21st February, Glasgow: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces that applications are now open for courses at its new Scottish base, NFTS Scotland, which will operate from BBC Scotland’s studios in Glasgow. Participants will enrol from April 2018 on courses designed to meet the growing needs of film, television and games production companies in Scotland.
The NFTS is an acknowledged global leader in the provision of postgraduate, high-level, creative and technical skills for the audio-visual industries and has just been recognised with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema BAFTA.
First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon announced funding of £475,000 in her keynote speech at last year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival, to support plans for NFTS Scotland while the BBC’s contribution of premises and facilities for NFTS at Pacific Quay builds on the corporation’s additional investment of £40m a year in Scotland to provide additional and more relevant output for its audiences.
Courses available will include part-time Diplomas, short courses and certificate courses in areas such as: Production Accounting; Drafting for Film and Television; 16mm/35mm Familiarisation; Camera Assisting and Drama Production Management. Please visit www.nfts.co.uk/scotland for the full list of courses and sign up to receive information about further course launches which are expected over the coming months.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop said: “The Scottish Government supported this project from the start and we were delighted that we were able to help secure this prestigious asset for Scotland. We will continue to support Scotland’s screen sector which is why we also doubled funding this year for development, production and growth to £20 million. As the industry here grows, it’s crucial we have people ready to fill employers’ needs across very specific roles. It is exciting to see the first courses from NFTS Scotland open up a new route to give people from all backgrounds an opportunity to learn essential specialist skills in film and television.”
Alison Goring, Head of NFTS Scotland said: “We are very excited to go live with our first courses and look forward to welcoming the first cohort of participants in Scotland. We have worked closely with the industry in selecting the first tranche of courses to ensure that we meet their needs while growing the skills and talent base in Scotland.”
Diversity and inclusion are key priorities and there is a joint aspiration that a third of all places in the first two years will be fully funded bursary places. To that end the BBC and the Scottish Government is making a contribution to a bursary fund which will meet the costs of these places and ensure that participants will be drawn from a broad range of backgrounds.
NFTS Scotland is an official partner at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, which runs from 21st February to the 4th March, and will host a series of public and industry events including:
- The Art of the Art Department - Friday 23rd February
- From Script to Screen – the 1st AD’s view - Sunday 25th February
- Glasgow on our Screens – Bringing the Location to Life, Saturday 3rd March
- Industry Spotlight session hosted by Dr Jon Wardle (Director of NFTS) with Andrew McDonald (Producer, Trainspotting, Ex Machina, 28 Days Later) - Friday 2nd March
- 121 Surgery with Alison Goring, Head of NFTS Scotland - Friday 2nd March
For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/scotland
