Widening access to careers in screen

Earlier this year, Screen Cornwall set up a short-term pilot project aiming to work with new groups and organisations that provide support to children and young adults from a broad range of backgrounds to give them their first taste of filmmaking. The project was broad in its scope, guided by the needs and interests of each individual/group to ultimately deliver experiential workshops, technical skills development or further professional support. The majority of individuals had no substantial filmmaking experience, yet, as this project has shown, removing that barrier enables them to make a start. 

 

The initial consultation identified a clear desire for accessible workshops appropriate for a wide range of ages and interests, so we worked with support staff from a number of different organisations to design several options for course structures.

 

The first sessions saw a young group of 7-9 year olds take part in a freeform session which got them hands-on with cameras for the first time. It proved to be high energy, nothing off limits and an emphasis on playing saw them explore their own ideas together and engage with drama and performance as well as the chance to use the kit.

Other sessions, designed for older adults wanting to develop their skills and experience, saw a small group of two learning to breakdown a lighting and camera setups for a simple dialogue or interview scenario. Sound and interview skills were also covered.

 

Screen Cornwall has also helped facilitate young people to shoot and document their own projects and events. Learning camera and sound skills in advance before applying them in a practical setting, enabled them to record fly-on-the-wall video content to be used in promotion and marketing, giving them complete ownership of the end result.

 

The final element of our outreach sessions was a longer script to screen workshop, during which a group of eight new and first time filmmakers to develop their own short film over the course of a week. With a simple 5 minute script prepared in advance, the group broke out into groups and worked together to prep, plan and ultimately shoot the film at Bill’s Attic Krowji. Working with professional actors was a new opportunity for most, and the group took the lead in directing, filming, sound recording and art direction, supported by a team of professional mentors. The final film is in the edit and nearing completion.

 

Over 20 individuals were directly engaged as a result of this pilot programme, and many lines of communication with organisations who can support greater accessibility into the screen sector have been established. Screen Cornwall is immensely grateful for the time, expertise and support from every organisation who’s contributed towards the project.

 

With the recent BFI Screen Culture 2033 strategy emphasising the importance of anyone who would like to pursue a career in filmmaking, regardless of background or geographic location, the learning from this pilot is now being taken forward into Screen Cornwall’s longer term strategy around skills & career paths.