs and storyboarding but that’s the groundwork. It’s good to prepare but also to be open to improvisation; I’m a strong believer in that.”

“The directors who will really succeed are the ones who aren’t concerned about everyone on set knowing they are the director and can be succinct with their direction! The director is there to help everyone discover their best and realise a vision you feel strongly about.”

(David Yates with NFTS Director, Nik Powell)

Despite David’s huge success, he feels he still has a lot more to learn: “I’m still evolving; I’m genuinely curious and feel that I’m half-way through a journey of discovery of the filmmaker that I am. I haven’t got to making the thing I want to be remembered for yet. However feted you become, take it with a pinch of salt, it’s a marathon not a sprint.”

A student asked David what his state-of-mind was when he went into directing the Harry Potter series: “I was both excited and scared! The producers were great – they all watched my back and believed in me, and allowed me to do my thing. My journey has been very blessed without people trying to muscle in, which I know is not the norm.”

More questions came in thick and fast, from what it was like working with ‘wonderful’ Production Designer, Stuart Craig and his ‘beautiful sets’ to how David picks his cinematographers, “I employ people who inspire me. I’m looking for a partner and ally; a flexible DoP who won’t spend too long lighting!”

And, on what it was like working on both The Legend of Tarzan and Fantastic Beasts at the same time, “actually, it was one of the most exhilarating years of my life, I love being busy!”

If you’d love to come to inspiring masterclasses like this one, sign up to one of our upcoming open days to find out more. For those looking to work on visual effects on movies like Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts, register for our Digital Effects open day on the 17^th May or if Editing, Composing or Sound Design is more your thing, we have a Post Production open day on the 26^th April – more info here:  www.nfts.co.uk/open-days

National Film and Television School Head of Technology, John Maxwell Hobbs considers why the UK is facing a skills gap in broadcast engineering and how an increased focus on the arts could be the key:

“There’s a lot of focus on what’s called the “STEM” approach to education these days. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and is driven by the increasing demand for employees with related skills, coupled with a lack of engagement from students.

We’re facing our own shortage of engineers and technologists in the world of film and broadcast. A US study from 2011 showed that 73.9% of broadcast engineers were between 56 and 66+ years old, with only 25.5% between the ages of 18 to 45. This points to a looming talent gap in production technology and engineering roles as the older workers begin to retire. As the same time, the nature of production technology is changing drastically – moving to computer-based systems that require an entirely new set of skills.

Not only are we facing a lack of new talent, but existing technicians lack the experience and skills to deal with the new technologies being used.

If governments and educational institutions are focussing on STEM, and employers have positions going unfilled, why is there still so much difficultly in engaging students? Perhaps STEM is missing a letter, and STEAM is what’s needed. The “A” in STEAM stands for, “Arts.” The STEM subjects, as important as they are, tend to focus only on tools and not the uses they will be put to. The arts – design, writing, music, drawing, and more, are where science, technology, engineering and mathematics combine with creativity and innovation and are put to practical use. Championed by the Rhode Island School of Design, the objectives of the STEAM movement are to:

• Transform research policy to place Art + Design at the centre of STEM
• Encourage integration of Art + Design from starting school all the way through to postgraduate education
• Influence employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation

The NFTS Production Technology MA shares many of the aims of the STEAM movement. The programme’s focus on the science of electronics; the maths of IT; the technologies of production; and broadcast engineering, is all done in the service of art and the creation of film and television. Working together on projects, our students receive a multidisciplinary education, fully experiencing the practical application of their studies, and gaining a deep understanding of all aspects of the production process. Through challenges to solve specific production needs, students develop the creativity and innovation skills needed to excel in their chosen discipline, and advance the state of the art.

For more information on the NFTS Production Technology MA, register for the open day on the 28^th May or apply here!

(Photo credit: Mike Potts)

The NFTS is offering an interactive, free taster workshop for its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA, on the 18^th April.

Highly experienced wildlife filmmaker and course leader, Paul Reddish will guide students through the steps to make a wildlife film and engage the group in a discussion about whether making a sequel is a viable option.

Paul has been Producer and Director across a number of high profile natural history films and series including Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild, Hummingbirds Jewelled Messengers, and many more.

The two-year MA is delivered in partnership with the RSPB and a scholarship is available to support a student through their studies.

Register for the free taster workshop and open day at www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory

Lyndon Holland picking up his BAFTA (Credit: BAFTA/ Shutterstock)

Congratulations to recent NFTS Composing for Film and Television MA Graduate, Lyndon Holland who has picked up a Games BAFTA in the ‘Music’ category for mystery adventure game, Virginia. This is the second year in a row that a NFTS Composing graduate has won this award with Jessica Curry winning the 2016 BAFTA Games Best Music award for Everybody's Gone To The Rapture.

