Moving up in the industry:

Every day is a school day! And being a successful and effective freelancer requires ongoing learning and upskilling. You will learn a lot on the job - each job and each team is different - but it is also important to keep growing your knowledge base.

Talking Point helps with this. Our courses help freelancers at all stages of their careers to strengthen and update their skills and knowledge and move forward with confidence.

Stepping up to Art Directing
Nov
3

Stepping up to Art Directing

Our Stepping up to Art Director programme is ideal for anyone considering moving up to Art Directing or moving up a budget band on features and HETV dramas. It is equally beneficial to those who may have moved up recently and looking for some extra support.

We will be joined by some of the leading industry Art Directors who will share their experiences and offer advice on how to do the job well.

This programme will be weekly on zoom in November (Tuesday 3rd, 10th, 17th) and complete with an in-person networking session in London on the 24th November. Thanks to funding from the ScreenSkills Film and HETV Funds, it is free to participants. We also have travel and accommodation bursaries for those outside the M25.

There will be paid placements on features and HETV dramas for up to 6 of the course participants on completion.

The application deadline is 9th October - we will be holding a webinar on the 1st October to outline what the course will include and how to apply. Please register at info@talkingpointfilm.co.uk

Head to the ScreenSkills website to apply. www.screenskills.com

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Talking Point Events:

Explore our upcoming panel sessions and networking events to connect with like-minded professionals and gain insight from experts in the industry.

Our Industry Sessions give you the opportunity to listen to established Heads of Department talk candidly about their design or technical processes, show visual references of their work and discuss where they draw inspiration from. They take place on Zoom on a Saturday morning - grab a coffee and a notebook and prepared to be inspired!

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Join the Mentoring Network:

The Talking Point Mentoring Network provides the critical foundational knowledge and support to help individuals move successfully into the department of their choice.

This established programme connects freelancers with professionals who are established in their department. It gives access to information and people that is often difficult to obtain and allows each mentee to be part of a nurturing and welcoming community of like minded people.

Applications Open Autumn

  • "Talking Point is the backbone for introductions in the industry and has been instrumental for so many joining production departments. They attract the best technicians to support mentoring and seminars and are an invaluable part of the film eco-system."

    Muffin Green | Prop Master (Eldon Ring, Hamnet, Paddington in Peru)

  • "If you want to learn from the best in the business - go on a Talking Point training programme."

    Tommy Gormley | Producer Ghostwriter, Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sonic the Hedgehog 3

  • How lucky are we to have this amazing training organisation to help us in this turbulent filmmaking world; to guide, steer and inform us, to make this seemingly impenetrable world more feasible and open. Talking Point demystifies the magical and makes it possible for us to make it magical again… the art of filmmaking!”

    Sarah Greenwood | Production Designer (Jack of Spades, Barbie, Atonement)

  • "Not only do I feel I now have a great set of tools to use in my own career, I feel better equipped to offer constructive advice to colleagues going through these scenarios."

    James Axford | Action Props (The Batman 2, House of the Dragon 1-3)

  • “I know that I would not be where I am today without the presence of Talking Point throughout my career, and that is the reason I recommend them to anyone who expresses interest in working in the film industry."

    Emily Britton | Props Stores (Starfighter, Hamnet, Fountain of Youth)

Productions Talking Point Students have worked on
We are in challenging times and anxiety levels are high, whether that is about stressful jobs, tricky relationships, not having a job greenlit yet or global uncertainty. It can be a lot and feels very uncomfortable. One thing we do know though - Act
A little reminder of our recent Learn and Lunch session for our Talking Point members. We continued our learning on How to Thrive as a Freelancer, focusing on how we can best react in challenging circumstances. We were joined by leading expert Laur
If you’re thinking about a career in the Art Dept on features or high end tv drama but not sure where to start, this is for you! Understand the different departments and job roles, the skills and knowledge that’s required for each, how
Jasmine’s words about our last Introduction to the Art Department course… “Thank you for the incredible Art Department training session today. As a recent graduate with less industry experience, I found everything you shared truly
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Little Miss Sunshine has one of the best ensemble comedy casts - Toni Collette, Greg Kennear, Steve Carrell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin - all of whom give outstanding performances. We follow
Alberto has kindly shared some comments about his experiences of learning with us as a Talking Point Member. He has always made training and upskilling a key element of his career path, from being a Jnr Petty Cash Buyer to Jnr Asst Set Dec, and put
Our next TP. Industry Session will focus on the work of Production Designer Suzie Davies and Set Decorator Charlotte Dirickx. We will be discussing their recent work, including Wuthering Heights, Saltburn and Conclave and how they have developed th
Everyone makes mistakes! Part of being human - and one of the best ways to learn. So if this is you today and something has gone wrong, take a breath! Try to keep some perspective, learn from the experience and make sure you don’t make the sa
We are delighted to have Film Florist Amanda Willgrave joining us for our next TP Industry Session. Amanda has created an incredible body of work, with recent credits including Academy Award winner Frankenstein, Hamnet, Wuthering Heights and Neurom
Helping makes the days go quicker, whether you’re at work or not. Reaching out, checking in, supporting or lightening someone else’s load - all important things to do and bring huge benefits all round. The sun is coming out so let&rsquo
We ran our Petty Cash Buying Course, with @theclassicprophirecompany last week, for 10 people who are looking to progress in the role. They learnt more about what the job entails from Asst Buyer Jocelyn Puddephatt, toured the different companies at
February Film Club. There are many new interpretations of classics coming to the screen at the moment and this month we’re revisiting one of the best - Great Expectations, directed by David Lean. Widely regarded as one of the finest British l