NFTS graduation animation, Perched, has won a hat trick of awards including ‘Best Animation’ at the Barnes Film Festival, ‘Best Animation’ at Corto Creativo in Mexico and ‘Best Animation’ at the Isle of Man Film Festival. Director, Liam Harris was on hand to pick up the prize on the Isle of Man, which was presented by Mark Kermode.

About Perched

Hamish Fint, a crotchety old man used to a life of seclusion inside his submarine balanced precariously atop a mountain, struggles to maintain equilibrium when an unwelcome visiting seagull rocks his world.

Director/ Animator, Liam Harris: Producer, Elina Litvinova; Writers, Nathaniel Price, Eoin Patrick Doran; Cinematographer, Dan Atherton; Production Designer, Jan Gronczewski; Editor, Sian Clarke; Production Manager, Paul Smith; VFX Lead Compositor, Victor Almela; CG Lead Artist, Stevie Gill; Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer, Payam Hosseinian;  Composer, Victor Hugo Fumagalli; Online Editor & Colour Grader, Carl Thompson.

If you would like to follow in our award-winning students’ footsteps, find out more about our Directing Animation MA and the rest of our courses at www.nfts.co.uk

The legendary Sir David Attenborough is to deliver a masterclass to students enrolled on the NFTS' new Directing Natural History and Science MA, which starts in January 2017.

We met with highly experienced producer of wildlife documentaries and series, Paul Reddish who has recently been appointed to lead the course and asked him what students can expect if they are accepted onto the course. Paul has been Producer and Director across a number of high profile natural history films and series including Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild, Hummingbirds Jewelled Messengers, and many more.

It’s great news that Sir David Attenborough is to give a masterclass to NFTS students. What’s it like working with him?

I have had the pleasure and the honour of working with David on several occasions. He is the consummate professional. David brings great authority to his films, based on an in depth knowledge of the natural world along with a deep and life-long passion for nature. He has made more wildlife documentary films, and garnered more awards than anyone in the world. He is a delight to work with and I’m sure the students will enjoy meeting and learning from this remarkable man.

How did you start your career as producer of Wildlife documentary maker?

I was lucky enough to have a BBC Horizon film crew come to film my professor’s work whilst I was a post grad. I knew straight away that I wanted to work in television, and I pestered the BBC until they gave me a job.

Is this what you always wanted to do? If not, what else did you want to do?

Up to that point I wanted to do science, working in the field, looking at animal behaviour. I have always been fascinated in the natural world, since before I could speak, so my mother tells me!

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had from making wildlife programmes?

Too many to mention and all have their own charm or wonder or sheer terror. But sitting in the tops of 50 metre tall trees in the wilds of New Guinea, watching Birds of Paradise display is amongst the best. Standing on the open tundra of the arctic, watching a large brown bear, less than 10 metres away take an unhealthy interest in us, is perhaps one of the more memorable.

What’s the most challenging aspect of making natural history programmes?

Writing a good script, is universally challenging in all forms of television, but in wildlife, getting that story to the cutting room, -- despite bad weather, corrupt customs officials, cancelled flights, delayed seasons, hurricanes, and uncooperative beasties -- it’s a minor miracle when every film is successfully completed !

What kind of prospective students are you looking for and what kind of knowledge/ experience should they have?

First and foremost a passion for wildlife and science, and a desire to tell stories. If they have a science degree or evidence of their interest in wildlife and science – relevant jobs, short films they have made, all are helpful, but not essential.

What kind of cinematography gets the best results when filming a particular animal or animals?

For most wildlife a telephoto lens is essential. It is still the workhorse of the genre, but long lens photography is fiendishly difficult. Good camerawork with a 1000mm lens is one the things I’m looking forward to seeing in the students’ work. Insects and many small beasties require macro-photography, and if anything is more difficult than long-lens work it is macro! Then there is time-lapse which is used in many current documentaries and can be very powerful (if not overused!). Even slugs, snails and worms can be interesting when filmed in time-lapse.

What attributes do students need to have to build a successful career as a natural history producer/ director?

Good communicators both to their audience and to the teams they will work with. Creativity married with good organisation and of course a sense of humour for the (many) times when things go wrong!

Applications are open now until October 13^th 2016 for the Directing and Producing Natural History and Science MA and the course will commence in January 2017.

London, 13^th September 2016: Award-winning cinematographers Oliver Stapleton and Stuart Harris, who are co-heads of the National Film and Television School Cinematography MA, are to deliver a Masterclass and Q&A session at this year’s Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival.

The cinematography masterclass– ‘From the NFTS to Hollywood and Back - a Q&A with Oliver Stapleton and Stuart Harris’ - will take place on Friday 23^rd September at 5pm at the Watershed in Bristol and will be followed by a drinks reception.

Oliver is a graduate of the NFTS and started out with music videos for legendary artists such as David Bowie and the Rolling Stones and won the MTV award for best cinematography for A-Ha’s ‘the Sun always Shines on TV’. He has worked on a wide range of films including My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, Cider House Rules and The Proposal.

Stuart has worked on award-winning feature film, Wetherby, music videos for the likes of Pink Floyd and a whole host of commercials for brands such as Levis, Head and Shoulders, Ford, Alfa Romeo, Oil of Olay and Renault. He has also won a D&AD Silver Pencil (equivalent to Yellow) for ‘Outstanding Film Photography’, Milan award, Cannes Commercial Award and New York Clio Award for ‘Best Cinematography’.

Alongside the masterclass session and as part of the festival’s ‘Widening the Lens’ programme, which celebrates cultural diversity,  the NFTS talent scout will be on hand to meet with prospective applicants from diverse backgrounds to discuss their showreel and potential application to study at the school (please email signup@nfts.co.uk to book a session.)

The NFTS, in partnership with Channel 4, is looking for applicants from diverse backgrounds to enrol onto its Directing Fiction and Cinematography MA courses. Channel 4 has a bursary scheme for successful NFTS applicants aimed at people with disabilities, and people from BAME or socially disadvantaged backgrounds as these groups are underrepresented in film and television directing.

NFTS staff including director, Nik Powell, will be available to inform prospective applicants about its upcoming course deadlines and six new courses, which include: Directing Natural History and Science MA; Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA; Creative Business for Entrepreneurs and Executives MA; Directing Commercials Diploma; Production Technology Diploma; Production Accounting Diploma.

To register interest in attending the Cinematography Masterclass with Oliver Stapleton and Stuart Harris, please visit http://encounters-festival.org.uk/events/nfts-hollywood-back-oliver-stapleton-stuart-harris/ and to meet with the NFTS talent scout, please email signup@nfts.co.uk

For more information, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

ENDS

Contact for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

About the National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-wining industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

London 15^th September 2016: Students studying Games Design and Development at the National Film and Television School are to showcase their games in the Rezzed area at EGX 2016, stand RZ7:1-4, and RZ8:5-8. The games on show range from a cutting-edge VR experience that questions ideas on gender identity to an iPad game exploring a relationship between a roboticist and the android she has created.

The vision behind the MA is to create the next generation of leading games innovators whilst broadening the audience for games by putting innovation and emotional engagement at the heart of games design. The course seeks to expand the possibilities of the medium by developing new ideas in both narrative and gameplay, attracting students from a wide range of backgrounds which have thus far included theatre design, physics, philosophy, fine art and political science to name but a few. There is even a scholarship provided by Wellcome for post-doctoral -level biomedical scientists. The gender balance for the course also outperforms the norm with women regularly taking up almost half of the places allocated.

The students showing off their games at EGX are in the second year of their MA and include Claudio Pollina, Laura Dodds, Blaise Imiolczyk, Jameela Khan, John Lau, Manos Agianniotakis and Naomi Kotler.

