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EUROPEAN TRAINING SPECIAL 2014
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EuropEan Training UK office MBI, 101 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1RS Tel: +44 (0) 20 3033 4267 US office Screen International, 8581 Santa Monica Blvd, #707, West Hollywood, CA 90069 E-mail: firstname.lastname@screendaily.com (unless stated) Editorial Editor Wendy Mitchell +44 (0) 20 3033 2816 Training supplement editor Leon Forde News editor Michael Rosser +44 (0) 20 3033 2720 Chief critic and reviews editor Mark Adams +44 (0) 20 3033 4213 Group head of production and art Mark Mowbray +44 (0) 20 3638 5060 Group art director, MBI Peter Gingell +44 (0) 20 3033 4203 peter.gingell@mb-insight.com Chief reporter Andreas Wiseman +44 (0) 20 3033 2848 Contributing editors Sarah Cooper, Leon Forde, John Hazelton, Louise Tutt Contributing reporter Ian Sandwell Advertising and publishing Commercial director Andrew Dixon +44 (0) 20 3033 2928 Sales manager Scott Benfold +44 (0) 20 3638 5050 Sales manager Nadia Romdhani (maternity leave) UK, South Africa, Middle East Andrew Dixon +44 (0) 20 3033 2928 France, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Scott Benfold +44 (0) 20 3638 5050 Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux, Eastern Europe Gunter Zerbich +44 (0) 20 3033 2930 Italy, Asia, India Ingrid Hammond +39 05 7829 8768 ingridhammond@mac.com VP business development, North America Nigel Daly +1 323 654 2301 / 213 447 5120 nigeldalymail@gmail.com Production manager Jonathon Cooke +44 (0) 20 3033 4296 jonathon.cooke@mb-insight.com Group commercial director, MBI Alison Pitchford +44 (0) 20 3033 2949 alison.pitchford@mb-insight.com Subscription customer service +44 (0) 1604 828 706 help@subscribe.screendaily.com Festival and events manager Mai Le +44 (0) 20 3033 2950 mai.le@mb-insight.com Sales administrator Justyna Zieba +44 (0) 20 3033 2694 justyna.zieba@mb-insight.com Chief Executive, MBI Conor Dignam +44 (0) 20 3033 2717 conor.dignam@mb-insight.com Screen International is part of Media Business Insight Ltd (MBI), also publisher of Broadcast and shots
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Tools for Tomorrow Europe has always been ahead of the pack in the training of auteurs. What’s so crucial about film industry training across Europe now is that the sector is keen to also prepare the next generation of business people and entrepreneurs. And let’s face it, even the auteurs these days have to know the market. Training programmes are offering more practical information than ever before, which is a vital part of the package. After all, what’s the point of training someone to do a job if that job won’t exist in two years? There are many changes in the industry to which training providers must respond — from the rise of 3D to commercial imperatives to work across platforms to building a more diverse workforce that better repre-
sents audiences. That can include encouraging more work between the film and TV industries and looking at new digital platforms as viable creative outlets. As one film education expert notes, there has been a “mindshift” from industry experts imparting wisdom at the front of a classroom to more hands-on and open teaching methods. It’s exciting to see entrepreneurialism being developed alongside auteurism, and the growth of project-driven schemes that can make a measurable difference in a film getting made. Thanks to innovations in European training, artists of all disciplines are learning the skills to build sustainable careers. Wendy Mitchell, editor
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2 A bright future
8 success stories
17 Access All AreAs
An overview of updated approaches to training across Europe
The various approaches to training European screenwriters
4 AheAd of the clAss
10 cross purposes
Initiatives aiming to address the lack of diversity in the film industry and help people from under-represented groups build sustainable careers
How is training for European producers keeping pace with new financing models and opportunities?
Transmedia is a growing part of Europe’s training offer as the industry explores storytelling across platforms.
6 MAnAging directors Europe is home to some of the most renowned film schools in the industry, but what are the training options after graduation?
13 cAuse And effects How the industry sources VFX talent — and how the available training prepares entrants for work
18 festivAl guides Training has become an integral part of many international festivals
20 new tricks of the trAde Even established talent is seeing the benefits of improving skills
European Training Special 2014 Screen International 1 n
Students at the UK’s National Film and Television School
A bright future European training providers are helping students of all ages and skill levels adapt to the changing market demands of the film industry. Louise Tutt looks at the updated approaches
I
t is one thing for Europe’s film industries to nurture collectively their next generations through dynamic film schools, insightful mid-career training initiatives and plentiful workshops. But it is another to ensure there is a future in which those young professionals can thrive. With around 1,000 European films produced each year, mostly aimed at an increasingly fragmented and distracted cinema audience, the major players in the European film training sector have a firm emphasis on encouraging filmmakers, both new and established, to engage with potential audiences at the earliest possible point. As the fight for theatrical screens across the continent gets tougher for moderate to low-budget films, new technology is providing film-makers with alternative, potentially lucrative, routes
‘OK, you want your content on iTunes? What are the steps? Who do you talk to?’ Nadja Radojevic, Erich Pommer Institut
n 2 Screen International European Training Special 2014
to audiences. And the training sector is aiming to guide film-makers through the multiple, complex options. “There are all sorts of opportunities out there but it can be scary as you can get lost in the digital ocean quite quickly,” suggests Deborah Sathe, head of talent development and production at the UK’s Film London. “If you are one lone film trying to get noticed in a digital landscape, it can be very tough. We teach them to be the strongest proposition possible in that landscape.” Film London is in the second year of its Build Your Audience programme (formerly known as Audience on Demand), a project-based initiative delivered by industry professionals and mentors. Up to 10 teams of low-budget first and second-time film-makers are guided through the rapidly changing landscape of feature film distribution,
sales and marketing. The focus is on the early establishment of who the audience might be for their film and how to reach it via alternative distribution methods. “We are exploring a new pathway into the industry that allows film-makers to have viable careers that earn them money and builds best practice in distribution,” says Sathe. Giving film-makers the tools to navigate digital distribution channels is a speciality of Germany’s Erich Pommer Institut (EPI). “We are very hands-on and specific,” says Nadja Radojevic, head of international training at EPI. The organisation hosts cutting-edge, highly targeted seminars on subjects such as video-on-demand, digital strategy and rights clearing. “OK, you want your content on iTunes? What are the steps? Who do you talk to? What kind of
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ovErviEw EuropEan training
deliverables do you have to provide? What do they cost? What kind of contract do you have to sign? Can you negotiate?” says Radojevic of the nitty-gritty to which EPI’s seminars drill down. One of its most popular offerings is Trans Atlantic Partners, an annual training and networking initiative in which around 25 established producers from North America and Europe are matched with potential co-producers, via partner organisations Canadian Media Production Association and IFP in the US. European and Canadian producers learn quickly how audience-savvy their US counterparts are. “They think, ‘I’ll make this film because it’s important, but it also has a very specific audience and I will target that audience,’” says Radojevic of the US producers. “European and Canadian producers learn from this approach.”
