We caught up with Nick Olorenshaw, Keith Morrison and Kirsty Wright who have all just graduated from the NFTS Production Sound for Film and Television Diploma, to find out about their experience of the course and what their career plans are. It was fascinating to learn that the course had literally taken them all over the world from Tajikistan to Singapore and Italy! (If this sounds like your dream course, don’t miss our Post Production open day on the 26^th April – sign up here.)

What have you been doing since graduating from the NFTS Diploma in Production Sound; did studying at the NFTS help kick start your career?

Nick: Towards the end of the course, I worked as a sound trainee on a documentary/commercial for Toyota, which involved a three-week road trip through Vietnam with lots of off-road driving and documentary pieces in the cities and jungle, which was an amazing experience. That led to another car commercial for Lexus in Spain this year, and I've also been doing some smaller corporate and commercial shoots. I first met one of the recordists I worked for when he gave a guest lecture for our class, so the NFTS has certainly helped to open some doors and got my career going.

Keith: Since graduating from the Production Sound Diploma with the NFTS at the end of 2016, I have been working towards obtaining trainee roles for drama productions. Having completed the course, I feel that I am much more prepared and confident in my abilities on and off set. The NFTS has also given me the opportunity to network with sound mixers and organisations that can help me achieve my goals. 

Kirsty: Since graduating from the NFTS I have been granted a place on the Creative Skillset Trainee Scheme for which there were 500 applicants. Studying at the NFTS has helped me to be prepared for a freelance career in production sound both by learning about the practical and theoretical aspect of sound on and off set, and also by receiving career training including sessions in financing and CV development.

What were the highlights of studying Production Sound at the NFTS (please mention if you got to go anywhere interesting or work on any exciting sets)?

Nick: My main interest is in documentary sound, and I was fortunate to work in Tajikistan and Sicily with students from the documentary department. As well as being a lot of fun (and hard work), working abroad really helped to sharpen my skills and improve my self-sufficiency as a sound recordist; but culturally I also learned a lot, and it has definitely contributed to shaping my understanding of the world.

Keith: The highlights of studying with the NFTS included the variety of productions I worked on, the places I got to travel to and the people I had the opportunity to work with and learn from. During my time, I was either sound mixer or boom op on at least five full-scale drama shoots and two documentaries, one of which was in Singapore for three weeks. As a small group of eight production sound students, we were in demand across the film school. This meant that we worked with a variety of people in all departments from production managers to sound designers. Understanding what their roles were and how you impact them was an important part of learning.

Kirsty: I had the opportunity to work on a variety of productions as part of the curriculum, and also extra-curricular projects. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Bologna, Italy, to record sound for part of a graduation documentary in summer 2015. I also had the opportunity to attend a sitcom workshop at Sky where I operated the Fisher booms, and also created a live mix of the production in the sound gallery. One of my favourite aspects of the Production Sound course is the opportunity to learn from sound mixers and boom operators who are currently working in the industry, and gaining an insight into their techniques. Russell Edwards, for example, taught us how to rig different vehicles for sound.

Why would you recommend someone apply for the Production Sound Diploma rather than other sound courses? And why is the NFTS a good place to study?

Nick: By the end of the course, you will have spent a lot of time using professional sound equipment in a wide range of situations, which puts you in a good position when you leave the school and look for work. Also the teachers have a huge amount of experience between them, which is an amazing resource of knowledge and advice (and anecdotes) to learn from.

Keith: The NFTS production sound course is dedicated to the craft and is taught by industry professionals. It is a very practical course, with hands on experience of drama, documentary and television sound using current industry equipment. If you are interested in production sound, this course is for you. The NFTS is a great place to study because the classes are small and there are dedicated courses for each discipline (directors, producers, editors etc.). Being taught by tutors that are highly acclaimed in their fields and being surrounded by creative, dedicated people has a positive effect on you and the work you do, this is why the NFTS is a great place to study.

Kirsty: I would recommend that someone apply for the Production Sound diploma due to the emphasis on learning through practical experience on set. Students get the opportunity to work on a multitude of productions across many genres, including drama, documentary and television production. I would also recommend the course as it is taught by leading industry professionals, whose experience, insight and wisdom are invaluable for anyone developing their career in production sound.

The NFTS is a good place to study due to the emphasis on collaboration and the opportunity to work with many different people in the School who are equally as enthusiastic about film and television production. There are also frequent masterclasses by leading individuals in the industry, which often leave one feeling inspired and enthused!

For more information about the Production Sound for Film and Television Diploma, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/diploma/production-sound-film-television and sign up for the open day on the 26^th April here.

We caught up with National Film and Television School Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA alumnus, André Sousa to find out what he has been doing since graduating. (If you are interested in following in André’s footsteps, sign up to our TV Entertainment open day on April 6^th– more info here!)

André is working as Development AP (Assistant Producer) and acting up as a Producer-Director at Potato, an ITV Studios label. He did his work experience at Potato while studying at NFTS and was snapped up by them as soon as he graduated. “The work placement element of the course is key; do the best you can to prove yourself as it could influence your early career. During my work experience at Potato, I got to work on Beat TV, an ITV entertainment magazine show, which was broadcast live during the 2012 Olympics.

My NFTS graduation project, The Big Steal got a Warner Bros option deal (since then, every year all NFTS Directing and Producing TV Entertainment students pitch their graduation projects to Warner Bros and they have first option) which was a fantastic experience and after graduating in 2013, I was invited to join ITV as a Development Researcher. They saw The Big Steal and loved it so I worked on lots of quizzes when I first started!

I now mainly work across game-show development  and fact-ent development, produce, direct and edit taster/sizzles and pitch decks that have led to a number of commissions (highlights include Ninja Warrior UK, Go For It, Devon and Cornwall Blues, An Hour To Catch A Killer, Cannonball). I did a taster tape for Ninja Warrior UK soon after starting, which was a big responsibility. I have also content managed three YouTube channels and managed the launch of the first UK concert release straight onto YouTube (for The Big Reunion), which has now amassed over 1.5 million plays.

I have just had my first Producer/ Director credit on Ninja Warrior UK and first Edit Producer credit on Bear Grylls Survival School, which I’m really proud of. My mum loves it when I send her screenshots with my name on it!

I particularly enjoy working in TV Entertainment and always knew I wanted to work at ITV. I love the thought of the audience on the other side of the screen; I see myself as a behind the screen entertainer!

I would advise anyone interested in studying at the NFTS to get experience beforehand. I worked as a Runner on Dancing on Ice and on Secret Story (a Big Brother on steroids!) in Portugal where I’m from. In fact, I was rejected the first time I applied to the NFTS and think that if I had been selected the first time round, I wouldn’t have learned as much.

NFTS gives you the foundation, experience and network you would otherwise take years to get. In the first six months of the course, you go from being a student to directing or producing your first show; it escalates very quickly. I have built a great network of NFTS peers who I speak to every day and it’s fantastic when we catch up face-to-face from time to time. I absolutely loved my time at NFTS and would never have been able to work in this country as I am now if I hadn’t studied there.”

For more information on the Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/directing-producing-television-entertainment and to sign up for the open day, register here.

(L-R: Angelina Karpovich, Nathaniel Price and Oliver Henderson)

Despite huge competition and 1200 applicants, no fewer than three NFTS students and graduates have secured places on Channel 4’s prestigious 4Screenwriting scheme, which is open to 12 writers new to television drama.

Recent NFTS Screenwriting MA Graduates, Oliver Henderson and Nathaniel Price and current student Angelina Karpovich have been offered places on the scheme and graduate Jonathan Harbottle was also offered a place but was unable to take part due to work commissions. (There is an NFTS Screenwriting open day on Friday 30^th March – sign up here!)

Script Editor, Script Consultant, Producer and 4Screenwriting Course Leader,

Philip Shelley said: 'It’s fantastic to see so many NFTS graduates take part in this year’s scheme. Having read all the stand-out scripts, it wasn't until we started looking in detail at writers' CV's that we realised what so many of them had in common! I am really impressed with their work and am sure they have successful careers ahead of them!

The NFTS seems to not only school writers thoroughly in the craft of screen-writing and effective story-telling - but also, importantly, uses its extensive industry contacts to make sure that the writers all meet a lot of important, influential people - the sort of people who can offer them screenwriting work!