Here’s a snapshot of their ideas:

‘Night Bizarre’ (PC) by Laura Dodds puts the player into the position of Srey, a novice fortune teller learning her trade in a strange, bustling, Cambodian night market. Strive to thrive as you wield your tarot cards and predict the future of locals and tourists who visit your stall.  Srey has to prove that she can make a success of her stall facing dangerous criminals, family disputes and torrential tropical storms over the course of five days. Will you use the tools of the trade to learn the art of deception or will you use Srey’s ‘gift’ to establish a reputation for yourself as a talented fortune teller?

‘Polyphonia’ (PC – HTC Vive) by Blaise Imiolczyk is a psychedelic hands-on virtual reality experience utilising motion controllers. It is a meditative exploration into the manipulation of environment and sound that gives the player the chance to experience the evolutionary story of a universe through several stages in which they can grab the surrounding objects and manipulate them which changes the sound within. Drawing its inspiration from science and space, the experience follows the evolution of a universe from its birth with the big bang right through to its death.

‘Aaliyah’ (PC) by Jameela Khan is a modern day British "Western" about a young woman who arrives in a small town to avenge the death of her friend. Through point-and-click gameplay, the player assumes the role of protagonist, Aaliyah, who is haunted by the memories of her last conversation with her friend, Eliza. Retracing Eliza's steps in the supermarket she used to work in, Aaliyah takes up work as a lowly paid stock controller. The player joins Aaliyah on her first day at work as she tries to discover what happened to Eliza and learns more about the motives for her death. 'Aaliyah' explores female friendship, gender and identity and is the first British game to feature a lead character of South Asian origin.

‘Uncanny Valerie’ (iPad) by John Lau is set in the near future, in the vein of Black Mirror, Ex Machina and Her. The player takes control of Karis, who has lost her job as a robotics engineer and who has been left by her long-term girlfriend Valerie. She has to pack up her belongings in the house they share and move on in the only way she knows how – by programming Valerie’s consciousness into an android. As she tries to recreate her lover, Karis realises the power she holds over the robot can be used to iron out Valerie's flaws, but is left wondering whether the result of her experiments is what she wants at all. Told through a combination of spatial puzzles, cut scenes and point-and-click tasks, ‘Uncanny Valerie’ is a story about a woman trying to let go of and hold onto a failed relationship.'

 ‘Melancholia’ (iPad) by Claudio Pollina is an isometric puzzle game. The puzzles are created to trick your visual and audio perceptions with optical and audio illusions. As Frances, the player must manipulate the ambience and sounds of two worlds - the house he shared with the love of his life and his own fractured memories - to piece together the mystery of why he lost Fanny and his will to play violin.

 ‘The Circle’ (PC – Oculus Rift) by Manos Agianniotakis is an interactive VR experience about a woman dealing with PTSD. The story blurs the line between reality and fiction, dreaming and living, forcing the play into the shoes of a flawed but relatable main character. It explores themes of gender, identity, obsession and trauma and takes inspiration from the real world phenomenon of the Toynbee Tiles.

‘Into the Black’ (PC – Oculus Rift) by Naomi Kotler is an immersive, third person VR adventure about teamwork, instinct and survival set in the Yellowstone National Park wildfires of 1988. The player assumes the role of a spirit guide sent to help a red fox and grizzly bear, who have been thrown together during the chaos of the fire and need your guidance to help them escape. Only by working together will they survive. Along the way, they will be tested and face predators including man, who is full of cruelty and bad intention. If you and your companions survive, you will need to rely on each other and leave everything behind as you journey ‘into the black’.

Two games designed and developed by NFTS graduates will also be on show. These include Electric Lullaby and P.E.T, both of which have secured funding from Wellcome:

‘Electric Lullaby’ (developed by Jon Hatton and Paul Dillon of Cupboard Games): During the game, the player explores a dreamlike desert where they have to stop playing when their character grows tired. Turning the game off (“going to sleep”) awakens the player’s alter ego—a clumsy monster that roams the mysterious land while the player is away.  The player must learn to co-operate with their subconscious in order to make progress and uncover the secrets of the land they find themselves in. 

‘P.E.T.’ (Ellie Silkstone/ Jenna Jovi) is a new evolution of the classic virtual pet simulator, which blurs your world with that of your new digital pet. In the game, you must create, raise and look after that pet, guided along the way by the game's two creators - two creators who are about to discover the power of the simulation they have now created - the simulation which you are now playing...

Applications are open now for the two-year Games Design and Development MA and the course starts in January 2017.

ENDS

Contact for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: 

VHewlett@nfts.co.uk / 01494 731 403

About the National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focusing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-wining industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

Legendary director Danny Boyle brought his passion and drive to the NFTS this week and delivered an inspiring masterclass to a packed cinema. Themes ranged from originality that makes you want to go and see a film over and over again, to whether VR has a future in filmmaking and the importance of the students protecting their natural ‘childish wonder’.

Students were asked to watch two science fiction films in preparation, Under the Skin directed by Jonathan Glazer and The Man Who Fell to Earth, directed by Nicholas Roeg. He picked Under the Skin in particular because “it pulls together all the different components of the filmmaking process dazzlingly” from the production design, costume to the sound, editing and the cinematography.

Danny used both films to illustrate the kind of originality that makes you go back and watch again. Referring to Under the Skin: “I saw it three times in the cinema which I never do. I was astonished, truly astonished. What I love about it is that it’s so original and hopefully a lot of you will be the originality we all desperately want to see and when your film arrives you’ve got to see it three times. And I hope you all end up in jobs like that where you get to express yourself in the way that this film expresses itself.”

Continuing the theme of originality, Danny picked a memorable scene from Under the Skin to impress on the students that the director doesn’t always need to be in control and that editing is a hugely powerful tool in claiming some of the control back. The particular scene features the alien played by Scarlett Johansson who makes a kill while a couple drown trying to rescue their dog and leave their child on the shore. “The locations in the film are amazing; Glazer uses them really powerfully and the scene just happens. You observe the scene as you have no choice – you can’t have the fanatical idea as a director that you can control the scene as you can’t. It’s the fact that you can’t control it that’s exciting but it’s the editing that gives you some kind of eventual control.”

“Editing is a hugely expressive tool; I’m editing T2 at the moment; it’s my favourite part of the process as it’s the most creative. The opening of The Man Who Fell to Earth is dazzling; when Roeg overlaps the sound the guy’s listening to, you don’t know that, you just see Bowie counting his rings and you know he’s got hundreds of them on this riverbank and you hear the God of War and you think what’s that! And it’s because it’s pre-lapped, not just a few seconds but a minute.”

Sometimes originality is inspired by ideas that are already out there and Glazer apparently saw an installation by Richard Wilson at the Saatchi gallery that informed the key oil scenes in Under the Skin. “It was a complete lift and brilliantly done - I’d encourage you to do the same as some of the greatest ideas are out there!”

Moving on from visual imagery, Danny tackled sound which he says is “80% of the film as you experience it. Even if it’s a little bit out of sync, it’s unwatchable and it extends from that simple technical achievement right the way through to the most expressive use of sound and these two directors are great for sound. Roeg was one of the pioneers of overlapping and intercutting sound.”

Danny described the sound in Under the Skin as “brilliant”. “It’s not just the motif, which is the sound of her harvesting her victims, but the drop out of the sound and the reintroduction of that note when the body implodes, which I found terrifying.”

Nik Powell, director of the National Film and Television School and host of the masterclass, asked Danny whether he thinks VR can be used in drama in storytelling.