If you are a composer and would like to follow in Lyndon and Jessica’s footsteps, don’s miss our upcoming Composing MA for Film and Television open day on the 26^th April 2017 – sign up at www.nfts.co.uk/composing We also have an open day coming up for our Games Design and Development MA open day on the 17th May - sign up at www.nfts.co.uk/games

The ceremony, which celebrates the very best in games of the past year, took place last night at Tobacco Dock, London and was hosted by Danny Wallace.

Lyndon said of his win: “It means so much to me to be recognised by an establishment as prestigious as BAFTA. I got excited about working in the games industry after working directly with the Games Design department at NFTS. I feel proud that our country gives Video Games the respect they deserve by hosting an event like this. It's such an exciting industry to work in and it seems like the bar of creativity keeps getting raised each year.”

About Virginia

Virginia, which was also nominated for ‘Best British Game’ and ‘Best Debut Game’, is a first person interactive drama. It is the story of a recently graduated FBI agent and her partner as they seek to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young boy.

Developed by a small team at Variable State, Co-Founder, Jonathan Burroughs said the three nominations are "a bit overwhelming but very exciting" in a recent BBC Newsbeat interview.

Recent NFTS Composing MA Graduate Credits

NFTS composing MA graduates have been credited on a number of recent high profile programmes. Alumnus, Graham Hadfield has composed the music for the three-part BBC1 natural history series Galapagos presented by Liz Bonnin. Graham has previously collaborated with Atlantic Productions including two IMAX 3D films and David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef series.

Composing MA graduate, Mat Davidson has provided the music for both the one-off documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, which will be screened on BBC1 at 9.00pm on Tuesday 28th March and also for the Channel Four series, Three Wives, One Husband.

Composing alumnus, Jon Opstad has composed the music for the 3-part BBC2 documentary series American Justice (NFTS Composing graduate, Roger Goula provided Additional Music and Chloe Lambourne was an Editor on the series).

For more information and to sign up for the Composing  and Games Design MA open days on the 26^th April and 17th May respectively, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/composing and www.nfts.co.uk/games

If you have a few days off this Easter and want to indulge in culture rather than chocolate, don’t miss these holiday highlights especially curated for you by our Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA students.

The NFTS Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA is designed for students who would like to work in a wide range of roles in film exhibition, as well as those with an interest in distribution, critical writing and archival work. The course is delivered in partnership with the BFI. If you would like to find out more, register for our Film Studies open day on the 28^th April at www.nfts.co.uk/filmstudies

The BFI Southbank is revisiting German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's work with a full retrospective in April and May. Read more

Close-Up in Shoreditch will be showing a number of David Lynch landmark films on 35 mm during the Easter weekend and beyond, including a double bill of Fire Walk with Me and Otto Preminger's Laura. Read more

The BFI is re-releasing classic movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, from April 14^th– starring Jack Nicholson, directed by Milos Forman and winner of no fewer than five Academy Awards! Read more

If you haven't had enough of Park Chan-wook's critically lauded thriller, The Handmaiden, you can watch the director's cut, including 20 more minutes of footage in Curzon, Everyman and Picturehouse cinemas. Read more

For Netflix subscribers, Joe Swanberg's latest film Win It All, a Netflix Original about gambling and described by Thrillist as “Drinking Buddies meets Rounders”, was released on the platform last Friday. Read more

If you want to catch The Salesman and haven't seen A Separation yet, the two films by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will be showing as part of a double bill at the Regent Street cinema on Tuesday 11 April. Read more

The Regent Street Cinema will also be hosting a very special screening of Ken Loach's Spanish Civil War film Land and Freedom on 35mm on Wednesday 12 April, introduced by the director himself and The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw. Read more

For those outside London, Leeds will be hosting its Young Film Festival, the largest family film event in the UK. Read more

Curzon Dochouse will be showing I Am Not your Negro in its Bloomsbury cinema with £7 student tickets. Read more

We hope you manage to enjoy some of these great Easter highlights, but don't forget to catch some of our favourite films from the London Film Festival on screen – Aquarius, Elle, Moonlight, Neruda, Graduation and Raw are currently showing in cinemas!

Other events and festivals to add to your calendars include:

The Korean Film Nights season, which the Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA second year students have programmed in partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre. The season, which runs from April to June, explores the theme of migration in contemporary South Korean cinema. Free screenings will take place at the Korean Cultural Centre and will be introduced by the students.

The Institute of Contemporary Arts will be hosting their festival Frames of Representation at the end of the month, an exploration of new visions for documentary cinema. 

If you enjoyed this list and want to find out more about our Film Studies, Curation and Progamming MA, register for our upcoming open day on the 28th April at www.nfts.co.uk/filmstudies

Happy Easter!