The Channel 4 screenwriting course is now in its 7th year. Every year we work over 6 months with 12 new, talented writers to develop a one hour pilot script. It's a great introduction to Channel 4 Drama and the industry for the writers, and we have had a lot of exciting success stories from the course. Getting onto the course in the first place is highly competitive. This year we had over 1200 applicants for the 12 places.”

I met with Oliver, Nathaniel and Angelina and asked them how it feels to be accepted on such a sought after course as well as how the NFTS MA has prepared them and what their future plans are.

How does it feel to be accepted on the 4Screenwriting scheme and what has it been like so far?

Oliver: Having made the shortlist a couple of years ago it was great to get on the scheme at the second time of asking. The competition for places is fierce, even more so than at the NFTS, and over the last few years it has launched the careers of writers like Vinay Patel and Charlie Covell so it's very exciting. The scheme itself has been an absolute dream so far, with talks from writers, directors and scripts editors who have worked on some of the biggest productions in film and television over the last decade. I've also been assigned a fantastic script editor from New Pictures (The Missing, Indian Summers) and a development exec from Channel 4 who have helped me to expand what was an embryonic idea.

Nathaniel: I was absolutely delighted to have been put forward and selected for 4Screenwriting. It and Philip Shelley are very highly regarded within the industry. I'd been fortunate to meet and work with a few of its graduates previously and they all couldn't recommend it highly enough. The first weekend of the course definitely lived up to the hype. One thing I really enjoyed was meeting the other writers and sharing our experiences. They were all really cool (as were the script editors and trainee script editors). We had fantastic speakers (writers and script editors and commissioners) who were all open and honest and provided invaluable insight into the industry. It's just great to be writing a script and honing my craft (because let's face it, treatments can get a bit tedious), and I'm really enjoying having Philip as my script editor.

Angelina: 4Screenwriting is a hugely respected and very competitive scheme for new television drama writers, and being selected to participate in it this year feels like a massive validation of how far my writing has developed since I’ve started on the Screenwriting MA at the NFTS.

Eggshells, the screenplay with which I applied to the 4Screenwriting scheme, was developed at the NFTS, during the 1st year “Movie in a Month” module, where each of us wrote an individual feature screenplay from scratch in a month, supported by regular feedback sessions with our fantastically insightful tutors, Angeli Macfarlane and Brian Ward. I used this opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone by writing in a genre I hadn’t worked in before, by exploring some dauntingly “big” themes, and by writing something much more personal than any of my previous work. Looking back at the screenplay now, I know that I would have never achieved those aims on my own, without the structure and the support put in place by the Screenwriting MA tutors.

How has the NFTS Screenwriting MA prepared you for the 4Screenwriting course?

Angelina: If you’re serious about developing as a screenwriter, then the NFTS offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine and refine your own writing, and to work with immensely talented people who are just as passionate about storytelling as you are. You can - and should - read all the screenwriting textbooks, but none of them can teach you how to make specifically *your* writing better. This, in my experience, is what the NFTS excels in.

Nathaniel: Applying for the NFTS Screenwriting MA is one of the best decisions I ever made. Once I realised I was serious about wanting to become a professional screenwriter, the NFTS was the place I was continually advised to apply to. It gave me such a thorough training across all the mediums (film, TV, theatre, radio and games) in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. The tutors at times went above and beyond in helping me develop my writing. Also, the fact they're all active in the industry, you can't help but find their advice helpful and inspiring. The NFTS also provides you with access to the industry prior to graduation, which has proved extremely helpful for my career.

Oliver: The TV module we do as part of the MA at the NFTS follows the same structure as the 4Screenwriting course in terms of feedback and outcome, so the transition has been relatively seamless so far. The 4Screenwriting course is a great platform for new writers and is renowned throughout the industry, acting as a bridge into the professional world of writing. Out of the 12 writers selected this year, 4 were from the NFTS, so if you apply then you've clearly got a very good chance!

What are your career aspirations?

Oliver: If I can make a living doing what I love then I'll be happy, but creating and writing my own series is the dream. Ideally I'd like to work across both film and television, and I currently have a number of projects in various stages of development, but my focus is on the script for C4 over the next couple of months.

Nathaniel: I've been lucky enough to be working constantly since I graduated last year. Recently, I've had a short monologue, Special Delivery released on BBC3 as part of the BBC ‘Writersroom's The Break II’ series. My first radio play, Baller, was broadcast earlier this month on BBC Radio 4 and was selected as their 'Drama of the Week'. I wrote Episode 5 of Five by Five, a co-production between Green Door Pictures and BBC Studios, featuring Idris Elba, which will be released on BBC 3 on Monday 27th April. I've also been selected as a trainee writer by Kudos for their new Sky Atlantic show Tin Star, and so will be involved in story lining series two. I've also just had my first feature play commissioned with the Nottingham Playhouse. Finally, my first feature film, Scandinavian Silence, that I co-wrote with director Martii Helde, will be released later this year.

My real aspiration is to continue to work on exciting and varied projects across the mediums and continue to develop my writing. Ultimately, I'd love to have my own TV series on day. I'm fortunate enough to be working on developing original ideas with a number of great production companies so... fingers crossed.

Angelina: I’m still at the start of the final year of the MA, so my plans for what to do after leaving the NFTS aren’t very firm - I feel that I still have so much to learn and explore while I’m at the School! Television is my first love, I grew up practically glued to the screen, so writing television drama would be amazing, but ultimately I just want the stories I tell to find an audience, be it on television, in film, or on the stage.

For more information on the NFTS Screenwriting MA, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/our-courses/masters/screenwriting (application deadline 4th May 2017 with a start date of January 2018). And for more information on Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting Programme, please visit http://4talent.channel4.com/get-involved/work-programmes/4-new-writers/4-screenwriting

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

London, 14^th March 2017: National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it is partnering with the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, on its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA.

The RSPB will work closely with the world-leading film school, its tutors and students to inspire a new generation of filmmaking talent equipped to create engaging and innovative content that champions the charity’s conservation cause  by reaching new audiences through new and impactful visual communications. 

The partnership includes the launch of an RSPB scholarship to support a student through their two year MA, starting in the School’s new academic year in January 2018. To find out more, sign up to the open day on April 18^th.

Students will benefit from access to RSPB nature reserves to practice and enhance their wildlife filming technique and will receive masterclasses and practical sessions, delivered by the RSPB’s  world famous Film Unit on conservation filmmaking, field craft skills, and the role of ethics and animal welfare in wildlife filming best practice.

(Photo credit, Ben Andrew)

First formed in 1953, the RSPB Film Unit is the oldest professional wildlife filmmaking outfit in the UK, producing many internationally-recognised, award-winning documentaries rewarded at Wildscreen, Jackson Hole and the Japan Wildlife Film Festival among many others.  It is well-known throughout the industry as a training ground for many of the world’s leading camera operators and producers, like Hugh Miles, Mike Richards, Ian McCarthy, John Aitchison and David Allen, who have achieved highly successful careers in natural history filmmaking.  Reconfigured in 2014 as RSPB Digital Media, the Film Unit continues to adapt and transform itself, embracing technical innovation to amplify its core, creative conservation messages in response to the changing digital environment. 

Highly experienced producer of wildlife documentaries and series, Paul Reddish, leads the Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA; Paul is credited as 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.

Mark Percival at RSPB Digital Media says:

 “We’re delighted to be working with the NFTS. We face a considerable challenge as conservationists, working to reverse the declines in the numbers of species and the loss of natural habitats. As filmmaking technology rapidly evolves, it creates new opportunities for us to reach millions of people with the message that there’s an urgent need to look after our wild spaces and the wildlife around us. Supporting and developing new talented filmmakers who are passionate about conservation, and who can create powerful visual stories, is fundamental to achieving the RSPB’s goal of a sustainable world richer in nature.”

(Photo credit, Chiara Ceci)

Paul Reddish says: “It is a privilege to partner with the RSPB which does such vital and important conservation work. I can’t think of a better placed institution to work with the students to build their understanding of the challenges of communicating conservation messages in wildlife filmmaking. The NFTS has a great reputation for building careers and industry leaders and I look forward to working with the RSPB to mentor our students to do great things via this exciting new MA.”

The two-year MA course will equip students with the skills required to direct science, natural history and wildlife productions and the know-how to produce entire shows. Whether it’s using ultra long lenses or aerial, macro or time lapse photography, the students will build a wide portfolio of experience bespoke to wildlife programme making.