Entrepreneurial spirit Thinking laterally about the audience is one of the major principles of the new 10-month diploma course, Entrepreneurial Producing for the Creative Industries (EPCRI), at the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS). Run by experienced producer Chris Auty, EPCRI is a multi-disciplinary offering that teaches an international group of 10 business students how to exploit opportunities across the film, TV, theatre, publishing, music and games industries. “Digital technology is revolutionising the way these various business areas touch each other,” Auty explains. “What makes this course unique is the crossmedia aspect and the depth of experience and applied entrepreneurship we expose them to.” The course is sponsored by Patrick McKenna, CEO of Ingenious Media and the new chairman of NFTS, and is championed by Richard Branson. Entrepreneurs from across the sectors tutor students by sharing invaluable intelligence on how they established their businesses. Students sign extensive non-disclosure agreements thanks to the amount of commercially sensitive information to which they are exposed. In Paris, leading French film school La Fémis is taking a similar cross-disciplinary approach with the introduction of a three-year post-graduate course, SACRe, with the aim of encouraging the students’ creativity across the fields of
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Overview: Creative eurOpe MeDia Creative Europe MEDIA is the new name for the European Commission’s support of the region’s film and audiovisual development, distribution and promotional activities. It is part of Creative Europe, which came into force in January and encompasses all of Europe’s cultural and creative industries. Xavier Troussard is head of unit, Creative Europe MEDIA. All courses and training
programmes co-financed by the MEDIA Programme run until the end of 2014, under a two-year contract that started in 2012. The application process is now open for all courses seeking Creative Europe MEDIA funding for 2015-16, with a deadline of May 2014. Three new initiatives in audience development and film literacy, international coproductions and video games will
film, theatre and the visual arts. With a focus on creativity rather than business, La Fémis is running the course with five other arts schools in the city. “We are encouraging them to be open-minded,” says Marc Nicolas, director general of La Fémis on the course’s multi-faceted approach. The school’s second innovation is the introduction of a one-year postgraduate course in TV series writing. It is in direct response to the rising global popularity of TV drama series — such as Canal Plus’ The Returned — which sell well around the world, both as concepts and as original content. “It’s a new thing for France,” Nicolas explains. “We needed to accelerate the training of new writers, as in the past French TV has been centred around made-for-TV films rather than series.” The increase in international TV production is having a direct effect on training across Europe. In the UK, the introduction of the tax credit for highend television production in April 2013 has prompted an inward investment boom. Coupled with the film tax relief, the rise in demand for crews and certain
‘We want people to move up confidently and capably’ Dan Simmons, Creative Skillset
EPCRI course: ChannelFlip co-founder Justin Gayner with students
be launched this year, with more expected to follow. Several refinements have already been welcomed by practitioners in the training sector including the introduction of a time-saving online application process. Applicants are also now able to apply for 60% of the total budget of their initiative, up from 50% previously, with 70% of the funding to now be delivered up front, compared to 60% previously.
skills (as well as locations and facilities) has prompted training body Creative Skillset to invest significantly in programmes that address this challenge. “There are not major shortfalls in any one area,” says Dan Simmons, head of film at Creative Skillset. “It is more nuanced than that. It is more about, ‘What does this particular production need at this point in time?’” Creative Skillset, which supports all of the UK’s creative industries, also administers the UK’s Skills Investment Fund, financed by a levy on UK production spend by films and now high-end television shoots. The body is working with the Production Guild of Great Britain, the British Film Commission, and the media and entertainment trade union BECTU to invest in and support specific courses that train the existing workforce to fill any real or perceived skills gap. “We want people to move up confidently and capably, particularly on the production office side, with production accounting, location and production management and assistant production accounts,” says Simmons. “We are also supporting mentoring and shadowing programmes to build the confidence of producers and employers in people with whom they haven’t worked before.” He points to the benefits of a mobile workforce with skills transferable across the film and TV sector. Considerable emphasis is also being placed on training UK crews to work on US productions. There are now courses for UK production accountants on understanding US accounting and payroll procedures. “We want to minimise the reasons an overseas production would bring an overseas s crew with them,” says Simmons. n
European Training Special 2014 Screen International 3 n
EuropEan Training producErS
‘T
he old way of training is dead. It doesn’t work any more,” declares Jani Thiltges, head of studies at European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE), a training, project development and networking organisation. In a globalised digital age, producer training schemes that focus on traditional film-financing models with classroom-style teaching in which seasoned experts hand down their wisdom no longer make sense, Thiltges contends. He talks of a “mindshift” in approaches to producer training, including a move towards more open teaching methods. “We are more and more [focused] on group work and an interactive way of learning,” Thiltges explains. European producer training is adapting to a new reality in which the role is changing to encompass new methods of financing and distribution as well as opportunities in digital, TV drama and other spheres. Rising interest in TV drama is reflected by initiatives such as the European TV Drama Series Lab — offered by Germany’s Erich Pommer Institut in association with MediaXchange — while last September the Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) in cooperation with London Film School (LFS), launched Serial Eyes. This is an intensive nine-month training scheme in TV serial writing and production. Meanwhile EAVE regularly brings in experts from Scandinavian TV drama to its European Producers Workshop, among them Nimbus Film’s Bo Ehrhardt, whose credits include feature Valhalla Rising and series The Bridge.