(Wild Horses Still: Joan, played by Emma Curtis)

London, 12^th April 2017: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) today announces that for the sixth year running a film made by its students has been selected for this year’s Cinéfondation short film selection at the Cannes film festival (17^th-28^th May 2017).

Wild Horses, directed and written by Rory Alexander Stewart and produced by Rebecca Smith, was picked from 2600 works submitted by film schools from all over the world and is one of just 16 films selected for the Cinéfondation short film programme.

Rory Alexander Stewart says: “It’s a huge honour for our film to be selected at Cinéfondation. I would like to thank the whole team for their efforts and look forward to seeing the screening with the team at Cannes!”

(L to R: Rory Stewart, Director / Emma Curtis, ‘Joan’ / Adam Batchelor, 1st AD / Lucy Noble, Script Supervisor / Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer / Rusty Dent, ‘Derek Smith’ - with Horse Master Samantha Dent and colleague)

Film synopsis

Joan’s efforts at teenage rebellion are frustrated by her illness and her overbearing mother, until her increasingly vivid dreams and an overzealous tutor inspire her to realise her independence.

Wild Horses was made by a group of graduating NFTS students including Rory Alexander Stewart, Director/ Writer; Rebecca Smith, Producer; Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer; Celetria Kimmins, Production Designer; Sophie Halton, Production Manager; Fiona Brands, Editor; Nick Olorenshaw, Production Sound Mixer; Ashley Sinani, 1^st Assistant Sound; Segun Akinola, Composer; Michael Roy Johnson, Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer; Kelvin Chim, CG Artist; Gillian Simpson, Compositor; Alex Davis, Colourist & Online Editor.

(L to R: Seated - Nick Olorenshaw, Sound Recordist / Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer / Rory Stewart, Director / Lucy Noble, Script Supervisor. L to R: Standing - Basia Wojas, Make Up Artist / Ed Kilpatrick, Gaffer / Amadea Kimmins, Art Department Assistant / Celestria Kimmins, Production Designer)

The Cinéfondation prizes will be awarded at a ceremony on Friday 26^th May at 4:30 p.m. in the Buñuel theatre in the Palais des Festivals.

For more information, please visit https://nfts.co.uk/

-Ends-

Contact for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

(This year's NFTS Production Management for Film & Television students at a visit to Panalux)

 Sannah Salameh: “I always enjoy being on set; there is a special energy in a lot of people working towards a common goal that I really love”

We caught up with some of the NFTS Production Management for Film and Television Diploma students to find out what they are doing for their work experience and how it’s going so far. If you enjoy what you read, this could be you in September! Apply now at www.nfts.co.uk/productionmanagement

Jenny Martin (Sargent-Disc Scholar)

I am currently on placement, working for Bedlam Productions Ltd. (who previously made The King’s Speech with Seesaw Films) under the Head of Production and with a freelance Producer. I have been helping to production coordinate three short political broadcast films to be aired on BBC and ITV. I saw this experience as an opportunity to learn more of the world of politics whilst doing a job which is otherwise familiar to me. My training at the NFTS really has prepared me well for the precision and efficiency that is asked of me from the job. As the team is so small, I feel I am a vital part of the machine and I am in my element.

I am soon to move onto my second placement, where I have been offered another two weeks on a feature film, Swimming with Men to be directed by Oliver Parker (Johnny English Reborn, St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, Dad’s Army) where I will be assisting in the production office. I want to move into feature films and/or TV drama when I graduate so this is really a gleaming opportunity for me!

I am so grateful to the School, to my mentors and to Sargent-Disc for supporting and encouraging me to speak out and offer myself to the world. At this stage I want to soak up all the available experience and familiarise myself with the industry, as soon I’ll be a part of it – and I really can’t wait!

Chris Hopper

I have been working on The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, an upcoming Canadian drama directed by Xavier Dolan with a stellar cast including Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain and Michael Gambon. Tasks have included researching venues for the wrap party for the UK unit and the costume department asked me research and order a pair of shoes for one of the actresses, which I managed to negotiate for free! The art, location, and production departments for The Death and Life of John F. Donovan are all based in the same office. I have been working in the prep period between shooting blocks so there has been a lot of organising to prepare for the next round of filming. I have been doing all the office-based runner jobs including food shops, post runs, coffee rounds, cleaning and tidying, and photocopying and printing, but I have also been able to visit other departments such as costume and help them out too.

For me the highlight of the Production Management for Film and Television Diploma so far has been the opportunity to manage the budget for a short film. Most people would not consider production management to be a creative role, but you have to know a lot about every department in the filmmaking process and manage money creatively in order to make sure the production survives. I find this a lot of fun as I get to build relationships within a production quickly! After graduation, I will be applying for jobs in feature films as a Production Assistant and plan to work my way through various roles in production (secretary, coordinator etc) and eventually hope to be a Production Manager in this area.

