Broadcast: In My View

Everyone benefits from having a well-trained freelance community, says Nick Catliff

In The Guardian recently, Maggie Brown declared that TV was in a “chaotic state”, relying “too heavily on poorly trained freelancers”. More than 50% of independent TV employers said they couldn’t afford to invest in training, which wasn’t a priority in the current economic climate.

As chairman of the Indie Training Fund (ITF) – a non-profit training provider for TV and digital media professionals – I just don’t recognise the picture Maggie paints. There are some skills shortages in TV and many freelancers struggle to build a coherent career path but, at the same time, the indie sector is carrying out a great deal of high-quality training.

Recent Skillset research reveals that more than 60% of TV indies have funded or arranged training or development in the past year. Nearly 70% offered it to people on short-term contracts.

Much of it is in-house. Companies such as Lime Pictures and Shed Media have shrewdly decided to resolve skills shortages by training their own teams.

Other indies, from giants like Shine, Endemol, Zodiak and Talkback Thames to leaner outfits like Feelgood Fiction, Oxford Film & TV, Windfall Films, Wildfire and my own company, Lion, provide financial backing for the ITF. In return, each receives tailor-made training for their staff.

Through the ITF, these companies also make a major contribution to the Skillset TV Skills Fund, which provides training bursaries for freelancers and employees.

By far the largest funder of Skillset is the BBC, which, as well as putting cash into training schemes across the industry, trains large numbers of its own staff at the BBC Academy. This in turn feeds into the indie community since virtually everyone who goes through a BBC course will sooner or later turn up on a freelance contract at an indie.  Similarly, we should welcome Channel 4’s commitment to train a new generation of TV journalists for Dispatches. The best will go on to work in the indie sector.

Funding will always be an issue. Sky, ITV and the cable channels are among those who withdrew financial support from Skillset some years ago. The indie sector can and should do better.

While we all benefit from training across the board, many companies do little in-house training and don’t provide funding for the industry’s key training organisation, the ITF. Frankly, they are getting a free ride.

I would argue that, for all indies, training is enlightened self-interest. Better-trained staff means better programmes and better use of ever-tightening budgets.

Offering top-quality training is also a way for any company to attract and retain the best people, since it shows a clear commitment that goes beyond the limitations of yet another short-term contract.

There are many ways to achieve this and I, of course, would urge any indie to contribute to the ITF and work with us to understand any skills gaps and provide the best training.

In co-operation with our partners – including broadcasters, Pact, Skillset, the BBC Academy and other training providers – we’re determined to lead the way by developing the professional skills of the next generation of programme-makers.

Nick Catliff is managing director of Lion Television and chairs the Indie Training Fund

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: BBC Academy, channel 4, endemol, Feelgood Fiction, ITF, Lion Television, Oxford Film & TV, pact, Shine, Skillset, Talkback Thames, Wildfire, Windfall Films, Zodiak
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ITF development events in partnership with Northern Film & Media:

Intro to TV Drama Production Management
12 January 2012 Newcastle *Skillset funding applies
A one-day workshop for production staff covering the basics of production management for TV drama
in partnership with Northern Film & Media.
For further details and to apply contact: bookings@indietrainingfund.com 

Intro to Factual Production Management
20 January 2012 Newcastle *Skillset funding available
One day Indie Training Fund workshop in partnership with Northern Film & Media covering the basic elements of production management in factual programmes.
For further details and to apply contact: bookings@indietrainingfund.com

*About the Skillset funding grants…

* For our Management & Leadership courses: up to 80% for experienced TV freelancers, or 50% for employees (including a proportion of travel and accommodation expenses where relevant), so apply now

Helpful hints on how to apply for Skillset funding, click here

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: drama production, factual TV, ITF, northern film & media, regional courses, skillset bursary
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Nick Catliff, joint Managing Director of Lion TV, and the new Chairman of the Indie Training Fund, has launched a new TV industry Training Promise.

The Indie Training Promise has been devised and backed by the Indie Training Fund’s Trustees who include ITF members Endemol, IMG Sports Media, Kudos, Lion, Talkback Thames, Tern, Wildfire and Zodiak UK. It invites indies and broadcasters to make five commitments to invest in the development of the professional and creative skills of their workforce – see full Promise text.

Over the next few months ITF will be talking to indies throughout the UK about how the Promise can benefit them, and aims to have at least 50 companies signed up by the end of the year.
Channel 4’s 4Talent has already declared its support for the Promise.

Catliff takes over from Philip Clarke, chief executive of Wildfire TV, at a time when squeezed budgets and on-going broadcaster cuts make ITF members’ funding for industry training more vital than ever before.