Marketing forces Schemes such as EAVE’s Film Marketing Workshop encourage producers to engage with the marketplace, a vital skill in the age of social media. “It’s weird now to say, but marketing was almost like a bad word,” Thiltges recalls of the attitude that this was an area best left to distributors. “Nowadays, with the young producers, we put a lot of focus on marketing and the new forms of distribution.” Simon Perry, chairman of Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE) — which offers high-level training, networking and development support for independent producers — echoes Thiltges’ remarks. “The old methods of distribution are basically broken. For 95% of films that are trying to be made, the market just
Delegates at EAVE’s European Producers Workshop
Ahead of the class How is training for European producers keeping pace with new financing models and emerging opportunities in television and digital? Geoffrey Macnab reports doesn’t produce any money from the traditional sources. The sales agents are just not in the position to put up any meaningful guarantees. The distributors are very reluctant,” Perry notes. “At the same time, the new platforms and types of distribution are not producing any proper money to assist production.” Training has to reflect this new reality. With money from the marketplace drying up, ACE tutors its producers on how to apply for public funding, which regional funds they can tap and how to utilise incentives. They are also encouraged to consider how the industry is evolving. One key topic is windows and the shortening journey from theatrical release to DVD, VoD and SVoD. For independent films, multi-platform releasing is becoming more of an option. Entrepreneurialism is another key training trend. Last year, the UK’s National Film and Television School launched its Entrepreneurial Producing for the Creative Industries course, while LFS now runs a one-year Masters programme, The International Film Business, alongside the University of Exeter. Creative England recently launched Compass, a business development programme for executives, producers and entrepreneurs, while Film London is
n 4 Screen International European Training Special 2014
‘For 95% of films that are trying to be made, the market just doesn’t produce any money from the traditional sources’ Simon Perry, Ateliers du Cinéma Européen
offering Build Your Audience, a scheme intended to help film-makers sell their projects in a fast-changing marketplace. Amsterdam’s Binger Filmlab offers a Creative Producers Lab, which is fully integrated into its Writers Lab, while Spain’s Media Business School offers both high-level business training for producers (through Mega Plus) and its Multi Platform Business School. Sheffield Doc/Fest has now launched its Future Producer School. European producer training courses are also establishing links with Asian, Latin American and African partners among others. EAVE runs its Interchange workshops in Torino and Dubai, and Ties That Bind workshops in Udine and Busan. Meanwhile ACE has staged workshops in Chile, China and Japan. Even experienced producers highlight the importance of continued training — and the networking opportunities it can bring. Dutch producer Marleen Slot, the founder of Viking Film, has attended EAVE, ACE and has been a Producer On The Move in Cannes. “I did EAVE in 2007 and ACE in 2009 and still I’m working with a lot of people I met,” Slot says. “You learn through other people’s experiences. You learn best from the s successes and mistakes of others.” n
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Managing directors With Europe home to some of the most renowned film schools in the industry, aspiring directors are spoilt for choice. But what are the training options after graduation? Louise Tutt reports
N
MDS_Adv_186x126_ING_xSCR_v2 12-03-2014 17:26 Film-makers on the Poland-based EKRAN training programme
ational film schools remain the key providers of training for Europe’s aspiring directors. Well-established and highly respected courses are offered by a range of institutions including the UK’s National Film & Television School (NFTS), Met Film School and London Film School, France’s La Femis, Czech Republic’s FAMU, Denmark’s National Film Academy, Poland’s Lodz Film School, Italy’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and Germany’s Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB). All are highly selective and taught in Pagina 1 the country’s native language. Most are very practical, taught by film profession-
als and aimed at entry-level film-makers who have yet to make their first feature. Once they have graduated and have — hopefully — made their first feature, film directors are pretty much on their own and expected to learn on the job. However, they are not completely without support once out of film school. Europe’s myriad co-production markets, often attached to festivals, support film-making teams that include the director. And when the director is also the screenwriter, there are plenty of writing workshops to support that stage of the process. Other initiatives, such as Screen Training Ireland’s VFX: Script to
Cinemas and audiences are in a constant state of flux. To retain your competitive edge it is more important than ever to be aware of on-going change within both global and European exhibition. Such preparation is essential if you are to embrace successfully all future developments within the sector.