Danny said “I was a bit of a cynic about it but I watched a film using VR by Chris Milk about a refugee camp and I got very emotional which astonished me as I thought this is a technical process and it’s astonishing what it’s doing to me. I’m technically aware of it all the time and they told the story of this girl and how broken her heart is that she can’t go home. By the end of it I was crying which shocked me so I think there is hope for it pulling you in. “

Danny then looked to the students as the generation to come up with ways to make VR work for audiences: “If VR is used it won’t matter what my generation thinks. It will be more you guys who will harness it in ways that we can’t even imagine.”

Childlike wonder!

A student then asked Danny if he can detach himself from films when watching them without questioning how they were made.

“I tend to get involved in films and almost never walk out. I cry and get scared a lot. The weird thing about doing the job is that the stage you students are at is a kind of childish stage and it’s really important to protect that as when you lose it, you can’t get it back. You can protect it and maintain it for a bit – it’s a feeling of wonder that it’s amazing that we can do this. And the problem you’ll have is this pressure to be all grownup and professional and in fact what you’ve got naturally is the key to it.”

“There’s something wonderful about the first time you ‘get it’ and you get a camera and you get to create stories and you see a cut and it works and the first time you put music on it and you’re like holy shit that’s ten times better than it was before! Jane Campion says that if you’re working in film there should be a child in you somewhere as it’s a wonderful storytelling toy. Even though it’s technical we’re trying to disguise the technicality all the time. After a film you often can’t imagine how it was made as you get so lost in it, it’s wonderful.”

Danny then instilled into the students how important it is to stick to your guns to protect your idea.

“I’ve got the gift of the gab – you can get a long way with it. The gift of the gab is important especially for bold things which people don’t understand – you have to bulldoze them with that commitment. That fire is really what they’re after. You’re looking for some young kid with fire in their belly about something – it could be energy or an idea – that might be it, the new thing that cinema is always looking for. You’ve got just persist – persistence is a huge part of it.”

A powerful example of where Danny had to protect his vision was the London Olympics opening ceremony.

“We focussed on the volunteers and approached it in a tribal way. I wouldn’t cut anything involving the volunteers even if it wasn’t as good as the professionals. It was the philosophy and aesthetic choice and that is at the heart of it. I try to have a core value for a project and keep to it.”

Danny also worked with Hamish Hamilton at the Olympics. He is a big event TV director who works on massive events such as the Super Bowl. “He calls the shots – like the imagery in The Man Who Fell to Earth, like he has 70 screens and shouts ‘go to 32, go to 70’! It’s extraordinary watching them work, I couldn’t do that job!”

“One of our big battles was to bring in our own camera teams. Normally at the Olympics they have the camera positions for sport and that’s how they cover the opening ceremony so they have a golf cameraman or a javelin cameraman and he’s got to shoot what you think of as your film! I said I wasn’t having any of that and was going to bring in special teams and Hamish is going to lead them as if it’s a movie so it feels like your deeply immersed in the experience. That means you can’t do spectacle and scale but you compensate by it feeling personal and immersive and you want the films to feel like that too as if the audience is trapped in the headlights of the film.”

Nik then finished the session by asking Danny about his thoughts on what many of the students will experience when they go out to work in the British indie film world.

“The thing is that the most important people are sitting beside you, your peer group. It’s very difficult to realise that but those are the people who you’ll be making films with and who’ll nurture you. The danger is that the industry tends to celebrate upward success and you tend to look up.  That’s fine for a bit of inspiration but the meat and potatoes of it is your peer group, the people you work with, the writers and designers. Those are the people who you can call on. The chair should swivel and you should be looking at each other!”

The National Film and Television School is proud to announce that Sweet Maddie Stone, a film directed by NFTS graduate, Brady Hood has won the Brief Grand Prix award at this year’s Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, which took place between the 20^th and 25^th September 2016 in Bristol. Winners of this prestigious award qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards®.

The Encounters jury commented that Sweet Maddie Stone is: ‘A film that presents one of the most captivating characters the jury have ever experienced on screen. This subject’s arc is deeply complicated but fully actualised. The story itself utilises humour and drama to tell of a young protagonist desperate for tenderness in a world which requires her to focus on survival alone.’

Sweet Maddie Stone (fiction) is directed by Brady Hood, produced by Jake Riley-Hunte and co-written by Jessica Jackson:

15-year-old Maddie Stone rules her school yard under the protection of her family name.  But after discovering her notorious father has been arrested, she has to make his bail money or lose the yard. The more Maddie fights, the more her world spirals out of control – and the closer she gets to becoming the man she’s trying to save.

In addition, two NFTS films won NAHEMI (National Association for Higher Education in the Moving Image) awards at the festival with Present winning ‘Best Film’ and The Alan Dimension receiving the ‘Audience Award’.

Present (fiction) is directed and co-written by Meg Campbell, co-written by Oliver Henderson and produced by Ser En Low.

With her sister slowly succumbing to early-onset Alzheimer’s, Beth struggles to balance her responsibilities as a carer and a mother, whilst dealing with her own fear of developing the genetic disease.

The Alan Dimension (animation) is directed and co-written by Jac Clinch, produced by Millie Marsh and co-written by Jonathan Harbottle.

Alan brown uses divine powers of precognition to foresee the fate of mankind… and breakfast. Meanwhile, Wendy has had enough of being married to the next step in cognitive evolution.

For more information on our upcoming course deadlines and how to apply, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

London, 26^th September 2016: The UK Cinema Association – the trade body representing the UK’s cinema operators - has teamed up with Twentieth Century Fox to put on a special preview of Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

The preview will be shown at over 400 cinemas around the UK on September 29^th and participating sites have committed to raise at least £100,000 from ticket sales to go towards supporting new talent at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).

A specially commissioned short film made by NFTS students and graduates, will be shown before the preview to highlight the creative talent from the film school that went into the making of Miss Peregrine, and to thank the audience for their support. The short film was made as part of the NFTS Bridges to Industry scheme, which gives students and recent graduates the opportunity to create work for Industry partners. The film is directed by NFTS graduate, Tom Day; shot by cinematography student Anna MacDonald; and includes work from current DFX student, Suoran Li and animation graduate, Liam Harris who has just won a hat trick of awards for his NFTS graduation film, Perched. Watch the film here.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an unforgettable motion picture experience from visionary director Tim Burton and is based upon the best-selling novel.  It follows Jake who discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.

Cameron Saunders, Twentieth Century Fox Managing Director, said: “I’m delighted UK cinemas chose to partner with 20th Century Fox to raise funds for new NFTS scholarships, enabling more peculiars from all walks of life to deliver their creative potential.”

The Association is a NFTS ‘Key Partner Sponsor’ and will work with the school’s board, tutors and students to support a wide variety of new initiatives to embed exhibition practice within the school including a new Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA. The Association will also award two scholarships to MA students to support them through their two-year courses. 

UK Cinema Association Chief Executive Phil Clapp says: “We are delighted to be working with Fox to launch this special preview to raise funds for the National Film and Television School. For over forty years and more, films involving graduates from the NFTS have entertained many millions of UK cinema-goers; it is therefore only right that the sector gives something back in recognition.”

NFTS director, Nik Powell added: “Our students are incredibly excited to be part of this fundraising preview and we are extremely grateful to the Association and Fox for organising it and of course for their support. Developing high-calibre graduates who go on to play key roles in making entertaining and highly anticipated films like Miss Peregrine is our main goal and we couldn’t do it without the ongoing support of organisations like the Association and Fox.”

Preview tickets can be purchased from participating cinemas at www.staypeculiar.co.uk.

Applications are open now for our new MA in Marketing, Sales, Distribution and Exhibition until October 13^th 2016 and the course will start in January 2017.

