Industry Talks
Working with the BFI National Archive 13:00 / Sat 5 June / Online
The Case for Documentary Funding 11:00 / Mon 7 June / Online
Founded in 1935, the BFI National Archive cares for Britain’s national collection of moving image, one of the largest and most diverse in the world. Alongside a million film and TV items, paper collections include a dazzling array of scripts, stills, posters and designs. This event offers an introduction to BFI collections and how producers and filmmakers can engage with them, from the practicalities of footage licensing and rights clearance to in-house curatorial expertise and opportunities for bespoke broadcast collaboration.
The recent UWE report ‘Keeping it Real’ determined UK documentary to be “chronically under-funded, under-valued and rarely understood even by executives in the wider screen industries”. Among many recommendations, the researchers highlight the need to raise the cultural status of feature documentary and champion its social value. This session assembles international perspectives to explore how the case for documentary funding is made abroad and reflect on how it can be articulated in the UK.
Making My First Film 10:00 / Mon 7 June / Online
First Cut: The Top Tips 12:00 / Mon 7 June / Online
The BBC invites five young filmmakers to share their experiences of making their first film for BBC Three. This is a chance to find out how they got that break and what they learned along the way – from pitching their own ideas and working with editors to filming hacks and navigating the next steps in their directing career.
David Brindley, CCO of TwoFour, ex-BBC and C4 commissioner and former First Cut director, hosts a panel of both highly successful and still-rising First Cut directors. They talk candidly about the scheme, what they learned and what they wished they had asked when directing their first hour-long film. This talk offers insights into the dos and don’ts of First Cut – and how to get one commissioned!
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Sheffield DocFest 2021