As with all NFTS courses, the MA is both hands on and practical and students will benefit from work placements at the UK’s major wildlife production companies.

Applications for the Directing Natural History and Science MA are open until July 6th 2017 and the course will commence in January 2018. There is a dedicated open day for the course on April 18^th– sign up here.  

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

Contacts for further information:

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

NFTS funding: Studentfunding@nfts.co.uk

Jamie Wyver, Consumer PR Executive, RSPB: jamie.wyver@rspb.org.uk

After a rousing welcome by NFTS Director, Nik Powell, triple BAFTA-winning director and NFTS graduate, David Yates gave students a fascinating insight into his journey from film school to directing international blockbusters such as the Harry Potter series and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

(Still from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Starting with a glimpse of his NFTS graduation film followed by a clip from his award-winning political thriller, State of Play, David explained that he has always been drawn to a diverse mix of textures, colours and tones, right from his early career to the Potter movies: “I make full utilisation of the tools at hand to express the texture and story.”

He stressed how exciting it can be at the start of your career to work with new and unknown cast and crew: “Starting out, you tend to by necessity discover other wonderful people and bring them to people’s attention. Go with those who inspire and excite. James McAvoy had only done one piece of telly then. It was very exciting; hopefully you’ll find some fantastic people to work with too! Everyone in this room who makes something will know what you feel when you meet the right actor; it’s instinctive, like falling in love; you know it’s them!

Even the extras in David’s productions get special attention: “Background action is so important; you need to make that part of the movie feel alive!” In State of Play, David asked the extras playing journalists to create their own desk space so it would feel personal and in The Legend of Tarzan, the extras were put through workshops including history lessons.

(Still from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)

On working with VFX for the first time on a big scale on the Harry Potter movies, David said: “I had a privileged introduction to big movies thanks to working with great producers like David Heyman who told me he loved what I did and to just get on with it! It was an amazing experience wondering into the movies and feeling that no one would say no to anything I suggested.”

David encouraged the students to be open to change in the filmmaking process: “Filmmaking is a constant process of evolution and change. It’s organic; you have to be open to things; it’s a very fluid process. The more confidence you gain, the more open you are to fluidity and change. I do loads of preparation including previs and storyboarding but that’s the groundwork. It’s good to prepare but also to be open to improvisation; I’m a strong believer in that.”

“The directors who will really succeed are the ones who aren’t concerned about everyone on set knowing they are the director and can be succinct with their direction! The director is there to help everyone discover their best and realise a vision you feel strongly about.”

(David Yates with NFTS Director, Nik Powell)

Despite David’s huge success, he feels he still has a lot more to learn: “I’m still evolving; I’m genuinely curious and feel that I’m half-way through a journey of discovery of the filmmaker that I am. I haven’t got to making the thing I want to be remembered for yet. However feted you become, take it with a pinch of salt, it’s a marathon not a sprint.”

A student asked David what his state-of-mind was when he went into directing the Harry Potter series: “I was both excited and scared! The producers were great – they all watched my back and believed in me, and allowed me to do my thing. My journey has been very blessed without people trying to muscle in, which I know is not the norm.”

More questions came in thick and fast, from what it was like working with ‘wonderful’ Production Designer, Stuart Craig and his ‘beautiful sets’ to how David picks his cinematographers, “I employ people who inspire me. I’m looking for a partner and ally; a flexible DoP who won’t spend too long lighting!”

And, on what it was like working on both The Legend of Tarzan and Fantastic Beasts at the same time, “actually, it was one of the most exhilarating years of my life, I love being busy!”

If you’d love to come to inspiring masterclasses like this one, sign up to one of our upcoming open days to find out more. For those looking to work on visual effects on movies like Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts, register for our Digital Effects open day on the 17^th May or if Editing, Composing or Sound Design is more your thing, we have a Post Production open day on the 26^th April – more info here:  www.nfts.co.uk/open-days

National Film and Television School Head of Technology, John Maxwell Hobbs considers why the UK is facing a skills gap in broadcast engineering and how an increased focus on the arts could be the key:

“There’s a lot of focus on what’s called the “STEM” approach to education these days. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and is driven by the increasing demand for employees with related skills, coupled with a lack of engagement from students.

We’re facing our own shortage of engineers and technologists in the world of film and broadcast. A US study from 2011 showed that 73.9% of broadcast engineers were between 56 and 66+ years old, with only 25.5% between the ages of 18 to 45. This points to a looming talent gap in production technology and engineering roles as the older workers begin to retire. As the same time, the nature of production technology is changing drastically – moving to computer-based systems that require an entirely new set of skills.

Not only are we facing a lack of new talent, but existing technicians lack the experience and skills to deal with the new technologies being used.

If governments and educational institutions are focussing on STEM, and employers have positions going unfilled, why is there still so much difficultly in engaging students? Perhaps STEM is missing a letter, and STEAM is what’s needed. The “A” in STEAM stands for, “Arts.” The STEM subjects, as important as they are, tend to focus only on tools and not the uses they will be put to. The arts – design, writing, music, drawing, and more, are where science, technology, engineering and mathematics combine with creativity and innovation and are put to practical use. Championed by the Rhode Island School of Design, the objectives of the STEAM movement are to:

• Transform research policy to place Art + Design at the centre of STEM
• Encourage integration of Art + Design from starting school all the way through to postgraduate education
• Influence employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation

The NFTS Production Technology MA shares many of the aims of the STEAM movement. The programme’s focus on the science of electronics; the maths of IT; the technologies of production; and broadcast engineering, is all done in the service of art and the creation of film and television. Working together on projects, our students receive a multidisciplinary education, fully experiencing the practical application of their studies, and gaining a deep understanding of all aspects of the production process. Through challenges to solve specific production needs, students develop the creativity and innovation skills needed to excel in their chosen discipline, and advance the state of the art.

For more information on the NFTS Production Technology MA, register for the open day on the 28^th May or apply here!

(Photo credit: Mike Potts)

The NFTS is offering an interactive, free taster workshop for its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA, on the 18^th April.

Highly experienced wildlife filmmaker and course leader, Paul Reddish will guide students through the steps to make a wildlife film and engage the group in a discussion about whether making a sequel is a viable option.

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.

The two-year MA is delivered in partnership with the RSPB and a scholarship is available to support a student through their studies.

Register for the free taster workshop and open day at www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory

Lyndon Holland picking up his BAFTA (Credit: BAFTA/ Shutterstock)

Congratulations to recent NFTS Composing for Film and Television MA Graduate, Lyndon Holland who has picked up a Games BAFTA in the ‘Music’ category for mystery adventure game, Virginia. This is the second year in a row that a NFTS Composing graduate has won this award with Jessica Curry winning the 2016 BAFTA Games Best Music award for Everybody's Gone To The Rapture.

If you are a composer and would like to follow in Lyndon and Jessica’s footsteps, don’s miss our upcoming Composing MA for Film and Television open day on the 26^th April 2017 – sign up at www.nfts.co.uk/composing We also have an open day coming up for our Games Design and Development MA open day on the 17th May - sign up at www.nfts.co.uk/games

The ceremony, which celebrates the very best in games of the past year, took place last night at Tobacco Dock, London and was hosted by Danny Wallace.

Lyndon said of his win: “It means so much to me to be recognised by an establishment as prestigious as BAFTA. I got excited about working in the games industry after working directly with the Games Design department at NFTS. I feel proud that our country gives Video Games the respect they deserve by hosting an event like this. It's such an exciting industry to work in and it seems like the bar of creativity keeps getting raised each year.”

About Virginia

Virginia, which was also nominated for ‘Best British Game’ and ‘Best Debut Game’, is a first person interactive drama. It is the story of a recently graduated FBI agent and her partner as they seek to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young boy.

Developed by a small team at Variable State, Co-Founder, Jonathan Burroughs said the three nominations are "a bit overwhelming but very exciting" in a recent BBC Newsbeat interview.

Recent NFTS Composing MA Graduate Credits

NFTS composing MA graduates have been credited on a number of recent high profile programmes. Alumnus, Graham Hadfield has composed the music for the three-part BBC1 natural history series Galapagos presented by Liz Bonnin. Graham has previously collaborated with Atlantic Productions including two IMAX 3D films and David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef series.