ENDS

Contacts:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS:

vhewlett@nfts.co.uk  

Rebecca Davies, Policy Executive, UK Cinema Association: rebecca.davies@cinemauk.org.uk

About the UK Cinema Association

The UK Cinema Association represents the interests of well over 90 per cent of UK cinema operators by number and market share. The Association’s membership includes single screen/owner-managed sites as well as the largest circuit and multiplex operators. The UK Cinema Association advocates on behalf of the UK cinema sector at international, national, regional and local level.

About The National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the World's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

The NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-wining industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

The National Film and Television School’s first open day at BAFTA in London was a huge success with a full house of prospective applicants attending to find out more about the courses and the school.

NFTS tutors and students were on hand to give guests the lowdown on the postgraduate courses including some of our new MA’s and Diplomas: Production Technology; Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition; Directing Commercials and Promos; Graphics and Titles for Television and Film; and Directing and Producing Natural History and Science.

There were also interactive sessions from the digital effects, games and animation departments, including the ‘making of’ a short horror film, an armature demonstration and the chance to test the latest VR games in development.

Guests were treated to a masterclass with legendary filmmaker, Noel Clarke, whose latest film, Brotherhood has been a big box office hit. In conversation with NFTS director, Nik Powell, Noel talked about how he got into the industry and gave lots of great advice on do’s and don’ts when you’re starting out. Noel advised the aspiring filmmakers to really “know your audience as the market is so competitive; think about who’s going to sit in the cinema and say, ‘I felt that’. You need to know that people will watch your stuff if you are to have the chance to make a second film.”

Noel was joined by NFTS talent scout, Rebecca Mark-Lawson and a panel of NFTS students and grads including Meg Campbell, 2^nd Year Directing Fiction; Jermaine Edwards, 2^nd Year Cinematography; Sean O’Riordan, directing and Producing TV Entertainment grad and Abolfazi Talooni, Editing grad.

When asked for tips for getting into NFTS, the students agreed that the most important thing you need is ‘passion and to believe in yourself’ as well as the need to clearly communicate how much you are committed to wanting to work in the film, games or television industry. Rebecca highlighted that persistence is often required and emphasized the importance of making a film with ‘imagination and using the right actors to get the audience to feel emotion.’ She also stressed that ‘production values are not so important; it’s much more important for your film to have heart.’

Top technologist and former BBC Scotland Head of Technology John Maxwell Hobbs has been appointed to lead the National Film and Television School Production Technology MA. The Masters has been introduced to tackle a shortage of broadcast engineers and fill a looming skills gap in the industry. We asked John about the reasons for the skills gap, technological advances in broadcast engineering and who should apply for the new MA which starts in January 2017.

Why do you think there is a skills gap in broadcast engineering in the television industry?

In the past, most of the training in broadcast engineering was done by the major broadcasters themselves.  Over the years, more and more actual production has been shifted to independent production companies, who work with freelancers, so they don’t have the structure to provide this sort of long term development. 

Publicly funded broadcasters have traditionally had significant training programmes and engineers who were educated by them regularly made their way into the commercial world.  With the significant budget cuts now being imposed on these public organisations, they can no longer afford to do this sort of training, and the commercial broadcasters don’t have the resources to take up the slack.  Our new Masters programme is intended to fill this gap.

What kinds of technological advances do you foresee in broadcast engineering?

We’re seeing the merging of the worlds of broadcasting and IT. More and more functions are migrating from dedicated hardware to being software-based, and we’re seeing a move from traditional baseband transmission to IP-based approaches.  This is making broadcasting more adaptable and making it possible to capture the world in new ways. 

Although the underlying technologies may be changing, it’s still important for broadcast engineers to be sensitive to the needs of production, and to have an appreciation of the unique qualities of the industry.

How has the broadcast engineering role evolved and how does the engineer interact with the creatives (director, producer, writer etc.)?

First off, it’s time to drop the word, “creatives.”  Everyone involved in production from the engineers to the actors are, “creatives.” For a long time, broadcast engineers were viewed simply as the boffins who configured the kit and then repaired it when it came back smashed to pieces. We’re now moving into a world where close interaction between engineers and production is imperative. A camera may look pretty much the same as it always has, but it’s a totally different creature now - it’s now a complex computer with a lens. We are moving into a model is much like music production has been for years - in that world, engineers are viewed as the people who help the musicians and producers realise their aesthetic vision. 

Which undergraduate degrees/ studies are suitable for applicants to the NFTS Production Technology MA?

Almost any background is suitable as long as you have a keen interest in the intersection of technology and creativity.  Of course, a background in computer science or electrical engineering are always useful, but I’ve known excellent broadcast engineers with backgrounds in philosophy and music. 

How can you stand out from the crowd when applying to study Production Technology at the NFTS?

We’d love to see people with a true interest in making things and delivering things.  Production is a high pressure, real-time environment. If a show is scheduled to go out at 9:00pm on a Saturday night, that’s when it goes out. And then you go on to the next one.  There are no “shipping delays” in broadcasting.

How do I apply?

Applications are open until October 31^st 2016 and the course starts in January 2017. Please visit https://nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/production-technology to apply.

This year’s BFI London Film Festival kicks off on the 5th of October and will be showing no fewer than 28 feature films which our grads and students have worked on. There are also two NFTS masterclasses available for students to sign up to as part of the LFF film school programme. These are Film Programming: Brave New Worlds on the 13th October and Case Study of a New British Film on the 14th October.

Films on show include the highly anticipated Lady Macbeth, American Honey and A Moving Image, which includes credits from no fewer than seven NFTS students and graduates (Writer/Director, Shola Amoo; Producer, Rinkje Attoh, Supervising Sound Editor, Nikola Medic; Colourist, Sara Buxton; Associate Producer, Fawzia Mahmood (current student);  Composer, Segun Akinola (current student) and Editor, Mdhamiri Á Nkemi (current student).

A Moving Image director, Shola Amoo says:

"After having our world premiere in competition at the 2016 LA Film Festival and touring the film around the States, it's exciting to finally bring it home for our European premiere at the London Film Festival. This is a film that explores gentrification, which I perceive to be one of the most pertinent issues of our time. Whether it's in London, Berlin, New York or LA, there's a conversation that needs to be had and I'm looking forward to having it in my home city during the festival. My experience at NFTS was quite liberating in the sense that during the course I was allowed to follow any particular path I wanted with a degree of support and encouragement.”

The film’s producer, Rienkje Attoh says:

"We're so excited to be having our European premiere at the London Film Festival. I grew up in Brixton and Shola in Elephant and Castle and it was very important to us that we captured what has been taking place in our city. Gentrification is not only a London problem - it's worldwide and we need to start taking its effects seriously."

"Having a background in news always helped develop my sharp nose for a story and gentrification was definitely a 'big' story. My time at the NFTS was a creative playground where I learned a lot about my craft as a film producer. I formed close bonds with some very talented people and was able to create films ranging from fiction and documentary to animation utilising the school's state-of-the art facilities. While at the film school I also became one of three recipients of the inaugural Prince William Scholarship supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros."

NFTS short fiction, MIA, is also being screened at the festival. The short which is about Mia who gives birth to a baby girl who grows up at an unnaturally fast pace:(Writer/Director, Maria Martinez Bayona; Producer, Marie-Elena Dyche; DoP, Krzysztof Trojnar; Designer, Joelle Aoun; Production manager, Cat McNamara; Editor, Joseph Comar; Sound Mixer, Pan Papagiannopoulos; Boom Operator, Tim Parris; Composer, Marina Elderton; VFX Supervisor, Saruta Puff Pisanwalerd; Sound Editor/Rerecording Mixer, Eleanor Nicholls; and Online Editor/Grade, Carl Thompson.)