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n 6 Screen International European Training Special 2014
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DIRECTORS EUROPEAN TRAINING
Screen, are aimed at expanding a filmmaker’s knowledge in specific areas of production. The course is aimed at directors (and/or producers) looking to develop skills to produce and manage a VFX project. Gamila Ylstra, the dedicated head of Amsterdam-based Binger Filmlab, points out the participants in its Directors Lab (10 at a time) are sometimes the same as those who take part in the Writers Lab. “They are at a different stage of the project in the sense that the writer becomes the director,” she explains. “They look at the script as a director, from a viewpoint of working with actors, doing a shoot and elaborating on the tone and style of the whole film. They work ‘from what’s on the page’ and ask themselves about the kind of problems they need to solve at pre-production and shooting stages. It’s a very different type of workshop, very much hands-on.” Binger’s four-month Directors Lab is
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a major initiative aimed at directors working on their first or second feature. Cannes Cinefondation’s Residence du Festival for directors is another. “It gives you the time and space to just write your film,” says Pasquale Marino, an Italian director chosen for the 2012 programme after graduating from Rome’s storied Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. “They don’t train you. They just give you the opportunity to stay in an amazing place and put you in contact with people connected to the festival and other directors.” European Film Academy offers a number of year-round programmes including masterclasses from veteran directors and A Sunday In The Country for up-and-coming film-makers. Poland-based EKRAN training programme is another European initiative that works with mid-career directors. It is a collaboration between Wajda Studio and Wajda School in Warsaw, FOCAL in Switzerland, the Austrian Film Insti-
‘The Cannes Residence gives you the time and space to just write your film’ Pasquale Marino, film-maker
tute, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Visegrad Fund and the Lithuanian Film Centre. Directors are selected as part of a creative film-making team of director, writer, producer and cinematographer. The team works at EKRAN to advance the pre-production of their first or second feature. EKRAN is one of the few director-oriented programmes to receive funding from the European Commission’s Creative Europe MEDIA (known as the MEDIA Programme before January). Creative Europe MEDIA’s remit has long been to support all aspects of film development, distribution and exhibition but not production as its position is that this aspect is well supported by national film programmes on a territory-by-territory basis. As many of Europe’s training programmes outside of the film schools and festivals are partly funded by Creative Europe MEDIA, this might be a reason for a lack of mid-career support initias tives aimed solely at directors. ■
European Training Special 2014 Screen International 7 ■
EuropEan training WriTErS
Success stories Script-training initiatives have supported many major projects before they hit the international stage. Geoffrey Macnab explores the various approaches to training European screenwriters
T
ake a look at a range of recent European film successes and it is evident many of the best screenplays have been nurtured in some way by training schemes. From Michael R Roskam’s Oscarnominated Bullhead — whose script was developed at Binger Filmlab in 2005 — to writer-director Hong Khaou’s Lilting — which opened the World Dramatic Competition at Sundance this year and was made through Film London’s Microwave scheme — there are countless examples of successes that were hatched or developed in labs or workshops. Europe’s training landscape caters
to every aspect of the professional screenwriter’s working needs, but certain experienced and successful writers still insist that their craft cannot be taught. “I have always believed you can’t teach people to write,” declares UK screenwriter and showrunner Michael Hirst, whose credits range from Working Title Films’ Elizabeth to TV dramas The Tudors and Vikings. “You can teach them to write, perhaps, to a formula, or teach them to write to a certain level. [But] if you’re a writer, you’ve always written. It’s something that has come naturally.” However, Hirst acknowledges
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that “technical aspects” can be learned and a host of writers’ labs and workshops across Europe — as well as the many screenwriting courses at film schools — offer tyros and experienced writers alike the chance to refine their technique. These include TorinoFilmLab’s various schemes, such as the Script & Pitch development course; Mediterranean Film Institute’s MFI Script 2 Film Workshops, which offer advanced script and project development support to writer-producer teams; Binger Filmlab’s Writers Lab, with its motto “good scripts start on the 10th rewrite”; Sources
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n 8 Screen International European Training Special 2014
2, an advanced training programme for professionals working in script and story development that has helped to develop 100 films since being set up in the early 1990s; the television-focused Serial Eyes, offered by Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) in co-operation with London Film School (LFS); ScripTeast, a development programme run by the Independent Film Foundation in Warsaw for experienced eastern and central European screenwriters; and the Advanced Mentoring Labs offered by London Screenwriters’ Festival, which runs October 24-26 this year.
11.03.14 15:22
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Screen Training Special-3-14_Mise en page 1 04/03/14 14:37 Page1
Ellen Winn Wendl, eQuinoxe Europe
Europe’s screenwriting initiatives are increasingly hands-on. In the UK, schemes such as Microwave and iFeatures give writers and directors the opportunity to make low-budget films. The Bureau’s Save Our Scripts (SOS) aims to connect emerging writers and producers. “In terms of story development generally, one thing we’re talking about a lot is how do you support people to think about audience at an early stage. That is increasingly important,” suggests Dan Simmons, head of film at the UK’s Creative Skillset. Initiatives are also targeted at specific project types. London’s Met Film School, for example, has offered a course on Screenwriting and Genre: Horror. The recently launched PRIME 4Kids&Family programme is billed by German organiser Primehouse as “the only European programme targeted specifically to the development of children’s projects across all development media”. There is also increasing provision of transmedia courses. TorinoFilmLab’s Writers’ Room helps writers to develop crossplatform projects while Power to the Pixel runs Pixel Lab, a cross-media workshop. Complementing these work-
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Sundance hit Lilting was made through Film London’s Microwave scheme
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‘Writing is a very, very isolated profession. We try to pull people out of their isolation’
shops and labs are an increasing number of online screenwriting courses such as Cineuropa’s Scriptwriting Training Online, which offers lessons via e-mail. The most established courses, though, still involve writers and mentors coming together. “Writing is a very, very isolated profession,” says Ellen Winn Wendl, chairman of leading screenwriting workshop eQuinoxe Europe, whose script development programme includes workshops and masterclasses. “With our programme, what we really try to do is pull people out of their isolation.” An increasing number of courses, labs and workshops are also dealing with television drama. High-end TV drama foregrounds the writer — and so there is a sense of the old hierarchies changing, with writers becoming more valued. One of the main goals of many screenwriting workshops is, as Winn Wendl puts it, “to empower the writers and to underline how crucial they are to the film-making process”. Some initiatives still foreground the idea of the auteur. Cannes Cinefondation’s Residence du Festival, for example, has been a notable success in nurturing the careers of rising writer-directors. The idea is to give the chosen laureates space and time to write their feature films in a privileged setting in the heart of Paris. Most training schemes are unashamedly international in outlook. As Simmons puts it: “It is critical for people to build a stronger sense of the international marketplace, to extend their professional network and to have a greater understanding of the appetite for stories in different countries. If people want sustainable careers, you need to be thinking inters nationally.” ■
EAVE 238c rue de Luxembourg L-8077 Bertrange Tel.: (+352) 44 52 10 1 Fax: (+352) 44 52 10 70 eave@eave.org www.eave.org
European Training Special 2014 Screen International 9 ■
Cross purposes Transmedia is a growing part of Europe’s training offer as the industry explores storytelling across platforms. Melanie Goodfellow reports
O
nce the domain of an avantgarde few, transmedia is increasingly part of the mainstream as film-makers engage with the potential of storyworlds that extend over several platforms. Also known as crossmedia, transmedia has been a growing area of training but can seem like a complex business for the uninitiated — not least because it turns traditional film and TV production and distribution practices on their head. “In film, one traditionally keeps everything a secret until the release. The audience reception pattern has
changed, the way we involve the audience must change with it,” says Norwegian film producer Kristine Knudsen, who took a transmedia approach when developing children’s animation Richard The Stork, a Germany-Norway-Belgium-Luxembourg co-production due for delivery in 2015. For professionals wanting to get up to speed, there are an increasing number of courses and labs that tackle how to finance, produce, manage the workflow, distribute and attract audiences in this fast-evolving sphere.
