Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Hope your weekend is full of pumpkin carving, hot chocolate and scary films!

We have been delivering and planning some new courses and working with new entrants getting started on their first productions. 

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO

GETTING STARTED IN SET DECORATING AND PROPS

We have completed 3 of the 6 sessions of this course and have really enjoyed working with this fantastic group of trainees. So far we have looked at the Art Department, Set Decorating and Props teams – CVs, portfolios and How to be a Great Assistant is still to come! Looking forward to meeting them all in person at the November networking sessions. 

THINGS COMING UP

STEPPING UP TO SUPERVISING ART DIRECTOR - January 2026We will be opening applications for our next Stepping Up to Supervising Art Director course in November. This 5 part course (zoom and in person) will be for existing Art Directors looking to move up into this senior grade. We will be working with Production Designer Patrick Rolfe who will be sharing his experiences of the role through out the course. A Supervising Art Director experienced in Band 4 productions will also join us to examine the differences in scope and scale on large scale studio productions. The course will run in January 2026 and is funded by the Film Skills Fund, so free to participants. We also have travel and dependent care bursaries for the in-person sessions. Please register interest at info@talkingpointfilm.co.uk

ONE TO ONE CAREER SESSIONS

We have been working with the trainees on ScreenSkills’ Trainee Finder to identify next steps and help them move onto new productions. These sessions are great for looking at where skills and knowledge gaps are, discussing ideas on how to meet them and having a CV and portfolio check. Also great for getting rid of imposter syndrome and procrastination! More details on the website

FILM CLUB

The second instalment of our Film Club will be on Instagram today – we had such a good response to My Name is Joe and hope to hear from many of you on this month’s choice too. Please do share your comments and thoughts on the page!

THINGS WE HAVE BEEN ENJOYING

We have enjoyed/been so impressed with the extreme logistics of The Classic Prop Hire Co move….what an undertaking. But it seems to be well underway now and looking good! We would expect no less - congratulations to all the team and hope you all get some rest soon!

Riot Women is the new BBC  binge-worthy box set – Yorkshire looks as good as ever, Sally Wainwright’s usual poignant writing, amazing cast with brilliant performances and a great soundtrack. On iplayer now. 

The cold weather is definitely on its way and along with it dry hands – particularly if you are working on location or in cold workshops. One of the best hand creams we’ve found for this is La Roche Posay Cicaplast – it’s not fragranced, so not a bougie experience by any stretch but it definitely does the trick!

INDUSTRY TOP TIP

As the days get darker and shorter, looking after yourself becomes even more important. Eat proper food, rest, take the vitamins and heed this sensible advice from Assistant Buyer Matilda Eldon McCaig (Jack of Spades, Hamnet, Masters of the Air):

“Walking, fresh air and staying hydrated are hugely beneficial in maintaining focus and energy. Incorporating these into your day will help maintain a high standard of work as well as a small act of kindness to yourself.”