Composing MA graduate, Mat Davidson has provided the music for both the one-off documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, which will be screened on BBC1 at 9.00pm on Tuesday 28th March and also for the Channel Four series, Three Wives, One Husband.

Composing alumnus, Jon Opstad has composed the music for the 3-part BBC2 documentary series American Justice (NFTS Composing graduate, Roger Goula provided Additional Music and Chloe Lambourne was an Editor on the series).

For more information and to sign up for the Composing  and Games Design MA open days on the 26^th April and 17th May respectively, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/composing and www.nfts.co.uk/games

If you have a few days off this Easter and want to indulge in culture rather than chocolate, don’t miss these holiday highlights especially curated for you by our Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA students.

The NFTS Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA is designed for students who would like to work in a wide range of roles in film exhibition, as well as those with an interest in distribution, critical writing and archival work. The course is delivered in partnership with the BFI. If you would like to find out more, register for our Film Studies open day on the 28^th April at www.nfts.co.uk/filmstudies

The BFI Southbank is revisiting German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's work with a full retrospective in April and May. Read more

Close-Up in Shoreditch will be showing a number of David Lynch landmark films on 35 mm during the Easter weekend and beyond, including a double bill of Fire Walk with Me and Otto Preminger's Laura. Read more

The BFI is re-releasing classic movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, from April 14^th– starring Jack Nicholson, directed by Milos Forman and winner of no fewer than five Academy Awards! Read more

If you haven't had enough of Park Chan-wook's critically lauded thriller, The Handmaiden, you can watch the director's cut, including 20 more minutes of footage in Curzon, Everyman and Picturehouse cinemas. Read more

For Netflix subscribers, Joe Swanberg's latest film Win It All, a Netflix Original about gambling and described by Thrillist as “Drinking Buddies meets Rounders”, was released on the platform last Friday. Read more

If you want to catch The Salesman and haven't seen A Separation yet, the two films by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will be showing as part of a double bill at the Regent Street cinema on Tuesday 11 April. Read more

The Regent Street Cinema will also be hosting a very special screening of Ken Loach's Spanish Civil War film Land and Freedom on 35mm on Wednesday 12 April, introduced by the director himself and The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw. Read more

For those outside London, Leeds will be hosting its Young Film Festival, the largest family film event in the UK. Read more

Curzon Dochouse will be showing I Am Not your Negro in its Bloomsbury cinema with £7 student tickets. Read more

We hope you manage to enjoy some of these great Easter highlights, but don't forget to catch some of our favourite films from the London Film Festival on screen – Aquarius, Elle, Moonlight, Neruda, Graduation and Raw are currently showing in cinemas!

Other events and festivals to add to your calendars include:

The Korean Film Nights season, which the Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA second year students have programmed in partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre. The season, which runs from April to June, explores the theme of migration in contemporary South Korean cinema. Free screenings will take place at the Korean Cultural Centre and will be introduced by the students.

The Institute of Contemporary Arts will be hosting their festival Frames of Representation at the end of the month, an exploration of new visions for documentary cinema. 

If you enjoyed this list and want to find out more about our Film Studies, Curation and Progamming MA, register for our upcoming open day on the 28th April at www.nfts.co.uk/filmstudies

Happy Easter!

(Wild Horses Still: Joan, played by Emma Curtis)

London, 12^th April 2017: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) today announces that for the sixth year running a film made by its students has been selected for this year’s Cinéfondation short film selection at the Cannes film festival (17^th-28^th May 2017).

Wild Horses, directed and written by Rory Alexander Stewart and produced by Rebecca Smith, was picked from 2600 works submitted by film schools from all over the world and is one of just 16 films selected for the Cinéfondation short film programme.

Rory Alexander Stewart says: “It’s a huge honour for our film to be selected at Cinéfondation. I would like to thank the whole team for their efforts and look forward to seeing the screening with the team at Cannes!”

(L to R: Rory Stewart, Director / Emma Curtis, ‘Joan’ / Adam Batchelor, 1st AD / Lucy Noble, Script Supervisor / Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer / Rusty Dent, ‘Derek Smith’ - with Horse Master Samantha Dent and colleague)

Film synopsis

Joan’s efforts at teenage rebellion are frustrated by her illness and her overbearing mother, until her increasingly vivid dreams and an overzealous tutor inspire her to realise her independence.

Wild Horses was made by a group of graduating NFTS students including Rory Alexander Stewart, Director/ Writer; Rebecca Smith, Producer; Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer; Celetria Kimmins, Production Designer; Sophie Halton, Production Manager; Fiona Brands, Editor; Nick Olorenshaw, Production Sound Mixer; Ashley Sinani, 1^st Assistant Sound; Segun Akinola, Composer; Michael Roy Johnson, Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer; Kelvin Chim, CG Artist; Gillian Simpson, Compositor; Alex Davis, Colourist & Online Editor.

(L to R: Seated - Nick Olorenshaw, Sound Recordist / Samira Oberberg, Cinematographer / Rory Stewart, Director / Lucy Noble, Script Supervisor. L to R: Standing - Basia Wojas, Make Up Artist / Ed Kilpatrick, Gaffer / Amadea Kimmins, Art Department Assistant / Celestria Kimmins, Production Designer)

The Cinéfondation prizes will be awarded at a ceremony on Friday 26^th May at 4:30 p.m. in the Buñuel theatre in the Palais des Festivals.

For more information, please visit https://nfts.co.uk/

-Ends-

Contact for further information:

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

(This year's NFTS Production Management for Film & Television students at a visit to Panalux)

 Sannah Salameh: “I always enjoy being on set; there is a special energy in a lot of people working towards a common goal that I really love”

We caught up with some of the NFTS Production Management for Film and Television Diploma students to find out what they are doing for their work experience and how it’s going so far. If you enjoy what you read, this could be you in September! Apply now at www.nfts.co.uk/productionmanagement

Jenny Martin (Sargent-Disc Scholar)

I am currently on placement, working for Bedlam Productions Ltd. (who previously made The King’s Speech with Seesaw Films) under the Head of Production and with a freelance Producer. I have been helping to production coordinate three short political broadcast films to be aired on BBC and ITV. I saw this experience as an opportunity to learn more of the world of politics whilst doing a job which is otherwise familiar to me. My training at the NFTS really has prepared me well for the precision and efficiency that is asked of me from the job. As the team is so small, I feel I am a vital part of the machine and I am in my element.

I am soon to move onto my second placement, where I have been offered another two weeks on a feature film, Swimming with Men to be directed by Oliver Parker (Johnny English Reborn, St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, Dad’s Army) where I will be assisting in the production office. I want to move into feature films and/or TV drama when I graduate so this is really a gleaming opportunity for me!

I am so grateful to the School, to my mentors and to Sargent-Disc for supporting and encouraging me to speak out and offer myself to the world. At this stage I want to soak up all the available experience and familiarise myself with the industry, as soon I’ll be a part of it – and I really can’t wait!

Chris Hopper

I have been working on The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, an upcoming Canadian drama directed by Xavier Dolan with a stellar cast including Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain and Michael Gambon. Tasks have included researching venues for the wrap party for the UK unit and the costume department asked me research and order a pair of shoes for one of the actresses, which I managed to negotiate for free! The art, location, and production departments for The Death and Life of John F. Donovan are all based in the same office. I have been working in the prep period between shooting blocks so there has been a lot of organising to prepare for the next round of filming. I have been doing all the office-based runner jobs including food shops, post runs, coffee rounds, cleaning and tidying, and photocopying and printing, but I have also been able to visit other departments such as costume and help them out too.

For me the highlight of the Production Management for Film and Television Diploma so far has been the opportunity to manage the budget for a short film. Most people would not consider production management to be a creative role, but you have to know a lot about every department in the filmmaking process and manage money creatively in order to make sure the production survives. I find this a lot of fun as I get to build relationships within a production quickly! After graduation, I will be applying for jobs in feature films as a Production Assistant and plan to work my way through various roles in production (secretary, coordinator etc) and eventually hope to be a Production Manager in this area.

Kieran Nolan Jones (Sargent-Disc Scholar)

Since starting the Production Management Diploma, I have been lucky enough to participate in a number of work placements:

Sargent-Disc, a business specialising in accounting and software services for the entertainment industries, gave me the opportunity to spearhead pre-production on five animated 'how to' videos, which explained how to use their latest software CrewStart.