Knudsen attended the 2013 edition of Pixel Lab, run by London-based Power to the Pixel (PttP) as part of the development process for Richard The Stork. The six-month lab annually welcomes up to 20 producers with a project and 20 media professionals without from several creative disciplines to develop their cross-platform projects through face-to-face workshops and online collaboration. Teachers and mentors on the 2014 lab will include transmedia producer Nuno Bernardo, film producer Diana Elbaum, games expert Thomas Howalt, literary agent Michelle Kass, transmedia guru Michel Reilhac and content strategist Adam Sigel. Aside from Richard The Stork, other productions developed in the lab to date include Arman and Arash T Riahi’s crossmedia documentary Everyday Rebellion, about non-violent protest (Left) Richard The Stork
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■ 10 Screen International European Training Special 2014
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Transmedia EuropEan training
around the globe, and the Danish online sci-fi game and drama Cloud Chamber. “The workshop helped us analyse the project and find its core, which can be used to build and engage an audience early on, and to build a story universe for additional narratives in other media than the film itself,” said Knudsen. “It taught me to think ‘distribution’ from the beginning. Start small and grow, get the story out early and build on it.” PttP founder and CEO Liz Rosenthal says the transmedia training arena has developed hugely since the lab launched in 2010. “In the early days, we spent a lot of time explaining what crossmedia, or transmedia, whatever you want to call it, actually meant. Today the discussion has moved on. It’s a lot more sophisticated,” she says. Aside from the lab, PttP runs several events throughout the year including the annual Power to the Pixel Forum in London in October, which will focus on
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how to monetise crossmedia content this year. The outfit also works closely with several other training organisations such as Binger Filmlab in the Netherlands on workshops, and the TorinoFilmLab’s Writers’ Room. Beyond PttP, other events and organisations that offer training and labs include DIY Days — a travelling event spearheaded by transmedia guru Lance Weiler aimed at bringing together creatives interested in storytelling across platforms — and SWIM, a transmedia initiative launched by Denmark’s CPH:DOX festival, which operates a lab for six crossmedia documentary projects. Raindance also runs a number of digital-age courses, ranging from how to produce a web series to how to engage audiences through social networks. The UK’s Indie Training Fund, aimed at professionals in the broadcasting industry, also offers a plethora of cross-
‘In the early days, we spent a lot of time explaining what crossmedia actually meant. Today the discussion has moved on’ Liz Rosenthal, Power to the Pixel
media related courses including Making Money From Digital Content, How To Become A Super Producer For All Platforms and Storytelling & Screenwriting Across Platforms, fronted by digital content experts such as Mike Dicks and Peter Cowley, former MD of digital media at Endemol UK. “Many broadcast professionals entered the industry before YouTube and the social networks… the courses aim to bring them up to speed on how to work in a multimedia environment,” says course co-ordinator Len Brown. “Pete and I have been through the mill a bit more, we tend to look at digital from a very commercial standpoint,” says Dicks, who runs the Super Producer course. Having worked on digital formats such as Fightbox, Get Cooking, Wannabes and Bamzooki, Dicks shares his experiences and explains how to manage a multi-platform project from start s to finish on his one-day course. n
european Training special 2014 Screen International 11 n
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VFX EuropEan Training
University and London visual-effects academy Escape Studios, which works closely with many of the VFX studios. “The advantage of a school like Escape Studios is that because it’s industry-led the teaching is very current and up-to-date,” says Cinesite head of assets James Stone, a modeller and texture expert whose recent credits include Guardians Of The Galaxy and Edge Of Tomorrow.
Bournemouth University’s National Centre for Computer Animation in the UK
recruiting grounds
Cause and effects The growth of VFX hotspots in Europe has created a demand for skilled talent. Melanie Goodfellow looks at how the industry sources entrants — and how the available training prepares them for work
I
nterviews with Oscar-winning Gravity VFX supervisor Tim Webber often allude to the fact he started out at the UK’s Framestore as a runner, making coffee and delivering packages. Few articles note the man who helped Alfonso Cuaron simulate zero gravity is also a brilliant mathematician with a physics degree from Oxford University. Like Webber, newcomers attempting to enter the VFX industry need to know about a lot more than how to use the kettle. The European VFX sector has grown hugely both in terms of size — London has developed into a worldclass global hub that now employs some 7,000 people — and its skills demands. VFX training has developed alongside this growth. “There are a lot more courses available, not just in the UK but in Europe generally,” says Eamonn Butler, animation director at Cinesite, whose credits as animation supervisor
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include John Carter, RoboCop and Edge Of Tomorrow. “When I came back from the States about nine years ago, I was really disappointed in the standard of VFX education but now I’d say Europe is on a par with the US,” continues Butler, who spent 10 years working for Walt Disney Feature Animation in California. “Bournemouth used to be the only place to go to for VFX graduates,” he adds, referring to Bournemouth University’s respected National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA). “Now you can go as far afield as Central Saint Martins in London, Glasgow, Loughborough and Ravensbourne. The bar has been raised… it’s getting quite competitive.” Framestore’s recruitment and talent development manager Anna Swift also mentions courses run by the National Film and Television School (NFTS), Swansea Metropolitan University, the University of Bolton, Staffordshire
‘When we take people on, we’re not looking for specialists. We train employees to be proficient in every aspect of VFX’ Pierre Buffin, BUF
There are a number of reputed schools across Europe, particularly in France where there is a strong tradition of animation. Many students in this field end up crossing over into VFX. “There are 15 to 20 really good schools,” says Pierre Buffin of Parisbased VFX house BUF, who was the VFX art director on Nymphomaniac: Volumes 1 & 2 and VFX supervisor on Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster and Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi. Buffin says his favourite recruiting grounds are Gobelins, LISAA College of Applied Arts, Isart Digital, ESRA, ESMA and ArtFX in the southern city of Montpellier, ESMI in Bordeaux, Bellecour in Lyon, Lille-based Pole 3D and Supinfocom in Arles. “When we take people on, we’re not looking for specialists. We train our employees to be proficient in every aspect of VFX,” Buffin adds. “I’ll also take artistic flare and an artistic eye over technical proficiency. I’m just as likely to take an art-school grad as a VFX one if I think they’ve got what it takes. It’s that artistic eye that makes the difference.” Vincent Aupetit of The Third Floor in London, who was Alfonso Cuaron’s personal previs adviser on Gravity, studied at Gobelins before breaking into the VFX industry via video games. He says: “Being a Gobelins student, you are constantly surrounded by hugely creative and talented individuals, and learning to work together, to go beyond individual aspirations and give your very best to reach a collective, coherent achievement.” Beyond France, Denmark’s The Animation Workshop in Viborg, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last October, also has a strong reputation, as does the Institute for Animation and Visual Effects at Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. »
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EuropEan Training VFX
the key VFX software including Maya, Nuke and Toon Boom. “I’ve seen some brilliant results coming out of ianimate.net,” says Butler. “The main problem is finding the motivation; it’s not the same as being in the classroom.” “The advantage of online training is that there are multiple courses to choose from and they give people all over the world access to professional and mostly industry-experienced educators. We often hire people who have studied with FXPHD, Escape Studios, Animation Mentor,” says Framestore’s Swift.
