February News
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Spring is definitely on its way as we gallop towards it in the new Year of the Horse! Snowdrops are out and productions are picking up. We hope to see more being greenlit over the next few weeks and are hopeful that more people will be getting started on jobs soon.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO
STEPPING UP TO SUPERVISING ART DIRECTOR
Our Supervising Art Director course came to an end with an in-person networking event. It has been a really informative 5 weeks for a great group of engaged Art Directors.
Huge thanks to our lead tutor Patrick Rolfe and guest speaker Nick Gottschalk who were both extremely generous and candid with their experiences of supervising across a wide range of shows.
MENTORING NETWORK
We have been looking at all the necessary elements required to be a successful assistant on our Mentoring Network programme – these have included understanding how the industries operate, what good communication looks like, top tips for assisting and the final session this week will focus on how to thrive and manage well-being as a film freelancer. Then we move onto One to One sessions, in person networking and meeting mentors!
FILM LONDON PARTNERSHIP
We spent 3 days this month running an Introduction to the Art Dept course for Film London’s Equal Access Network. This in-person course covered insights into what working in film and HETV drama is really like, how the Art Department is structured, working in Set Decorating and Props – lots of practical exercises and opportunities to meet people. It was a really fun 3 days and if you are looking to get started in the industry and are based in London, the Equal Access Network is a great place to begin. Thanks to Film London for all their support.
COMING UP
WORKING IN ART DEPT, SET DECORATING & PROPS – Thursday 5th March 10-12:30
This informal Zoom session is ideal if you are looking for information on the different art department teams, what they all do, how they collaborate and what you need to do to get onto a production.
More information on the website.
INDUSTRY SESSIONS Flowers in Film with Amanda Willgrave – March 21st Zoom 10:00 – 11:30
Amanda is one of the leading film florists and will be joining us to talk about her work on recent productions including Wuthering Heights, Hamnet and Frankenstein. We will also be looking at how the floral, props and set decorating teams collaborate and what can be done to ensure positive working environments. More details on the website
INDUSTRY SESSIONS Talking to Production Designer Suzie Davies & Set Decorator Charlotte Dirickx Coming in April! Wuthering Heights, Saltburn, Conclave and much more! More info soon.
PROPS COURSE - Applications are now open
Our Props Course has been running for over 10 years, has trained over 200 trainees, over 75% of whom have had consistent work on large scale productions – one has recently stepped into a Prop Master role! The training works!
THINGS WE HAVE BEEN ENJOYING
We were delighted to see such a fantastic array of UK talent on show at the BAFTAs on Sunday – huge congratulations to all those nominated and to our mentees and mentors who worked on these productions. It was also great to see UK independent film being celebrated to the extent that it was - a genuine reminder of the importance of storytelling and of cinema. On to the Oscars!
Putting the final touches to our new guidebook and website – have we enjoyed it? It’s a pretty painful experience dotting all the I’s and crossing the many t’s – look forward to hearing what people think.
The Botivo / Ottolenghi collab is delicious! Think bitterness of G&T without the angst!
INDUSTRY TOP TIP
“If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t – use your common sense.”
It feels quite basic but this is so important and in the maelstrom of production, often neglected.
One to remember!
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