ITF’s new Chair Nick Catliff said:
“Training is a crucial issue for the entire industry. Whether you are an indie, an in-house producer or a broadcaster, your staff are you biggest cost and your most important asset. With some notable exceptions we don’t invest enough in developing the creative people on whom the future of our industry lies. I’m delighted to be taking over the Chair of the Indie Training Fund, and to be announcing this important new initiative

This Promise is intended to focus minds on the fact that training is something that starts with each company – without it our businesses, our people and our industry as a whole cannot thrive.  ITF and its member indies are key players in supporting training  in terms of both its own acclaimed short courses, its significant contributions to the Skillset TV Skills Fund, and its practical involvement in so many industry initiatives.

I’d also like to express my thanks and appreciation to my predecessor Philip Clarke for his stewardship of ITF over the past decade. I now want to take it forward to the next stage, to get indies to sign up to the Training Promise, and to join ITF and so get the benefits of the best possible development for their teams.”

Outgoing ITF Chair Philip Clarke (MD of Wildlfire and Feelgood Fiction) commented: “Since separating ourselves from Pact, ITF is now thriving as an energetic, independent organisation committed solely to training. It’s a good moment to pass the Chair over to Nick who will bring new energy and commitment to the project starting with the Training Promise which is an excellent and very timely idea.”

Skillset Chief Executive Dinah Caine said: “We are delighted to support the Indie Training Promise, and congratulate ITF on developing such an excellent initiative. This promise covers the key areas that need to be addressed if we are to keep our industry at the cutting edge. With some 1,100 indies employing more than 40 per cent of the television workforce, this Training Promise will make a huge difference to our industry if it is embraced properly. We would also like to remind all indies that there are funds available through our TV Skills Fund, to which the ITF is a key contributor, to help their employees and freelancers access training and thus fulfil the first two steps of this Promise.”

BBC Academy Director Anne Morrison added: “We thoroughly endorse the values and objectives of the Indie Training Promise. We share the vision of creating and maintaining a highly skilled creative media production sector, and agree that training the professionals who work in our vibrant indie sector is a top priority for UK media and for its audiences.”

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: 4 Talent, BBC Academy, Indie Training Promise, ITF, Lion Television, Skillset
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Fast Train arrives…

Wednesday 18 May at White City

Latest update from BBC Academy

Fast Train will be the biggest free training event in the UK for TV, film and digital media freelancers , offering up to 500 freelancers the unique chance to sample a wide range of sessions from the industry’s leading providers. It is sponsored by Skillset and hosted by the BBC Academy at White City.

Here’s everything you ever needed to know, and more, about getting your broadcast career on the fast track!
Short training sessions will be provided by the BBC Academy, BECTU, the Indie Training Fund, DV Talent, ShortCourses@NFTS, Skills2Film, Think Bigger! VET, and Skillset Media Academies, with the support of Channel 4 and many independent production companies.

Skillset will also be on hand to discuss bursaries and guide freelancers through the application process. All attendees at Fast Train will be eligible to receive up to £1000 for training from Skillset via the TV Skills Fund. To find out more, just visit the Skillset stand on the day, or go to www.skillset.org/tvfunding.

Fast Train will comprise practical workshops, half-day courses and short “tasters” covering all aspects of production; In total there will be 122 practical sessions covering career development, technical, multiplatform, social media, creativity, lighting, sound and directing.

ITF is offering the following one-hour top tip tasters from our day and half-day Short Courses:

* Researcher’s Survival Guide – led by creative media trainer Pam Relton
* Cross-platform Storytelling – led by multiplatform producer/screenwriter Sean Coleman (Executive Producer of Cell & Kirill at Endemol)
* Dealing with Difficult People – led by Sue Ahern of Creative People, former producer & head of training for BBC Radio
* Devising & Monetising Successful Apps – led by Jon Davenport, Head of Digital at Hat Trick (producer of Fonejacker)
* Generating Innovative Content – led by creative media trainer Pam Relton
* Multiplatform: Joined-up Production – led by Kirsty Hunter, MD of The Project Factory UK & former Head of Interactive at Lion (producer of Britain from Above & Horrible Histories for BBC)
* Reviewing your Career Options: a workshop for women returning to work in TV - led by Sue Ahern of Creative People, former producer & head of training for BBC Radio

A huge range of master classes and other sessions will also be open to all.

‘How To Make It As An Indie’, run by Pact, will be a practical master class for those thinking about starting their own independent production company.

A host of key industry figures will also be holding master classes at Fast Train. These will include Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes, Sky Atlantic HD, Sky 1HD, 2 & Pick TV, and Zai Bennett, Controller of BBC3 and Richard Klein, Controller of BBC3.

Karl Warner, Commissioner Comedy Entertainment, BBC1 & BBC3 and Andrew Jackson, Deputy Head of Features, Channel 4 will reveal the secrets for pitching and winning commissions. And the programme makers behind the hit shows of the past year will be telling all.

Want to know how to get your shows commissioned? Desperate to get your hands on the latest HD and 3D cameras? Want to learn the secrets of great writing from developing an idea through to pre-titles tease? Need to know how to sell your series via social media?