France’s Supinfocom
Learning on the job “The interesting thing about The Animation Workshop is that its degree course is split in two. One course focuses uniquely on animation, the other on everything else, whether it be modelling, texturing or other effects. In the final and third year, the two sides work together on a short film. Learning to work in a team is also good preparation,” says Cinesite’s Stone. Beyond the school-based courses, there are a plethora of workshops, masterclasses and labs. Screen Training Ireland, for example, runs VFX: Script To Screen — a modular course aimed at producers and/or directors looking to manage a VFX project — while the European Film Academy is running a masterclass in June aimed at established professionals with German VFX supervisor Marc Weigert (White House Down, Anonymous) called High Value For Your Budget.
online training Another trend is the growth of internet training sites — combining online tutorials, virtual mentors, video interviews with experts, interactive training downloads and forums — such as fxphd.com, digitaltutors.com, ianimate.net and Escape Studios’ online offering. “I wouldn’t necessarily sit at home ploughing through them as part of a three-year plan, but they’re a good option for topping up skills and pretty good value for money,” says Stone. Topics covered on FXPHD range from lighting and rendering to previs and compositing. Courses cost between $99 and $1,000 depending on the module. Digital Tutors runs courses on all
‘There are multiple online courses. They give people all over the world access to professional and mostly industryexperienced educators’ anna Swift, Framestore
n 14 Screen International European Training Special 2014
Conversely, while more students are going online, the VFX studios are increasingly reaching out to schools to give students on-the-job training in a bid to produce more industry-ready graduates. “The industry is currently looking at models other than classroom or tutorial-based education,” says Swift. In the UK, this follows the 2011 Next Gen report by interactive guru Ian Livingstone and Alex Hope, cofounder of VFX firm Double Negative, on making the UK a leading video games and VFX talent hub. Framestore currently offers a runner training programme as well as an internship scheme for students in the middle of their education. Cinesite has attempted to create stronger links with the schools through its involvement with the inaugural edition of Bournemouth’s BFX festival last September, gathering VFX students from across the country. Stone attended as a mentor. Other industry participants included DreamWorks veteran Shelley Page. Cinesite also runs the annual Inspire Internship programme. Last year Leeds Metropolitan University graduate Adam Bailey was selected and ended up working on Doug Liman’s Edge Of Tomorrow. Applications are currently open for this year’s edition. “By far the best thing to do is to get a foot in the door,” Swift says of new entrants. “Most studios offer some kind of training, development or work-based learning opportunity that simply cannot be replicated by external training providers, so even if you have to start in a more entry-level position than you would like, it is definitely worth your time and effort for the opportunities s that are then made available to you.” n
Selected european VFX courSeS Denmark The Animation Workshop A respected school with tutors who are mainly working professionals from top companies such as Pixar, Aardman, DreamWorks and Framestore. www.animwork.dk/en/ France Gobelins Although famed as an animation school, many graduates go on to work in VFX. Graduates include Vincent Aupetit, previs artist on Gravity for The Third Floor in London. www.gobelins.fr/en/international France Supinfocom Courses are taught by working professionals and revolve around the creation of shorts by students. Supinfocom boasts a 1,500-strong alumni network. www.supinfocom-arles.fr Germany Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg Graduates of this industry-focused institute have gone on to work for Disney, Double Negative, DreamWorks and Industrial Light & Magic. It also organises the FMX conference. www.filmakademie.de UK Escape Studios An industry-backed school with strong ties to the London VFX studios. Also offers online courses. www.escapestudios.com UK National Centre for Computer Animation, Bournemouth University One of UK’s most respected schools. More than 50 alumni worked on Avatar, while past graduates include Skyfall VFX supervisor Paddy Eason and ILM lead animator Paul Kavanagh. ncca.bournemouth.ac.uk UK Ravensbourne Offers an MA in visual effects. www.ravensbourne.ac.uk
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Diversity EuropEan training
Access all areas A number of initiatives are aiming to address the lack of diversity in the film industry and help people from under-represented groups build sustainable careers. John Hazelton reports
D
iversity in the film and television industries is a hot topic in Europe — particularly in the UK. Figures released there last year as part of Creative Skillset’s Employment Census revealed the representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups in the creative media industries stood at just 5.4% of the total workforce and had declined in the period 2009-12. The same report showed representation of women, at 36%, had increased since 2009 while the proportion of the workforce described by their employers as disabled was unchanged since 2006, at 1%. No wonder, then, that a number of organisations — most of them UKbased — offer training programmes aimed at groups currently under-represented in the industry workforce and often designed with an eye towards long-term career building. Organisations trying to promote gender equality in the industry include the France-based European Women’s Audiovisual network (EWA), which offers short courses — also open to men — on pitching, marketing, distribution and finance, and the UK’s Birds Eye View (BEV), known up to now for its London festivals and series of writers’ labs. Meanwhile, Directors UK and the BBC recently announced they would pilot two workshops aimed at women directors returning to work after a career break or repositioning their directing career. This year, BEV — with support from Creative Skillset — is staging its first Filmonomics training programme, a series of eight sessions spread over four months intended to give a mostly female group of film-makers an understanding of the business of film. Filmonomics, says BEV creative director Kate Gerova, has been shaped “to make sure the business side of film training was there. There are a lot of development labs but there’s less on the business side. And 21st-century filmmakers have to have an understanding