I am currently on work experience with Ridley Scott’s companies, RSA and Scott Free Productions, where I have been assisting each department within the whole company as an overall Production and Office Runner Intern.  In the production office, duties include answering telephones, filing paperwork and data entry. Other tasks include arranging lunches, dinners, and transportation, reservations, photocopying, general office administration, and distributing production paperwork. 

Furthermore, on an ad-hoc basis I am participating in work experience within the VFX department on Oscar-winning director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's new film, Werk ohne Autor, under the guidance of VFX Supervisor, Simon Giles (Penny Dreadful, A Royal Night Out, The Devils Double). This opportunity has allowed me to gain experience within an independent VFX setting. Tasks have ranged from sourcing post production crew such as Opening/End Title Designers, shadowing Simon as he creates the VFX budget, organising meetings and accompanying Simon on pitch meetings with various VFX Houses who aim to 'bid' to work on the project. 

When I graduate, I aspire to become a VFX Production Coordinator progressing to VFX Production Manager/Producer.  I am especially interested in following this career path as I find the overall postproduction and VFX pipelines fascinating. In addition I hope to develop and produce/production manage my own short fiction and animated films, progressing one day to feature length films.

Sannah Salameh

After working on two different projects for my work experience, I can say that every day is the same, but different.  There is plenty of running around, lots of stands to load in and out of trucks, and endless numbers of teas and coffees to make. Although the motions are the same, the context that you are doing them in always differs, and that’s why it never gets boring.

You have to be prepared to be the emergency glue to fill various holes! So far, I have been a caterer, set dresser, lights holder, first aider, background artist, child entertainer and cat feeder on top of doing the more straightforward PA stuff (a lot of printing, calling and emailing). For me the best part is always the people you meet and work with. You end up sharing very random things with your colleagues like trying to rein in two massive dogs running loose on a set, armed only with a piece of bacon!

I’ve had so much fun so far on the Diploma! I have met amazing people from every department, but I must give a shout out to my fellow PMs. We come from very different backgrounds, but people in that room have my back and I have theirs. I always enjoy being on set; there is a special energy in a lot of people working towards a common goal that I really love. Meeting cool industry people has been another highlight. Production Management is a female dominated profession, so we have met some badass women who have been so inspiring!  Another highlight was hearing Steve McQueen speak. I have admired him since way back in his art days and I was really star struck.

I want to be able to choose projects that really inspire and interest me. To have freedom of choice is the biggest luxury. In the long run, I want to be more involved in developing projects, starting a production company together with likeminded people would be cool, or even try my hand at directing.

For more information about the Production Management for Film and Television, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/productionmanagement

(L-r - Dan Lemmon, Andrew R Jones, Adam Valdez & Rob Legato)

A whole host of NFTS students and graduates were part of the team that won both the Oscar and the BAFTA for Visual Effects for their work on Disney’s The Jungle Book. (If this is your dream, come along to the NFTS Digital Effects MA open day on Wednesday 17^th May – more info and sign up here.)

MPC’s lead VFX Supervisor, Adam Valdez, picked up the Oscar on the night along with VFX Supervisor Rob Legato, Animation Supervisor Andrew R. Jones and VFX Supervisor Weta Digital, Dan Lemmon. Adam Valdez visited the School recently to give a masterclass on techniques used in The Jungle Book, which required over 240 million render hours to create! Read more here.

The MPC team that worked on The Jungle Book includes the following NFTS graduates:

Visual Effects Production Manager, Carlos Ciudad; Lead Compositor MPC, Chris Gooch; Stereo Compositor MPC, Graham Dorey; Digital Compositor MPC, Adam Arnot and Stereo Compositor MPC, Victor Almela. Both Graham and Victor worked on The Jungle Book as part of an internship at MPC while studying at the NFTS.

Other NFTS grads who worked on film’s visual effects include Lighting TD, Carlo Alberto Bagliolid, Roto/Prep Artist, Andrew Scattergood and Digital Artist, Helen Brownell.

Carlos Ciudad, who now works for Double Negative as VFX Producer, says: “Being part of both the Oscar and the BAFTA winning digital effects team at MPC is a dream come true; The Jungle Book was a joy to work on and the results created by the visual effects teams speak for themselves. I would encourage anyone with a passion for VFX to apply to study Digital Effects at the NFTS as it offers an excellent pathway into this exciting career.”

For more information about the NFTS Digital Effects MA, please click here and for more information about MPC, please visit http://www.moving-picture.com/

(Still: All the Devil's Men starring Milo Gibson)

“Assistant Directing is a brilliant role. A Runner on the last film I worked on said you are the cushions of the set; you support the crew at all times and keep morale high and that's what I want to keep doing”

It’s work experience time for the Assistant Directing and Floor Managing Diploma students so we caught up with two of the students, Charlotte Smith and Eline van Oeveren, as well as Richard Lingard from the Assistant Directing Association and Helen Fraser, experienced Assistant Director and visiting NFTS Tutor, to find out more. If you are inspired by their stories, apply now and start in September 2017 - more info at www.nfts.co.uk/assistantdirecting

Charlotte Smith

Since joining the NFTS, I have done so many things I would not have been able to achieve without the support of the School. I have worked on student projects as a 1st AD which was really good fun but a real challenge. I have also had opportunities to work on professional sets including Stan and Ollie directed by Jon. S Baird and All the Devils Men, at West London Studios. These gave me real insights into a professional AD department which I am extremely grateful for and has cemented my interest in the AD role even more. I have recently secured a freelance Floor Assistant job on Emmerdale at ITV Yorkshire in Leeds. This has been an incredible experience so far. My main role on set is to help the cast when they struggle with the lines and prompt them during line run through. I also support the AD department and look after the cast on set. I mainly communicate with the Script Supervisor and the AD department and cast. A typical day on Emmerdale can be long from 7am until 7pm but it is really enjoyable.

(The Woolpack - famous pub in Emmerdale)

When I graduate, I hope to pursue a job in the AD department hopefully as a 3rd AD or Floor Runner then work my way up the ladder. In the far far future I hope to become a director but AD’ing is a great way to work up close to the director and experience the creative process. AD’ing is a brilliant role. A Runner on the last film I worked on said you are the cushions of the set; you support the crew at all times and keep morale high and that's what I want to keep doing."

Eline van Oeveren

I've already completed work experience on a few feature films as a dailies runner in the UK and I am currently doing work experience as a Production Assistant at Lukkien, a media company in my hometown in the Netherlands. I am assisting on multiple commercials for a range of companies including Yulu, Haribo and Fonq. Lukkien has made commercials for Philips, Nintendo and the studios were home to one of the seasons of The Voice of Holland. I've done set dressing, catering, and general running tasks. The sets for Fonq in particular were very abstract and beautiful.

Coming to the NFTS (and the UK in general) was life changing. I've gained so much experience over the past half year, not just in work but in life as well. I really feel like I've grown as a person. The most interesting experiences so far have been the work experience on the feature films where I got to meet loads of talented people. Seeing how it actually works in the industry is an amazing way to learn.

(John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan to star in Stan and Ollie biopic directed by Jon S Baird)

Richard Lingard, Training Co-ordinator, Assistant Directors Association (ADA)

The Assistant Directing and Floor Managing Diploma is delivered in partnership with the BBC, supported by the Assistant Directors Association and the Production Guild.

Richard Lingard, Training Co-ordinator at the ADA arranged for four of the AD students to experience working on action-thriller, All The Devil’s Men written and directed by Matthew Hope, produced by Hannah Leader and starring Milo Gibson, William Fichtner and Sylvia Hoeks. They have been working on a range of scenes including car interiors using green screen as well as stunts and fight scenes.

“Although it was early starts and long days for all, all the students agreed it was a fantastic experience and opportunity to make valuable contacts for the future. They felt that the placements increased their skills and knowledge of the film industry and kick-started their professional network. Some have already gone on to find more work with ADA professionals on the back of these placements”.

Paul Bennett, 2^nd Assistant Director on the production said: "You’re obviously doing something right with the trainee scheme as all the students we had were brilliant. Punctual, enthusiastic and with a great knowledge of what was going on and what was expected from them. It's not always easy for even a seasoned AD to come onto a film that's been shooting for a while but each student we had on set proved themselves to be valuable members of our team.”