Get top tips from the people in the know and hear from the industry’s finest how they did it!

Registration is open now.
To see the full schedule so far, and to book up to 3 free sessions, go to: http://fastrain.eventbrite.com
Minimum entry requirement: two years’ experience in the broadcast industry and/or three broadcast credits.

What happens next?

You submit your choices (the practical sessions and master classes plus Networking drinks) via the site.
You must then e mail your CV to –  bbcacademy@bbc.co.uk
Once they have received your CV – they will check to see if you meet the criteria of having worked within the broadcast industry for a minimum of two years and or have three broadcast credits to your name.

If you don’t meet the criteria – you will receive an email stating you have been unsuccessful in your application.

If you do meet the criteria – you will receive an email stating you have successfully reserved a place on your chosen practical sessions, master classes and/or Networking Drinks.

Ten days before the Fast Train day you will receive an email asking you to confirm you wish to still attend your specified practical sessions, master classes and Networking drinks.  You MUST reply to this email to ensure you have fully reserved you place.  If you do not reply to this email your place will no longer be held and your space will be given away to others.

Registration on the day

The latest you can register to finally secure your place and entry into your chosen session/s  is THIRTY minutes prior to the start of your first session on Wednesday 18th May 2011 at BBC White City Fast Train reception.  For example – if you session starts at 9:30hrs you MUST have registered at the Fast Train reception desk no later than 9:00hrs.  If you have not registered thirty minutes prior to the start of your first session then you will forfeit your place and your place on that session will be given to the first person on the waiting list.

How are the spaces allocated?

All spaces for the practical sessions, master classes and the Networking drinks will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Access

If you require assisted access or have any other requirements you wish to make BBC Academy aware of – please e mail (bbcacademy@bbc.co.uk) to let them know.

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: BBC Academy, BECTU, dv talent, Indie Training Fund, ITF, NFTS, Skillset, VET
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A series of one-day professional development modules for practitioners with significant experience in the film & TV archive sector, especially the evolving digital area, metadata, and associated rights issues.

This training is provided by a partnership of FT2, VET, FOCAL International, the Imperial War Museum, and the Indie Training Fund.  It is supported by the Skillset Film Skills Fund with UK Film Council Lottery funding.

Confirmed modules are:

ARCHIVE RIGHTS

Wednesday, 17 February, 2010: run by the Indie Training Fund in London SE1.

Price: £100.

More information and the application form are available from the Recruitment
page of the FT2 website

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: archive rights, Focal, ft2, Imperial War Museum, ITF, Skillset, UK Film Council, VET
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Some thoughts from Mike Flood Page

THINK MULTIPLATFORM

Creative Development
Who or what is or are:-
the big idea/proposition/USP?
Client, stakeholders
Your audience/user groups
Touch Points a.k.a. media use
How can you reach them/how will they find you?
What’s in it for them; why should they bother?
What will keep them coming back?
Product, Event or Service
Platforms: broadband, mobile, social network, print, live events…
Competition
Business model – who  pays, why?

Some useful URLS
illumina
who do you think you are
get cooking
quizmania
webquests
bbci player
britannia high
big brother
springwatch
stagework
last fm
nike
breaking the news

Thanks to all the contributors and delegates for their input on ITF’s first Multiplatform: Winning Commissions workshop which made it so productive. Participants had the unique opportunity to pitch projects they’d developed in teams during the workshop to multiplatform commissioners Nick Cohen (BBC) and Adam Gee (C4), who shared their preferences and aversions with the delegates, as well as giving invaluable feedback to them on their proposals. The workshop day was led by Illumina Digital Editorial Director Mike Flood Page who revealed how to develop and plan successful projects for different media, and Endemol Digital’s Jim Harrison gave a commercial perspective about making branded content for non-broadcast platforms.

“brilliant and very effective… advice  was very clear and well demonstrated” (Morgana Pugh – RDF Media)
“All of it was very useful” (Margaret Schmueck – Split Second Films)
“It was useful to pitch straight to the commissioner, and check out that we were thinking along the right lines” (Alexis Burke – RDF Media)

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: Add new tag, Commissioning, Illumina, ITF, multiplatform, training
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New year sale…book these courses now at the 2008 price…

space

Generating Creative Ideas – 20/01/09 London

Rejuvenate and refresh your creative thinking techniques for 2009 with this inspirational one-day course. Practical applications will be used to help you develop and generate TV programme ideas.

For anyone in production who is involved with generating, researching and/or producing programme ideas.

Coping with Archive Clips – 29/01/09 London

A one-day workshop to enable production staff to access library material speedily, efficiently, economically and to best effect…within budget and time-scale.

For production staff of all levels who are regularly asked to do archive research as part of their job.

For a full course list, dates and prices go to the training area of this site

or email bookings@indietrainingfund.com

Posted by indietrainingfund
Tags: Christmas, ITF, itf blog, Short Courses, special offers
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