Full list of features with NFTS credits:

American Honey; Foley Editor, Dario Swade

Apprentice: DoP, Benoit Soler; Sound Effects Editor, Maiken Hansen; Supervising Sound Editor, Ting Li Lim; Co-Composer Matt Kelly

Aquarius: Editor, Eduardo Serrano

The Autopsy of Jane Doe: DoP, Roman Osin; Junior Draughtsman, Jacqueline Blundell; Additional Photography, Vanessa Whyte

City of Tiny Lights: DoP, Felix Wiedemann

Ethel & Ernest [Anim]: Editor, Richard Overall; Assistant Sound Editor/Foley Editor, Peter Warnock

Lady Macbeth: Producer, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly; Associate Producer, Pete Smyth; Art Director, Thalia Ecclestone; Production Coordinator, Daphnée Hocquard; Boom Operator, Jodie Campbell 

Lake Bodom: Line Producer, Elina Litvinova

Letters from Baghdad [Doc]: Cinematography, Gary Clarke

The Levelling: DoP, Nanu Segal; Camera Operator, Sarah Bartles-Smith; Boom Operator, Joanna Andrews; Musician Chris White

London Town: Production Designer, Laura Ellis-Cricks; Art Director, Thalia Ecclestone

Mindhorn: DoP, David Luther; Assistant Art Director, Jacqueline Blundell; Sound Design Editor, Robert Malone; Sound Assistant/2nd Unit Recordist, Michael Sinden; Boom Operators, Caroline Singh, Howard Peryer & Thomas Markwick

A Monster Calls: VFX Artist, Cat Harris

A Moving Image: Writer/Director, Shola Amoo; Producer, Rinkje Attoh; Supervising Sound Editor, Nikola Medic; Colourist, Sara Buxton; Associate Producer, Fawzia Mahmood (current student); Composer, Segun Akinola (current student); Editor, Mdhamiri Á Nkemi (current student)

The Pass: Co-Producer, Kurban Kassam; Art Director, Paul Savulescu; Camera Operator, Nick Cooke;  Digital Compositor/Colorist ,Sara Buxton; Production Coordinator, Catherine McNamara; Assistant Editors, Scott Clements & Jamie Kataky (current student)

Prevenge: Editor, Matteo Bini

Pyromanen (Pyromaniac): Director, Erik Skjoldbjaerg

A Quiet Passion: Writer/Director, Terence Davies

Rock Dog: Animator, Ben Sanders

The Secret Scripture: Supervising Sound Editor, Paul Davies

Spaceship: DoP, Liam Iandoli; Editor, Carmela Iandoli; Supervising Sound Editor, Maiken Hansen

Their Finest: Editor, Lucia Zucchetti; Associate Editor, Fiona DeSouza

Trespass Against Us: DoP, Eduard Grau

Una: Editor, Nick Fenton; Sound Mixer, Danny Hambrook

A United Kingdom: Creative Executive for Pathé Productions, Len Rowles; Digital Compositor, Graham Dorey

Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey: CG Lead, James Brennan-Craddock; Compositor, Jorge Canada Escorihuela: R&D Samuel Walsh

We Are X: Sound Mixer, Robert Bourke

Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?: Development Executive for the BFI, Jamie Wolpert

Wild: Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor, Rainer Heesch

London, 5^th October 2016: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it has secured funding of £1.5m from Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) to build a new Digital Content Production Training Studio. The studio will be one of the most advanced dedicated training facilities in the UK and will have the ability to shoot, record and stream live content in high definition 4k.

The studio is expected to open early 2017 coinciding with the new student intake.

The studio will benefit students on a range of postgraduate courses including the new NFTS Production Technology MA, which has been introduced to tackle a shortage of broadcast engineers and fill a skills gap in the industry. Top technologist and former BBC Scotland Head of Technology, John Maxwell Hobbs, has been appointed to lead the course. Applications are open for the MA now until October 13^th 2016 and the course will commence in January 2017.

This Digital Content Production Studio Facility and Hub will enable NFTS to train future generations of broadcast engineers; digital content producers; directors and craft professionals who are comfortable with the latest techniques, equipment and software that employers require. Students will be able to produce a wide range of digital content alongside high-end TV entertainment, sports and games programming and the studio will be integrated with post-production systems. Graphics workstations will also be linked to the studio.

Andrew M. Smith, Chairman of Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We are delighted to be working with the National Film and Television School and supporting such exciting new talent. We want to enhance the creative industries sector and put Bucks on the global map as we are doing with other high profile institutions in our county such as Pinewood Studios. Buckinghamshire is already at the forefront of the creative industries and has the highest proportion of employment in this sector in the UK with over 16,000 jobs across 3,800 businesses.”

Nik Powell, NFTS director says: “We are incredibly grateful for the LEP’s support and can’t wait to get the new studio up and running. We are working with a range of partners to ensure that this project delivers key systems and tools so that our students start their careers with the skills and knowledge that broadcasters need and value. We have forged exceptional links with broadcasters thanks to the reputation and track record of the school and the graduates it produces.”

Applications are open now until October 31st 2016 for the Production Technology MA and the course starts in January 2017.

ENDS

Contacts:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS:

vhewlett@nfts.co.uk  

Richard Burton, Communications Manager, BTVLEP:

richard.burton@btvlep.co.uk , call 01494 568933

About the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP

Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) prides itself in creating a vibrant and competitive economy in Buckinghamshire by establishing the right conditions to support businesses to invest, grow and thrive. Our strength lies in the resilient balance between our enviable environment and an over-representation in all the Plan for Growth sectors, including life sciences, space, creative industries, and advanced engineering. We are not just business-led but driven by entrepreneurs, as our strategy and projects are shaped by thousands of local businesses through our Local Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First. It is therefore no accident that we are the creative film engine for James Bond and Star Wars at Pinewood Studios, the home of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Birthplace of the Paralympic movement at Stoke Mandeville.

About The National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the World's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

The NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-wining industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

London, October 6, 2016: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it is the launch film school partner for world-leading creative agency network BBDO’s new crowdsourcing platform, Flare Studio.

As part of the partnership, AMV BBDO and founding partner Mars announce the first of their Flare Foundation initiatives, the Mars-NFTS scholarship – two £25,000 scholarships for a place at the NFTS to start in January 2017. 

Nik Powell, NFTS director says: “Flare Studio and the concept of curated crowdsourcing is an incredibly exciting and progressive idea that our students are most certainly going to benefit from. We are extremely grateful for Mars and AMV BBDO’s support in giving our students this opportunity as well as the scholarship.”

He added, “We take this area of creative filmmaking very seriously and have recently announced a new Directing Commercials and Promos Diploma, which will start in January 2017, and we expect the students who enrol on this exciting new course to be very involved in our work with Flare Studio.”

A minimum of twelve NFTS students and/or graduates will be selected by Flare Studio and NFTS to receive places in the upper tiers of Flare Studio and will be able to pitch for the best creative opportunities. Creatives receive payment to write a treatment if their creative approach is shortlisted and they win the commission if their treatment is picked.

AMV BBDO will provide live briefs and industry executives to teach sessions on both NFTS’s Directing Commercials and Promos Diploma, which is supported by D&AD, the Global Association for Creative Advertising and Design Awards, and Flare Studio workshops.

Said Ian Pearman, CEO AMV BBDO, “Part of the platform’s aim is to invest in the next generation of filmmakers by supplying grants and training, and we are excited to announce the Mars-NFTS scholarship as part of this endeavour.”

Added Leonid Sudakov, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Mars Petcare, “Mars brands are committed to fostering creative talent and supporting the global content-making community.  The Flare Studio Foundation is one way we can give back to these aspiring creative talents.”

Applications are open for the NFTS Directing Commercials and Promos Diploma until October 13^th.