Helen Fraser, Assistant Director and NFTS Visiting Tutor

Helen Fraser is an experienced Assistant Director having worked as 2^nd AD on productions such as High Rise, Victoria, A Royal Night Out and Sunshine on Leith. She has worked with all the AD students on drama, The Children Act starring Emma Thompson: “I had all of the students out on various dates throughout the production and they primarily worked with the onset AD's, particularly the Runners & 3rd AD. They assisted with the day-to-day running of the set and looking after cast & background”. 

(Emma Thompson - starring in The Children Act)

One of the students, Lilla Vindic spent a week working with Helen on her current production as she had a particular interest in becoming a 2nd AD. “Her experience centred more around the last week of prep/beginning of shooting and she observed the Production Meeting, Read Through, Rehearsal Process, Camera Tests, and spent time with both 2nd AD's (one prepping, one shooting) & the Crowd 2nd.”

According to Helen, “It's great to have a course that actively trains and encourages young members of the industry to become Assistant Directors. As we all know, the role of Assistant Director is essential to the smooth running of any production and the NFTS course gives the students opportunity to learn & train in all levels of the department. The students on the NFTS Diploma are ambitious, focused and hardworking. All of them have been keen to learn and welcome feedback, both good and critical. They have been a welcome addition when on work experience.

She has the following advice for aspiring ADs: “Be prepared to work long hours & be prepared to work hard. Be friendly, polite, helpful, approachable, organised & thick skinned. Buy good comfy shoes & decent waterproofs. Observe, listen & learn from everyone around you, and don't worry if you make mistakes starting out. The best thing about mistakes is you learn from them - just don't repeat them! Oh and don't sit down on set! And put your phone away!”

And on the highlights of working as an AD: “The sense of achievement when a plan comes together & when a challenging day runs smoothly!”

For more information on the Assistant Directing and Floor Managing Diploma, which starts September 2017, and to apply, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/assistantdirecting

(Mahalia picking up her BAFTA! Credit: BAFTA)

We are extremely proud of our Directing Fiction MA graduate Mahalia Belo who has won the Breakthrough Talent award at this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Awards for her work on the critically acclaimed Channel 4 single drama Ellen, starring Jessie Barden. Ellen credits a number of NFTS graduates including DoP, Chloe Thomson; Editor Carmela Iandoli; Composer, Jonathan Hill; Production Designer, Laura Ellis Cricks (formerly Tarrant-Brown) and Art Director Thalia Ecclestone.

(Still from Ellen)

Mahalia graduated from the NFTS in 2012 and her graduation film, Volume premiered at Sundance and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Short Film. She was subsequently featured on the cover of Screen’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ issue and is currently in pre-production on original psychological horror Requiem’, directing all six episodes for BBC 1.

Other productions receiving accolades at the Television Craft BAFTAs, which credit NFTS graduates include: The Night Manager, which received the BAFTA for Best Sound: Fiction (NFTS Sound Recording graduate, Juan Montoto Ugarte; Sound Assistant), and The Crown, which picked up the BAFTA for Special, Visual and Graphic Effects and had NFTS graduates, Victor Tomi on the crew as a Compositor and Jorge Canada Escorihuela as an Additional VFX Supervisor.

Meanwhile, the nominations for the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards have been announced and over 30 NFTS graduates are credited! This year’s ceremony will be held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 14 May. Credits are as follows:

Best Drama Series

The Crown:  Script Editor, Edward Hemming; Editor, Una Ni Dhonghaile; Digital Compositor, Victor Tomi; Sound FX Editor, Alex Ellerington; Additional VFX Supervisor, Jorge Canada Escorihuela; Rerecording Mixers, Stuart Hilliker & Martin Jensen; Additional Music Composer, Evan Jolly

The Durrells:  Additional Music, Jon Wygens

War and Peace:  Composer, Martin Phipps; Rerecording Mixer, Stuart Hilliker;     Boom Operator, Vytautas Kizala; Sound FX Editor, Alex Ellerington; Matchmove Artist, Sarah Byers

Best Factual Series

24 Hours in Police Custody: Assistant Editors, Manuela Lupini and Pawel Slawek

Exodus: Our Journey to Europe: Editors, Simon Sykes; Nick Fenton and Sunshine Jackson

Best Mini-Series

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses: Art Department Assistant, Jamie Burrows

National Treasure: Supervising Sound Editor, Paul Davies; Post-Production Co-ordinator, Katherine Pearl

Witness for the Prosecution: DoP Felix Wiedemann

Best Reality & Constructed Factual

First Dates (Series 7): Composer, Miguel d’Oliveira

The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds: Director, Jackie Waldock

Best Scripted Comedy

Fleabag:  Graphic Designer, Clare Winkworth; Sound Maintenance, Howard Peryer

Best Single Drama

Aberfan: The Green Hollow: Sound Effects Editor, Vicente Villaescusa

Murdered by My Father: DoP, Felix Wiedemann

NW: Sound Effects Editor, Matis Rei

Best Soap & Continuing Drama

Casualty: Director, Matthew Evans; Writer, Laura Poliakoff

Eastenders: Writer, Laura Poliakoff

Emmerdale: Director, Diana Patrick

And finally, an impressive 33 NFTS students and graduates have been selected for the BAFTA Crew programme, which connects emerging talent with writers, directors and producers, providing a rare opportunity for peer to peer networking and development across all key roles within production – they include:

Abigail Dankwa, Director

Alexandra Harwood, Composer

Andrea Cuadrado, Editing

Andrew Alderslade, Camera

Andrew Oldbury, Producer

Ani Laurie, Director

Anushka Naanayakkara, Director

Bojan Brbora, Camera

Caroline Bridges, Camera

Chiara Ventura, Producer

Elena Ruscombe-King, Writer

Emily Morgan, Producer

Eva Weber, Director

Fawzia Mahmood, Producer

Fiona Brands, Editing

Frances Poletti, Writer

Hannah Cole, Producer

Ian Forbes, Camera

Ina Remme, Producer

Jac Clinch, Director

Katherine Pearl, Production Management

Louis Dodd, Composer

Maddie Quarm, Sound (Production)

Manuela Lupini, Editing

Mike Forshaw, Director

Nosa Eke, Director

Pawel Slawek, Editing

Samantha Rhodes, Editing

Simona Susnea, Camera

Sophie Halton, Production Management

Thomas Blazukas, Sound (Post Production)

Tim Morrish, Composer

Vera Simmonds, Editing

For further information

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369. All news releases can be accessed at our web site. You can also subscribe to receive all BT announcements here and you can follow us on Twitter here.

About BT

BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services.  BT consists of six customer-facing lines of business: Consumer, EE, Business and Public Sector, Global Services, Wholesale and Ventures, and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2016¹, BT Group’s reported revenue was £19,012m with reported profit before taxation of £2,907m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

¹The results for the period have been revised to reflect the outcome of the investigation into our Italian business. Detail of which is set out in our third quarter results announcement published on 27 January 2017.  This financial information is unaudited. 

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

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.

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

Contact for further information:

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

It was an honour to welcome multi BAFTA-winning and multi Oscar-nominated director, actor, producer and writer Kenneth Branagh to the School last week. Hosted and introduced by NFTS Director, Nik Powell, Kenneth spent over two hours enthralling the students with insight into his journey from actor to award-winning filmmaker. (If you would like attend masterclasses like this one and learn from great directors like Kenneth, the application deadline for a number of our MA courses from Cinematography to Directing Fiction is this week – more info here.)

Kenneth has received Oscar nominations in five separate categories – Best Director (Henry V), Best Actor (Henry V), Best Short (Swan Song), Best Supporting Actor (My Week with Marilyn) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Hamlet).  He has won four BAFTAs, including an ‘Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema’ award and received a further five BAFTA nominations.  He also has an Olivier award for his theatre work.

(Kenneth at last week's NFTS masterclass)

His films range from the multi Oscar-nominated Hamlet to blockbusters, Cinderella and Thor. Other films he has directed include Henry V, Peter’s Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. As an actor he will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.  He is Executive Producer and star of TV series Wallander and is currently in post on the latest film he has directed and in which he plays Poirot - Murder on the Orient Express.

Kenneth’s passion for movies started with reading the credits, “I really studied who did what” although at the time he felt it was “incomprehensible that I would ever be in films or be a director.” He mused that if he had had a different idea about accessing the movie industry when he started out, he would have gone quicker into filmmaking. Later, while acting on a Virginia Wolfe adaptation in Cornwall, he learned about filmmaking through asking crew members exactly what they did from asking about the ‘train track’ the cameras were on to grilling the focus puller about her role, which he describes as ‘probably the scariest job on set!’.