Kieran Nolan Jones (Sargent-Disc Scholar)

Since starting the Production Management Diploma, I have been lucky enough to participate in a number of work placements:

Sargent-Disc, a business specialising in accounting and software services for the entertainment industries, gave me the opportunity to spearhead pre-production on five animated 'how to' videos, which explained how to use their latest software CrewStart.

I am currently on work experience with Ridley Scott’s companies, RSA and Scott Free Productions, where I have been assisting each department within the whole company as an overall Production and Office Runner Intern.  In the production office, duties include answering telephones, filing paperwork and data entry. Other tasks include arranging lunches, dinners, and transportation, reservations, photocopying, general office administration, and distributing production paperwork. 

Furthermore, on an ad-hoc basis I am participating in work experience within the VFX department on Oscar-winning director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's new film, Werk ohne Autor, under the guidance of VFX Supervisor, Simon Giles (Penny Dreadful, A Royal Night Out, The Devils Double). This opportunity has allowed me to gain experience within an independent VFX setting. Tasks have ranged from sourcing post production crew such as Opening/End Title Designers, shadowing Simon as he creates the VFX budget, organising meetings and accompanying Simon on pitch meetings with various VFX Houses who aim to 'bid' to work on the project. 

When I graduate, I aspire to become a VFX Production Coordinator progressing to VFX Production Manager/Producer.  I am especially interested in following this career path as I find the overall postproduction and VFX pipelines fascinating. In addition I hope to develop and produce/production manage my own short fiction and animated films, progressing one day to feature length films.

Sannah Salameh

After working on two different projects for my work experience, I can say that every day is the same, but different.  There is plenty of running around, lots of stands to load in and out of trucks, and endless numbers of teas and coffees to make. Although the motions are the same, the context that you are doing them in always differs, and that’s why it never gets boring.

You have to be prepared to be the emergency glue to fill various holes! So far, I have been a caterer, set dresser, lights holder, first aider, background artist, child entertainer and cat feeder on top of doing the more straightforward PA stuff (a lot of printing, calling and emailing). For me the best part is always the people you meet and work with. You end up sharing very random things with your colleagues like trying to rein in two massive dogs running loose on a set, armed only with a piece of bacon!

I’ve had so much fun so far on the Diploma! I have met amazing people from every department, but I must give a shout out to my fellow PMs. We come from very different backgrounds, but people in that room have my back and I have theirs. I always enjoy being on set; there is a special energy in a lot of people working towards a common goal that I really love. Meeting cool industry people has been another highlight. Production Management is a female dominated profession, so we have met some badass women who have been so inspiring!  Another highlight was hearing Steve McQueen speak. I have admired him since way back in his art days and I was really star struck.

I want to be able to choose projects that really inspire and interest me. To have freedom of choice is the biggest luxury. In the long run, I want to be more involved in developing projects, starting a production company together with likeminded people would be cool, or even try my hand at directing.

For more information about the Production Management for Film and Television, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/productionmanagement

(L-r - Dan Lemmon, Andrew R Jones, Adam Valdez & Rob Legato)

A whole host of NFTS students and graduates were part of the team that won both the Oscar and the BAFTA for Visual Effects for their work on Disney’s The Jungle Book. (If this is your dream, come along to the NFTS Digital Effects MA open day on Wednesday 17^th May – more info and sign up here.)

MPC’s lead VFX Supervisor, Adam Valdez, picked up the Oscar on the night along with VFX Supervisor Rob Legato, Animation Supervisor Andrew R. Jones and VFX Supervisor Weta Digital, Dan Lemmon. Adam Valdez visited the School recently to give a masterclass on techniques used in The Jungle Book, which required over 240 million render hours to create! Read more here.

The MPC team that worked on The Jungle Book includes the following NFTS graduates:

Visual Effects Production Manager, Carlos Ciudad; Lead Compositor MPC, Chris Gooch; Stereo Compositor MPC, Graham Dorey; Digital Compositor MPC, Adam Arnot and Stereo Compositor MPC, Victor Almela. Both Graham and Victor worked on The Jungle Book as part of an internship at MPC while studying at the NFTS.

Other NFTS grads who worked on film’s visual effects include Lighting TD, Carlo Alberto Bagliolid, Roto/Prep Artist, Andrew Scattergood and Digital Artist, Helen Brownell.

Carlos Ciudad, who now works for Double Negative as VFX Producer, says: “Being part of both the Oscar and the BAFTA winning digital effects team at MPC is a dream come true; The Jungle Book was a joy to work on and the results created by the visual effects teams speak for themselves. I would encourage anyone with a passion for VFX to apply to study Digital Effects at the NFTS as it offers an excellent pathway into this exciting career.”

For more information about the NFTS Digital Effects MA, please click here and for more information about MPC, please visit http://www.moving-picture.com/