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A trainee producer on the set of 104 Films’ We Are The Freaks
of how films are marketed, and particularly how they’re distributed.” Other diversity-promoting UK training bodies are aiming their programmes at BAME film-makers. Diversity in Visual Arts (DiVA), for example, arranges apprenticeships, graduate work placements, coaching and bespoke and accredited training in London, Los Angeles and across Europe. And B3 Media, with backing from the UK’s Creative Skillset, the University of Nottingham’s Horizon/Mixed Reality Laboratory and the Arts Council England, stages TalentLab, a series of creative labs at which participants can develop film and multimedia projects. “Emerging artists and film-makers from non-traditional backgrounds are often isolated in this business,” says B3 creative director Marc Boothe. “We hope to provide the support networks to help them build sustainable careers.” Babylon is another UK-based programme, but one that receives its funding from regional and national European film bodies — this year’s backers are Baden-Württemberg Film Fund, Vienna Film Fund and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre — and participants come from across the continent. This year’s course will take teams
‘Emerging artists and film-makers from nontraditional backgrounds are often isolated’ Marc Boothe, B3 Media
behind 14 projects through a series of workshops culminating in attendance at Cannes Film Festival. “We’re particularly interested in filmmakers of migrant backgrounds resident in Europe,” says Fiona Howe, programme director of Babylon and joint CEO of UK production company Scenario Films. “Story content is influenced by the lives people choose to lead and that includes travelling from one nation to another. We wanted to offer a level playing field to film-makers who sometimes don’t get a look-in through other institutional bodies.” Those with disabilities are also a focus for targeted film industry training. UK production company 104 Films makes films that aim to change the representation of disabled talent on both sides of the camera and uses its own productions as training opportunities. Last year, 104 ran two training schemes for disabled talent at Edinburgh International Film Festival, including a high-level business and market development programme called The Generator. This year the participants of The Generator are further developing this training programme by taking part in Generation 104, a business development scheme — again supported by Creative Skillset — designed to set up and run a company making impact videos for the UK’s National Health Service. Such schemes, suggests 104 producer and co-founder Alex Usborne, can help break down the barriers that still stand in the way of certain groups of would-be film-makers. “There’s been a big debate in the past few months about diversity in terms of black and ethnic talent,” Usborne says. “And when that debate happens then disability is also in it. “We’ve made huge strides in this country in the last 10 years in terms of disabled access. [But] it’s still very hard for disabled people to work on film sets, to make their own films. There are barriers there and that’s what we’re s working to overcome.” n
european training special 2014 Screen International 17 n
Berlinale Talents welcomed around 300 budding film-makers to its 2014 edition
Festival guides Training has become an integral part of many international festivals, as they seek to build links with talent and boost their industry renown. Geoffrey Macnab reports
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ost major film festivals now have a training component as a matter of course. Training has become integral to festivals, whether delivered as a talent campus (Berlinale Talents), a lab for young professionals (Rotterdam), an atelier for directors with feature-length projects to meet film professionals (Cannes) or even as a full filmmaking programme such as Venice’s Biennale College — Cinema, which supports young film-makers through the production of micro-budget projects. Even as cash-pots have shrunk, festivals have maintained such initiatives. By nurturing new film-makers, they are not only identifying talent that could eventually provide films for their programmes but also increasing their own relevance to an industry that has a very short attention span. And while a festival itself might last for 10 days or so, their training initiatives often continue long after the closing-night party has wound down. “We actually see ourselves as a yearround documentary support organisa-
tion with the festival at its core,” says Charlie Phillips, deputy director of the UK’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, which runs mentoring, networking and digital training schemes throughout the year. “It is very much part of our remit.” TorinoFilmLab is a year-round, international laboratory that is closely affiliated to Torino Film Festival in November. It offers a range of programmes — including Script&Pitch, Audience Design and Writers’ Room — that run throughout the year but reach their conclusion at the festival.