(Still from Henry V)

According to Kenneth, directing the Battle of Agincourt scene in Henry V was “one of the most intensely scary moments of my directing career.” A pivotal moment in the play, the scene needed to be impactful and Kenneth wanted the audience to feel that they were there experiencing the ‘complete cataclysm’ and ‘grittiness’ of the battle. Through collaborative conversations with the crew (“lots of intimidating things can be sorted out via collaborative conversations”), Kenneth came up with the solution of using a raised platform and a long lens, shooting the cast as closely together as possible rather than employing a wide shot and exposing the 300 strong cast. The horror was conveyed through close up shots of the actor’s faces interspersed with shots of the intense battle.

Rather than getting ‘blinded by science’, Kenneth was encouraged to ‘bring your unique imagination’ to his role as director. “You have to develop quick instincts as a director and follow your vision. As I had played the role before, I had a good sense of how I wanted it to be.”

On making the decision to put some of the actors in Henry V in modern haircuts, and Derek Jacobi, who plays the chorus, in contemporary clothing, Kenneth said: “You need enough iconography of the period to be acceptable to the audience; it was not my aim to make a documentary but to invoke a sense and feeling of being here and now. Even Shakespeare himself constantly broke a lot of rules!”

(Still from In The Bleak Mid Winter)

In The Bleak Mid Winter was the first film Kenneth directed in which he did not appear and one of the few cases where he wrote the original story. According to Kenneth, it was a ‘very releasing’ film and unleashed a ‘burst of creative passion’. It took just four weeks to shoot and everyone got paid the same: “We sold it for twice what we paid for it and everyone, from the caterers to Joan Collins, received an envelope with their pro rata share of the profit.”

Creating a feeling of spontaneity and rawness was a theme throughout Kenneth’s talk. “I like to keep the camera running and create a sense of improvisation and catch a happening every time, particularly with something as structured as Shakespeare.” With this in mind, Kenneth likes to start with a close up shot in the morning. This establishes a rhythm for the day as you get the best out of the cast and crew when they know it’s a shot that’s going to be in the movie. “I’ve inverted the day to create energy. The phrase ‘We’ve got the first shot at 8.30am’ goes through the crew like wildfire!”

(Still from Thor)

Another persistent theme was preparation and readiness. Kenneth wrote four pages of a screenplay to illustrate the ideas he had for Thor and brought pictures of buildings and landmarks to illustrate what the world would feel, look and taste like. This set him up for the intense, ‘detail conscious’ world of Marvel, which involved weeks of meetings about the intricacies of production design, VFX and costume design. After screening a clip of the fight scene on the rainbow bridge between Thor played by Chris Hemsworth and Loki played by Tom Hiddleston, Kenneth relayed how the whole piece was storyboarded as an animatic a whole year before the scene was fully realised. We thought at first, “Christ, how do we do this now we’ve imagined it?!” The answer? “Step by step! The amazing thing and privilege of being a director is that you see everything and every step.”

Answering Nik’s question as to what his one piece of advice would be for the students as they go forward in the industry, Kenneth said: “A quote from Hamlet sums it up for me, ‘Readiness is all!’ Show up on time. Early is on time and on time is late, it’s that simple and can guarantee you a career as you’re the one that got there. If you’re late, you have to be Fellini, better than your peers! You need to be ready to honour and respect your talent. Follow and trust your instinct and know it’s welcome. You are your greatest asset. Do your research and above all, enjoy yourself!”

For more information about our courses and how to apply, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

Introduced by NFTS Head of Screen Arts, Sandra Hebron as one of the most talked about debuts of the year and receiving rave reviews across the board, we knew we were in for a treat when settling down to watch Lady Macbeth followed by a Q&A with its director William Oldroyd and NFTS graduate and Producer, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly. (If you would like to follow in Fodhla's footsteps, find out more about the NFTS Producing MA at www.nfts.co.uk/producing)

An adaptation of Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Lady Macbeth is described in the Guardian as “a brilliantly chilling subversion of a classic” and in the Spectator as “plain terrific” while Sight and Sound praises “its skill at filleting contemporary relevance from a classic literary source.”

Fodhla, whose NFTS graduation film, Head Over Heels was nominated for an Oscar in 2014, met William after a friend recommended she watch William’s award-winning short film, Best. “I fell in love with it; it was very clever. I met up with Will and we chatted for hours and then we watched 12 Years a Slave– after that we felt bonded for life!”

The project came together when William and Fodhla joined forces with writer Alice Birch who had the original idea to adapt the Leskov novella as she felt that its themes - the subordination of women in society, life in rural communities, and of passionate illicit love - would be exciting for a film adaptation. Both William and Alice had made their names in theatre – he as the Director in Residence at the Young Vic Theatre and working with the RSC, and she as an award-winning playwright with work performed at the Royal Court and the RSC.

(Pictured L-R: William Oldroyd, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly and NFTS Head of Screen Arts, Sandra Hebron)

On what drew him to the Lady Macbeth story, William said: “I really wanted to see the central character Katherine on screen as she was very different to other heroines of that time who either had to suffer or die. Katherine fights back; we didn’t have to do very much to make it modern.”

Fodhla was drawn to the project for the same reason: “the complex female character appealed to me. “The challenge of making a period film on such a small budget excited me and I was also excited to find an original take on the genre. We wanted to make an anti-bonnet period drama.”

Lady Macbeth was made through iFeatures, the regional micro-budget filmmaking scheme run by Creative England and supported by the BFI and BBC Films. The scheme was particularly useful for William: “Everything was brand new for me so the iFeatures workshops were really helpful and we relied heavily on Fodhla’s experience having been to film school.” According to Fodhla, “iFeatures took a risk green lighting us but they were totally up for it and very supportive. We got to work with established executive producers and access their knowledge and experience which was invaluable.”

Sandra asked William if he had a sense from the outset of how to make a period film on such a small budget? “The story fit well with a low budget. For example, we couldn’t have many costumes but I’ve always thought it doesn’t feel real when you see so many costume changes in films. We had one location and a small number of characters, which is what we wanted to do anyway. We wanted to keep it focussed and nuclear; having lots of extras and a swooping score didn’t feel right.”

“The austerity and pared down nature of the film came from Alice’s script, which was my taste as well. We used an economy of camera movements, which lent itself very well in terms of representing Katherine on screen.”

On why the film was shot in scene order, William said: “That’s how you would work through a play. I found it difficult to hold a whole feature length film in my head so this approach was helpful with that.” Fodhla added: “It was six weeks intense prep and we shot the film in four six-day weeks. Shooting in order was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. By the third week we had three quarters of the film edited and we knew which shots we needed to pick up. We left a few days free towards the end of the shoot to tie up any loose ends. We needed to block book the actors for the 24 days and half the cast had to be based in Durham but they were all very flexible and understood our approach.”

Ari Wegner is the DoP on Lady Macbeth. According to William, “Ari really understood the script and character. She has an incredible eye and had a symbiotic relationship with Florence who plays Katherine. We wanted to objectify Katherine like the men were so we locked off the camera with a static shot so she would be seen as an ornament and in moments of freedom, rebellion and defiance, Ari moved the camera with Katherine. We wanted it to feel like Katherine wanted to break out of the frame.”

One of the students asked William how the horse scene was filmed: “This was a moment when creative thinking and the low budget had to meet – we didn’t want to cheat as it was a powerful moment and the first time you see Katherine break down emotionally. We found an ‘acting horse’ who could fall over although it was only allowed to fall over three times including one rehearsal! We put aside a morning to film that scene and it was one of the only ones where we broke our rule and didn’t shoot in sequence.”

On why they decided to change the ending of the novella for the film, William had the following to say: “It was important to writer Alice that Katherine wins at the end even if it was a hollow victory as she felt that so many women were punished for what they did.”

In addition to its rave reviews and praise for subverting the period drama genre with a strong and unrepentant female character, Lady Macbeth is also garnering attention for having a number of black characters in its small cast. In a recent article, The Guardian asks: “Will Lady Macbeth end period drama’s whitewashing of history?” On this subject, William said: “There are no descriptions of the characters’ race in the book and the casting was completely open. The UK was a lot more diverse at that time than people think. Britain was white washed in that respect and not just in period dramas. We simply chose the best actors for each role.”