Further details regarding the launch of Flare Studio can be found in the press release attached.  For more information on all courses available at the National Film and Television School, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

ENDS

Press contacts:

NFTS – Vicky Hewlett – vhewlett@nfts.co.uk

About The National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-winning industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

Choosing which films to view at a high profile film festival like the BFI London Film Festival can be daunting; a grand total of 193 fiction, 52 documentary features and 144 short films will be screened at this year’s event, a range which will give even the most experienced film enthusiast a challenge when deciding what to see.  

So to help you, students on our Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA have applied their curatorial skills to pick their top ten must see films at this year’s festival which kicks off today and runs until the 16^th October. Selecting, programming and reviewing films lies at the heart of their studies, with many of the students aspiring to work as curators and programmers at festivals when they graduate. Here are their most highly anticipated and recommended films:

1- PATERSON (Dir. Jim Jarmusch)

Jarmusch's latest. Very well reviewed and not to be missed (Nicolas Raffin)

2-AQUARIUS (Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)

The enigmatic director Mendonça Filho's second film once again explores the pitfalls of urban transformation and development in a middle class Brazilian neighbourhood. (David Perrin)

3-TONI ERDMANN (Dir. Maren Ade)

Cannes 2016’s unanimous 'breakout' hit, i.e. causing hardened critics to break out in spontaneous applause, twice! (Maria Bolocan)

4-THE WOMAN WHO LEFT (Dir. Lav Diaz)

The prolific Filipino master of slow cinema conquered Venice with his latest film. His predilection for lengthy features as a way to protest against Hollywood-imposed creative constraints has been feared as much as admired. At just three hours and a half long, its unique vision earned praise as his most accessible work to date. (Roberto González)

5-THE HANDMAIDEN (Dir. Park Chan-wook)

Park Chan-wook's adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel, this erotic thriller revolves around a plot to defraud a Japanese heiress, replacing British class anxiety with the tensions between the occupier and the occupied. (Mark Donaldson)

6-BY THE TIME IT GETS DARK (Dir. Anocha Suwichakornpong)

Taking the interview of a political activist of the 70s as a starting point, the film then becomes a cinematic journey using different styles to explore aspects of Thailand’s history and society. Promising to be a challenging but rewarding treat.  (Maureen Gueunet)

7-CERTAIN WOMEN (Dir. Kelly Reichardt)

Kelly Reichardt's triptych of women in the Northwest dealing with longing and misunderstanding. (Andrew Espe)

8-THE RED TURTLE (Dir. Michael Dudok De Wit)

Studio Ghibli's first international co-production, directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit in his feature debut. This hypnotising fable of ravishing simplicity is a heart-warming ode to the cycle of life. (Irene Silvera Frischknecht)

9-I HAD NOWHERE TO GO (Dir. Douglas Gordon)

A new documentary about the legendary American independent filmmaker Jonas Mekas by artist Douglas Gordon with a focus on his early years as refugee from his native Lithuania. (David Perrin)

10 (tie)- MOONLIGHT (Dir. Barry Jenkins)

This acclaimed coming of age drama has been the toast of this year's festival circuit for its visual poetry and frank observations on race, sexuality and adolescence.

and MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Dir. Kenneth Lonergan)

Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan crafts a masterful drama of loss, centred around an outstanding performance from Casey Affleck. (Andrew Espe)

If you are inspired by our students’ choices or think you could do better, why not apply for our Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA, which is delivered in partnership with the BFI? Applications are open now and the two year course starts in January 2017. Over 100 of our students and graduates have been credited at this year’s festival; find out more here.

NFTS Marketing, Distribution, Sales & Exhibition MA course leader and entertainment marketing expert, Deborah Rowland discusses the new course and how marketers are influencing the film, TV and games industries.

In a nutshell, what is the Course about?

The Masters in Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition is a really exciting new course that looks at how we connect content such as films, TV shows and games to audiences and consumers.  It will equip you with all the tools you’ll need to sell, market, distribute, retail and exhibit – looking at how cinemas, TV channels, games and film distribution companies operate, how to identify your audiences, and how to reach them through creative and effective sales and marketing techniques.  By the end of the course, you’ll have an unrivalled overview of the film, television and games industries and be able to move between them with ease – making you highly employable executives in these sectors.

What sort of roles will it qualify me for?

The course will qualify you for a huge number of commercial roles within the films, television and games sectors, these might include:

• a marketing manager who creates the campaigns for feature films or games, ensuring the trailers, posters and advertising all connect with the right audiences
• a commissioning exec who spots the best television shows and talent and brings them to your channel
• an exhibition marketing manager who ensures that audiences have the best experiences at their cinemas
• a publicity manager who looks after the cast of a popular television show or film, managing their interviews with the press or their appearances at premieres and events
• a social media exec managing the online word of mouth for their film, television show or game

These are just a few of the roles you will be prepared and qualified for once you’ve taken the course.

Are the film, television and games industries as glamourous as they seem?

There are moments when they are very glamourous!  Film festivals abroad, launch parties and working with stars are a big part of the work involved.  But it’s also very hard work, and often long hours, to bring a product to market in these industries.  That said there is a great deal of satisfaction in seeing a poster, trailer or advert for a film, television show or game that you’ve worked on, or a game or DVD on a shelf in a store, and you can say “I did that!”

What can I expect from my two years on the course?

The two years will be packed with everything and everyone you need to know to make a successful career in film, television and games!  The emphasis is on practical application and experience – this is not a course of theory.  You will have a work placement each year in a business in one of the three sectors – which will look great on your CV.  We will take you to the Berlin film festival and market, television market MIPCOM and games conference EGX.  Your projects and assignments will all focus on embedding the knowledge you’ve gained on the course.  The tutors and speakers on the course will all be industry execs out there doing it, so you will emerge for the course incredibly well connected with some extremely valuable experience.

What are the most exciting developments and challenges in the three industries right now?

For film, companies such as Netflix and Amazon have become influential players in film distribution and marketing and the industry as a whole is adapting and changing in response to this.   The growth of ‘event cinema’ – where people are watching non-film content in cinemas including, opera, ballet, concerts, even museum exhibitions – is also having a huge impact not just on how films are released, but on how and what audiences want to see in cinema.

For television, broadcasters are having to react to a change in how we are watching television – it’s a lot less linear now; it’s more online, catch-up or appointment to view.  More and more they are having to create content and “worlds” around the programmes themselves for audiences to engage with online.

On the gaming side, the popularity of mobile gaming is increasing and bringing in a whole new audience while the key hardware leaders, such as Playstation and Xbox, are constantly looking at ways to expand their existing user bases.

Piracy continues to be a challenge across all three industries, as does finding and reaching audiences and consumers as they become ever-more fragmented in a digital age.

The potential impact of virtual reality is a very exciting development across all three areas. Each is looking closely at how audiences will respond as well as the implications for content creators, and everyone is wondering if it will be as successful as 3D.

It’s certainly a fascinating time to be in the creative industries right now!

Who is the course aimed at?

The new MA is aimed at people looking to get into, or to develop their careers in, the business and marketing aspects of the film, television and games industries.  If you’re interested in being part of how the content from the three sectors reaches people, then this is for you.

You might be currently studying film, media or marketing and want to specialise and get valuable experience in these industries, or you may already work in them and are looking for a way to expand your working knowledge of distribution and marketing.  Either way, the course is designed to give you the knowledge, experience and contacts to make you more employable in marketing, distribution, sales and exhibition.

What makes this course different from similar ones out there?

There are lots of reasons this MA stands out from others:

1)     NFTS has an unrivalled reputation. It has been described as “the best film school in the world” and is a centre of learning excellence for the creative sector.  The course leaders and tutors are some of the most experienced in the film, television and games industries – you will emerge from completing your course incredibly experienced and well connected!