Points of access Training that takes place during a festival can help attendees network and access the international industry that is in town. For example, Berlinale Talents (formerly Berlinale Talent Campus) is a six-day creative summit for up-andcoming film-makers held during Berlin International Film Festival itself. Alongside the master-classes and panel discussions, Berlinale Talents annually
n 18 Screen International European Training Special 2014
‘Producers Network supports the producers in Cannes in their networking activities in a structured environment’ Julie Bergeron, Marché du Film
offers several project labs, including Talent Project Market, Doc Station and Script Station. The Atelier at Cannes also takes place during the festival. Organised by Cinefondation, the workshop selects about 15 feature-length projects from around the world and invites their directors to Cannes, giving film-makers access to international financiers. Among other training initiatives offered at Cannes is the Producers Network, organised by the Marché du Film. Around 600 producers in Cannes take part in the network’s breakfast meetings, evening cocktails and events, with the network providing the opportunity for national agencies to present new schemes and information to the producers. It also works closely with the main co-production markets. Julie Bergeron, the Marché du Film’s manager of industry programmes, points out that “it is not based on projects. The idea is to support the producers in Cannes in their networking
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Film Festivals EuropEan training
activities in a structured environment.” These producers will be given the chance to meet with high-level executives and financiers. Complementing the Producers Network is the Producers Workshop, a three-day scheme for first-time producers in Cannes, aimed to help them navigate their way around the international market. Rotterdam Lab is also held during the International Film Festival Rotterdam, with around 70 young and emerging producers participating annually. The lab is a vehicle for producers beginning to establish themselves in their own countries but yet to develop their international contacts and co-production skills. The academy of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) offers something similar: a four-day training programme during the festival for around 80 emerging documentary makers that gives its participants insights into financing, production and distribution. Both the Rotterdam Lab and IDFAcademy benefit from taking place alongside industry events for more established producers, namely Rotterdam’s coproduction bazaar CineMart and IDFA’s financing and pitching event IDFA Forum. Top financiers and com-
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missioning editors are in town — and delegates have the opportunity to network with them. The quality of the mentors also distinguishes Sarajevo’s Talents Sarajevo (formerly known as Sarajevo Talent Campus and a sister event to Berlin’s talent campus). Darren Aronofsky, Bela Tarr, Juliette Binoche and Wim Wenders are among the experts who have shared knowledge. In the UK, BFI London Film Festival runs talent development initiative
(Above) The Producers Network in Cannes; (below) a networking event at Rotterdam Lab
Think-Shoot-Distribute, while Edinburgh International Film Festival has run programmes such as The Story Works and year-long online mentoring programme Network. In the Nordic region, Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) offers the Transatlantic Talent Laboratory to bring together young film-makers from Europe and the US. RIFF also runs the Summer Institute for scriptwriting and project development. Other initiatives from festivals in the region include Göteborg’s Nordic Film Lab (a four-day event for 15 selected filmmakers at the start of their professional careers) and DOX:LAB, a training and project development lab that includes a nine-day workshop at CPH:DOX in November and a nine-month production phase. One of the clearest vindications of training schemes comes when festivals screen films by producers or directors who previously attended their labs or workshops. Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Phillips points to the example of Jeanie Finlay, who attended the festival’s workshops and acknowledged these programmes had helped with the development of her successful feature doc, The Great Hip Hop Hoax, which screened at s Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2013. n
european training special 2014 Screen International 19 n
EuropEan training mid-carEEr
W
orking in an industry as competitive and demanding as film, continued education might seem like a time-consuming luxury. But with the digital age transforming both the craft and the business of film, the value of mid-career training is becoming more clear, even to experienced practitioners. Film-makers and executives from across the industry “have accepted they do need to be trained”, says Julia Short, programme director of content at UKbased training programme Inside Pictures. “It’s taken a huge step for people to acknowledge that actually you can learn things from other people and from other disciplines.”
Wide selection Those who have recognised the need can enlist for mid-career training in a number of different forms. Most prevalent are seminars and workshops that focus either on the development of specific film projects or on particular areas of expertise. Included in the latter category are the masterclasses on virtual production, animation, 3D and other topics staged by the European Film Academy; workshops on production and marketing offered by European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE); the Essential Legal Framework seminars from Germany’s Erich Pommer Institut, which is also one of the presenters of the Trans Atlantic Partners producers’ programme that offers intensive training and networking for established producers from Europe, Canada and the US; and the MEDICI workshop series in Prague aimed at public film fund representatives and organised by the Foundation for Professional Training in Cinema and Audiovisual Media (FOCAL). For those able to make a bigger commitment to training there is the 10-month Entrepreneurial Producing for the Creative Industries course offered by the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS). The threeday-a-week course, said to be the first of its kind in Europe, is designed to equip participants with the skills to set up and run businesses in film, television and other royalty-driven industries. For executives looking for more intensive education there are programmes such as the Media Business School’s Audiovisual Strategic Business Planning scheme for European entre-
Inside Pictures participants at a London training session
New tricks of the trade Even established industry talent is seeing the benefits of improving their skills and knowledge. John Hazelton explores mid-career training preneurs and senior management, which comprises a three-day course in Spain followed by six months of consultation and tutoring. Meanwhile, executives in distribution, international sales and exhibition can take part in the UK’s Elevate, billed as a unique high-level cross-sector programme that offers management skills and professional coaching. The scheme is delivered in partnership by the Independent Cinema Office and the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA). The different focuses of mid-career training schemes can produce different benefits for participants. The 11-year-old Inside Pictures programme, presented by the NFTS and supported by the MEDIA Programme and Creative Skillset, takes 24 participants a year from all over Europe through five training sessions staged over a six-month period in London and Los Angeles. What distinguishes the programme, says Short, is that participants come from diverse backgrounds in production, distribution, marketing, business affairs, finance and even VFX. “Every skillset of the industry is covered in the cohort,” she explains. “Each person
n 20 Screen International European Training Special 2014
brings their area of expertise and experience to share with the rest of the group.” Two programmes offered by Screen Training Ireland — both funded by the MEDIA Programme and Irish Film Board — give participants a chance to develop specific skills and knowledge. Screen Leaders, which puts senior managers from 15 European companies through three training modules, offers individual leadership coaching, says director Helen McMahon, “but we also look at the management structure within the organisations, at financial planning and the development of policy”. VFX: Script to Screen, meanwhile, consists of three modules designed, says programme director Sorcha Loughnane, “to educate producers, directors and production personnel. It’s about showing them how VFX impacts all stages of production.”
Mentor support
‘The part mentees say is most surprising and helpful in the long term is the group’ Nicola Lees, Women in Film and Television
Mentoring programmes can offer more subtle but equally valuable benefits. The UK’s Guiding Lights, for example, matches emerging writers, directors and producers with prominent industry talents, while the Mentoring Scheme run by Women In Film & Television UK (WFTV) and supported by EON Productions, Creative Skillset, BBC and Channel 4, offers women with at least five years in the industry mentoring from experienced figures plus seminars and workshops. Scheme producer Nicola Lees matches participants with mentors according to the former’s specific objectives. But, Lees says, “the part mentees say is the most surprising and helpful in the long term is the group. What the group is doing is seeing where s they fit in across the whole industry.” n
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