2)     Practical application and experience is a major focus of the course.  As a student you will have valuable work experience placements that will shine on your CV: We will take you to film and television markets, Berlinale and MIPCOM, and games conference EGX; you will work with the producers and designers on other NFTS courses on live projects; and have countless networking opportunities to meet and learn from the industries’ best talent.

3)     The course aims to give you not only the business-to-consumer skill set - how to connect films, games and television shows with the public - but also the critical business-to-business mind-set to manage a brand or business in relation to other businesses within the industries, to really command each sector with ease.

4)     The content and delivery has been developed by the film, television and game industries.  We have consulted with them thoroughly in the creation of the objectives, framework and subject matter covered.  This is a meaningful qualification to the sectors you will soon be working in.

How can I make my application stand out?

The application will test how you currently think about connecting content to people.  How aware you are of the importance of audiences how they consume media, the challenges in finding them, reaching them and converting them into a viewer or a player?  We want to see your analytical approach to why you think a marketing campaign has been successful or otherwise - not from your own personal tastes, but from an audience and consumer perspective.  We also want to see your passion for film, television and/or games shine through too!

What are the key things I need to know to apply?

• The course is two years, full-time and starts in January 2017
• Applications are open now; please click ***Here*** to apply.
• There are no specific educational requirements for the course. Some experience or study in media and/or marketing and publicity is desirable and a love of film, television and/or games I would say is essential!

London, 13^th October: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) has teamed up with leading fashion retailer, Jigsaw to launch a filmmaking project as part of its ‘Bridges to Industry’ programme, which is designed to help students get ahead in the creative industries.

NFTS students and graduates were given the opportunity to create a short film that ‘celebrates, educates and elevates’ fashion brand Jigsaw’s commitment to product creation, craft and design.

The four short films premiered on Wednesday 12th October at Jigsaw’s Duke Street Emporium store at an exclusive in-store launch event and the winning film, Teach a Man to Fish, is to be shown at selected Everyman cinemas from mid-October. The films are available to view on Jigsaw’s online hub today and there will be in-store screenings over the weekend to coincide with Jigsaw’s Autumn Winter 16 collection, which is inspired by two dimensional and three dimensional views, expressed through the lens of a photographer’s camera and the hands of a sculptor.

About the films:

Teach a Man to Fish– Director, Tom Day; Producer Ian Packard; Cinematographer, Daniel Atherton

In a highly unusual scenario a fashionable greenhorn (newest crewman on the fishing boat) has found his way to a crab fishing trawler on the English coast. The boat’s crew are losing the will to continue their work in a fading fishing industry. Predictably at first, the fashionable addition to the boat doesn’t fit in, but his work ethic is strong. As the greenhorn learns from the crew, the crew’s attitude and luck starts to change too…

Ian Packard, Producer: “This was arguably one of the most ambitious projects we have ever tried to pull off. It’s a testament to the NFTS alumni who helped us with this project; everyone had a great approach to fight the elements, the waves and the lack of working space on the boat to get what we needed.”

The Fabric of our Lives - Director/Producer, Grace Harper-Brighouse; Co-director/Producers Anna Snowball and Eleanor Mortimer

Poignant short documentaries exploring the emotional connections we have with our clothes, and the memories they can evoke.  Real Jigsaw customers tell personal stories of love and loss, recreating moments captured in old photographs.

Time is Forever - Co-Screenwriter/ Co-Director, Joasia Goldyn and Edurne Bargueno; Producer, Khaled Gad

Atmospheric comedy - Dr White runs a therapy session to help a group of fashionista vampires understand the value of timelessness and quality.

The One and Only - Director, Weronika Tofilska; Producer, Natalia Guarín; Cinematographer Krzysztof Trojnar

Hannah and Olivia, Lily and Alice, Sophie and Eloise are identical twins, but although on the first glance the sisters can be hard to tell from one another, in fact there is nothing identical about them. The more you get to know them, the more you realise how uniquely different they are. In the series of simple documentary portraits we hear them talking about the unique bond they share and how through years they found their individual taste and style. 

Peter Ruis, CEO, Jigsaw: “We are extremely excited to work with students from a film school as prestigious as the NFTS. At Jigsaw, we fully embrace design and craftsmanship as part of our Creator’s Project and this scheme is a natural extension of that. We challenged the students to bring the truth behind Jigsaw to life through their storytelling abilities and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.“

Says Nik Powell, NFTS director: “We are very proud of our Bridges to Industry programme, which is a key part of our focus on giving students the tools to be successful in the industry once they leave the school. Jigsaw as an iconic British brand is an excellent partner for us and the students loved working on the project. We think the films speak for themselves and really nail the brief set by Jigsaw.”

For more information and to watch the films, please visit www.jigsaw-online.com/nfts and to apply to the National Film and Television School, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

ENDS

Press contacts:

National Film and Television School: Vicky Hewlett - vhewlett:nfts.co.uk / 01494 731403

Jigsaw: Louise Worrell - louise.worrell@jigsaw-uk.co.uk /  020 7042 2777

About Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a contemporary British fashion brand founded in 1972, creating beautiful and timeless clothes and accessories for women, men and children. We believe in Style & Truth; that everyone should feel empowered to embrace their own true style.

About The National Film and Television School

The NFTS is one of the world's leading film, games and television schools. It has been cited by some media as one of the top five film schools globally and by one as the No.1 international film school. In 1967, the government recommended the creation of a national film school for the UK and in 1971 the National Film School opened its doors for the first time focussing on postgraduate education. In the 1980s, the school officially changed its name to the National Film and Television School to incorporate the demand for courses in television production and has since added games to its remit.

NFTS prides itself on producing world-class, award-winning industry leaders. It has more Student Academy Awards (Foreign Category) than any other film school. NFTS students and graduates also regularly win BAFTAs and have won the short film category for the last three years. Other prestigious accolades include the Grierson Award for Best Student Documentary, which NFTS students have won for the last three years as well as multiple Royal Television Society student awards and Annecy Animation Awards. NFTS graduates have gone on to win seven Oscars and 100 BAFTAs with alumni including cinematographer, Roger Deakins (12 times Oscar nominee); BAFTA winning director, David Yates, (best known for directing the Harry Potter films); Oscar winning animator Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) and Oscar winning composer Dario Marianelli among others. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429). For more information see www.nfts.co.uk

London, 14^th October 2016: Paul Reddish who has recently been appointed to lead the National Film and Television School’s (NFTS) new Directing and Producing Natural History and Science MA is part of the team that has won two prestigious Panda Awards for Attenborough’s Life that Glows including the Innovation Award and the Science Award. The Panda Awards took place last night at Colston Hall in Bristol and is part of the Wildscreen festival, which attracts the leading lights of the wildlife film and programme making industry including Sir David Attenborough himself!

Paul came up with the story and wrote the scripts for Attenborough’s Life that Glows, directed by Joe Loncraine, where David Attenborough introduces the perplexing world of glowing fungi and asks, is fungal bioluminescence just a biochemical accident or is there a more important function at play?

The Science Award is given to the production that best furthers human and/or audience knowledge and understanding of the natural world through scientific methodology and discovery.

Paul, who in addition to his new teaching role at the NFTS, has been Producer and Director across a number of high profile natural history films and series including Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild, Hummingbirds Jewelled Messengers, says: “It is an absolute honour to be part of the team that created this engaging new programme; it’s always fantastic to win awards but I am particularly pleased that Life that Glows has won a science award given that I am about to teach directing and producing science documentaries as well as natural history programmes at the NFTS. I love to encourage and mentor new talent and I can’t wait to meet and start working with the students and tutors at such a prestigious institution!”

The Panda Innovation Award is given for outstanding achievement in innovation in natural world storytelling. According to Paul, “Martin Dohrn deserves the most praise for the Innovation Award, as he designed and built the remarkable split-beam low light/IR camera used in the movie.”

For more information on the NFTS two-year Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA, which starts in January 2017, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

This week, I met with Sky’s Creative Director, (Design), Ceri Sampson and National Film and Television School Graphics and Titles Diploma course leader and experienced graphic designer, Hugo Hansell to find out more about the new course, which is delivered in partnership with Sky and includes a four-week placement working with the broadcaster’s design team.

Tell us about the Graphics & Titles Diploma and what makes it stand out from other graphic design courses?

Hugo: This course is completely unique; I don’t know of any other course that dovetails into the film and television industries like this one does. The course will be based around numerous aspects of film and TV graphics including both 2d and 3d and students will get to collaborate with those on other courses across a wide range of TV and filmmaking disciplines from Producing and Directing TV Entertainment to Fiction, Natural History, Science and Sports Production.

Who should apply and why?

Ceri: Anyone with an interest in working in graphic design in the television industry should apply for this course. The broadcast industry is so fast paced and Sky’s design team is constantly looking for new recruits who can hit the ground running. That is why completing a work placement where you get relevant training and real world experience in an environment like Sky - Europe’s largest design house - makes any candidate extremely attractive to a future employer.

Hugo: We’re looking for both practical and creative applicants. Maybe you’re inspired by the latest cutting edge technologies in graphic design from Vizrt to VFX or you might be highly creative and love pushing the envelope with your design ideas. Ultimately, you really need to have a passion for film and television and be committed to wanting to work in one of these exciting industries.

What will students experience on their placement at Sky?

(Example of an Ident a student might get to work on at Sky.)

Ceri: The design team at Sky is extremely large and many different disciplines work together including title design, channel branding and content graphics. NFTS students will be able to choose a particular area to focus on and immerse themselves in the broadcast environment. They could be working on titles for the latest sports programming, campaigns for programmes such as Game of Thrones or a rebrand and idents for the likes of Sky Cinema. There are creative opportunities for those who want to come up with ideas and storyboard them; or students could choose to focus on VFX or on honing Vizrt skills and working on real-time 3D graphics, video playout or sports analysis. 

Hugo: The opportunity to experience working somewhere like Sky is extremely rare and will be a fantastic addition to your CV.

How can I make my application stand out?

Hugo: You’ll need to have a strong portfolio and be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in working in the television or film industry. Enthusiasm and visual talent are the most important things to showcase!

How do I apply?

Applications are open now for the full-time, 12 month Diploma and the course starts in January 2017. Apply here!

Oscar nominated director and BFI fellow, Steve McQueen delivered this year’s Colin Young Annual Lecture, in conversation with the film critic Jason Solomons. The Colin Young lecture is a prestigious event that was established in 2007 to celebrate the 80^th birthday of the National Film and Television School’s founding director, Colin Young, CBE. Colin Young himself was in attendance as was NFTS director, Nik Powell and a packed audience of students and alumni. 

British filmmaker and artist, Steve McQueen is the recipient of numerous awards including an OBE and CBE. His first feature, Hunger, won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes film festival and Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, won two ‘Best Film’ awards when it premiered at Venice Film Festival. His third film, 12 Years a Slave was adapted from a memoir by Solomon Northup and won three Academy Awards including ‘Best Motion Picture’.‎

Steve’s masterclass was ‘inspirational and insightful’ according to Games Design student, Laura Dodds while Producing and Directing Television Entertainment student, Meera Patel said: “When your hero comes to school & he is everything you hoped for!” NFTS senior coordinator, Shakil Mohammed summed it up for everyone with: “Still buzzing after hearing director, Steve McQueen speaking!”

London, 21^st October 2016: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces that the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) supports its new Production Technology MA, which has been launched to tackle a shortage of broadcast engineers and fill a looming skills gap in the television and film industry. The BBC have recently noted that 60% of Engineers across Europe are within 10 years of retirement.

The two-year postgraduate course will start in January 2017 and students will benefit from the school’s new Digital Content Production Training Studio, which on opening early 2017 will be one of the most advanced dedicated training facilities in the UK and will have the ability to shoot, record and stream live content in high definition 4k.

Tim Hamer, IET’s Director of Knowledge says: “We fully support this new Production Technology MA and the work the National Film and Television School is doing to meet the UK’s shortage of highly skilled broadcast engineers. This area of engineering is extremely exciting and we would encourage anyone with an interest in television and film to apply.”

Top technologist and NFTS Head of Production Technology, John Maxwell Hobbs says: “Our Production Technology MA offers a unique opportunity for students to embed themselves into full productions as solution providers and get practical hands on experience that would be impossible to get outside a film and television school like ours. While the industry is headed towards a skills gap, we’re also seeing massive technological advances and the merging of the worlds of broadcasting and IT so this is an incredibly vibrant time for broadcast engineering and offers a highly rewarding career path.”

Production Technology students will be offered full membership of the IET enabling them to use the top class facilities when in central London. NFTS will also embark upon a work placement programme with IET’s TV Production department allowing students to get hands on experience across a number of different areas from camera work and vision mixing to production management and work flow design.

Applications are open until October 31^st 2016 and the course starts in January 2017. Please visit https://nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/production-technology to apply.

ENDS

Contact for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

London, 21^st October 2016: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) today announces it has appointed experienced production accountant, Natalie Moore to run its new Production Accounting Diploma.

The part-time 12-month diploma is delivered in partnership with the Production Guild, the UK’s most prestigious membership organisation for film and TV production management professionals.

Natalie has over 15 years’ experience working in the Film and Television Industry.  Her roles have included a wide range of projects from low budget Independent films all the way up to larger US Studio blockbusters including her latest project “Dunkirk” the highly anticipated Christopher Nolan World War II Epic. During her career she has had the opportunity to work abroad many times in exciting locations such as Uganda, Montreal, The Netherlands and LA, which has enabled her to form a wide and varied network?

Students on the Production Accounting Diploma will be equipped with the skills required to foster a successful future career as a film or television production accountant. The diploma is ideal for those already working in a finance or accountancy role and who are keen to move into the film and television sector. Students will learn the specialist knowledge required to work as a production accountant and establish key contacts to enable them to develop their career as a result.

All students will experience a minimum of ten days’ work experience or production shadowing.

Natalie Moore, NFTS Head of Production Accounting says: “This is a fantastic new role at a highly respected institution and I can’t wait to get started! Cultivating new talent in production accounting is much needed as the industry is crying out for specialists in this area. I look forward to meeting the students and creating a network of skilled accounting talent!”

Nik Powell, NFTS director says: “We are extremely pleased to have Natalie on board. Her extensive experience in the field of accounting in the film and television production worlds is extremely impressive; she will be a huge asset to both the school and the students. The course itself has been introduced to fill a gap in the market as skilled accountants who specialise in film and television are highly sought after.”

Alison Small, Chief Executive at the Production Guild says: “We are delighted to be partnering with such a prestigious school as the NFTS on this exciting new course and it’s excellent news that such an experienced production accountant, Natalie Moore, has been appointed to lead the Diploma. At the Production Guild, we represent and support those working in accounts, production, assistant directing, location management, post-production and VFX so it is fantastic to work with both Natalie and the NFTS to develop this very specialist course. It will sit alongside our Assistant Production Accountant Training Scheme (APATS) to build new talent in the area of Production Accounting.”

The Production Accounting diploma is open to those with academic or vocational qualifications in accounting or relevant work experience. Applications are open now until November 17^th 2016 and the course starts in January 2017. Please visit https://nfts.co.uk/our-courses/diploma/production-accounting-film-television for more information.

-Ends-

Contact for further information:

Vicky Hewlett, Head of PR and Communications, NFTS: VHewlett@nfts.co.uk

Lesley Lipscombe, Training and Development Manager, The Production Guild: lesley@productionguild.com