Lady Macbeth is in cinemas now, distributed by Altitude – our thanks to them for the screening.

For more information about the NFTS Producing MA, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/producing

An impressive 13 NFTS graduates and tutors worked on this year's BAFTA TV Award Winning programmes. Happy Valley, edited by NFTS Head of Editing, Richard Cox beat off stiff competition from The Crown to win Best Drama and Best Actress (Sarah Lancashire) at last night’s Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards.  Richard works frequently with Happy Valley writer and director, Sarah Lancashire who recently delivered an inspiring masterclass to NFTS students where Richard described her as “one of the best, if not the best TV writers and directors around!”

If you are a keen editor and would love to be taught by Richard, applications are still open for our Editing MA – more information at www.nfts.co.uk/editing

There was also success for the NFTS Editing department in the Best Factual Series category which was won by Exodus: Our Journey to Europeand credits no fewer than three NFTS Editing MA graduates, Simon Sykes, Nick Fenton and Sunshine Jackson.

‘Best Soap and Continuing Drama’ went to Emmerdale, which credits NFTS Directing Fiction alumna, Diana Patrick. Diana has been directing episodes of the long running series since 1998.

The ‘Leading Actor’ award went to Adeel Akhtar who starred in single drama, Murdered by My Father, which credits NFTS Cinematography graduate, Felix Wiedemann as DoP.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge won the 'Female Performance in a Comedy Programme' category for Fleabag, which credits NFTS Production Design graduate, Clare Winkworth as Graphic Designer and Sound Recording graduate, Howard Peryer as Sound Maintenance.

National Treasure won the BAFTA for Best Mini Series and credits NFTS graduates, Paul Davies as Supervising Sound Editor and Katherine Pearl as Post-Production Co-Ordinator.

Tom Hollander won Best Supporting Actor for The Night Manager, which credits Sarah Byers, Matchmove Artist; Maria Salcher, Assistant Production Co-ordinator and Juan Montoto Ugarte as Sound Assistant.

BAFTA TV Awards Nominations with NFTS credits:

Best Drama Series

The Crown:  Script Editor, Edward Hemming; Editor, Una Ni Dhonghaile; Digital Compositor, Victor Tomi; Sound FX Editor, Alex Ellerington; Additional VFX Supervisor, Jorge Canada Escorihuela; Rerecording Mixers, Stuart Hilliker & Martin Jensen; Additional Music Composer, Evan Jolly

The Durrells:  Additional Music, Jon Wygens

War and Peace:  Composer, Martin Phipps; Rerecording Mixer, Stuart Hilliker;     Boom Operator, Vytautas Kizala; Sound FX Editor, Alex Ellerington; Matchmove Artist, Sarah Byers

Happy Valley: Edited by NFTS Head of Editing, Richard Cox

Best Factual Series

24 Hours in Police Custody: Assistant Editors, Manuela Lupini and Pawel Slawek

Exodus: Our Journey to Europe: Editors, Simon Sykes; Nick Fenton and Sunshine Jackson

Best Mini-Series

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses: Art Department Assistant, Jamie Burrows

National Treasure: Supervising Sound Editor, Paul Davies; Post-Production Co-ordinator, Katherine Pearl

Witness for the Prosecution: DoP Felix Wiedemann

Best Reality & Constructed Factual

First Dates (Series 7): Composer, Miguel d’Oliveira

The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds: Director, Jackie Waldock

Best Scripted Comedy

Fleabag:  Graphic Designer, Clare Winkworth; Sound Maintenance, Howard Peryer

Best Specialist Factual

Attenborough's Life That Glows: Screenwriter, NFTS Head of Natural History, Paul Reddish

Best Single Drama

Aberfan: The Green Hollow: Sound Effects Editor, Vicente Villaescusa

Murdered by My Father: DoP, Felix Wiedemann

NW: Sound Effects Editor, Matis Rei

Best Soap & Continuing Drama

Casualty: Director, Matthew Evans; Writer, Laura Poliakoff

Eastenders: Writer, Laura Poliakoff

Emmerdale: Director, Diana Patrick

Applications are open for a wide range of our MA and Diploma courses from Editing to Cinematography  – more information here.

(L-R: Dario Marianelli; Martin Phipps & presenter, Goldie)

Two NFTS Composing MA graduates, Dario Marianelli and Martin Phipps won coveted Ivor Novello awards (The Ivors) last night, which took place at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London and were hosted by Paul Gambaccini. NFTS alumni now have an impressive 13 Ivor Novello awards between them! 

The Ivors were created by BASCA [British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors] to celebrate, honour and reward excellence in songwriting and composing. The awards are unique in specifically honouring the UK songwriting and composing community and are exclusively judged by songwriters and composers.

Dario Marianelli won in the ‘Best Original Film Score’ category for Kubo and The Two Strings and has now received three Ivor Novello awards, previously winning for Atonement and Anna Karenina. Dario has also won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Atonement and has many other awards for his compositions.

Martin Phipps won in the ‘Best TV Soundtrack’ category for War and Peace and this is incredibly his fifth Ivor Novello award! He has previously won for The Virgin Queen; Oliver Twist; The Shadow Line and The Honourable Woman. Martin has won two BAFTA TV awards for Best Original Music for Small Island and Wallander and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy awards.

For more information about the NFTS Composing MA, pleases visit www.nfts.co.uk/composing

An impressive four NFTS graduates have been selected for BAFTA’s prestigious new programme, BAFTA Elevate, a series of bespoke programmes that elevate individuals from under-represented groups to the next stage of their career.

Directing Fiction MA graduates, Alicia Duffy, Christiana Ebohon-Green and Emma Sullivan and Script Development alumna, Cathy Brady have been selected for this year’s programme, which is focussing on female directors seeking to progress in high end television and features.

The aim of the programme is to help to address the gap between 50/50% male/female film school graduates and 87/13% male/female industry directing hires and producers’ desire to hire female directors but saying that they are often hard to find. The programme includes networking introductions, mentoring and expert workshops.

The series of programmes are a result of research carried out in partnership with Creative Skillset and the BFI, to examine the career success factors of film, television and games practitioners from under-represented groups. 

Alice Duffy

Alicia Duffy is a BAFTA-nominated director. While at the NFTS, she directed two short films: Numb (2000) and Crow Stone (2001), both of which screened at numerous festivals internationally. Numb received a Special Commendation at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Arri Prize, while Crow Stone was a prize-winner in the Cinefondation Competition in Cannes 2001 and received awards at festivals including Edinburgh, Chicago and Bologna, and was an RTS award-winner in the same year. In 2002, Duffy was selected for the Cannes Film Festival Cinefondation Residence in Paris, and later that year made the short film The Most Beautiful Man In The World, for which she received a BAFTA nomination in 2003. In the same year, the film was in the Official Selection at Cannes and won Best International Film at the Hamburg Short Film Festival, as well as receiving further awards at The Rhode Island Film Festival and Chicago Film Festival, and the Turner Classic Movies Short Film Prize. Alice Duffy’s first feature, All Good Children, screened internationally and was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival 2010. 

Christiana Ebohon-Green

Christiana Ebohon-Green is an award-winning drama director, who has worked in television for 15 years. Her credits include EastEnders, Doctors, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. Ebohon-Green has also written and directed several short films, including St Clare (1997) and In Your Eye (1998), which won the Kodak Award USA 1998, and was screened at the Kodak Emerging Filmmaker’s Showcase at Cannes in 1999. In 2015, Ebohon-Green won a place on Directors UK's High-end Drama Mentoring scheme, and worked alongside director Carl Tibbits (Humans, Black Mirror) in the production of The Tunnel as part of the initiative. She was also a mentee on Women in Film & Television's 2015 mentoring scheme. Ebohon-Green recently received funding from Creative England under their Emerging Talent scheme to direct a short film, Some Sweet Oblivious Antidote (2017), starring Lenny Henry, Wunmi Mosaku, Colin Salmon, and Fatima Koroma, and to develop her first feature film.

Emma Sullivan

Emma Sullivan’s short film After Tomorrow (2009) was nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, and won several awards worldwide including Best Short Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2009. That year, she was also named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow. She was later mentored by director John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless) on the prestigious Guiding Lights scheme. Sullivan has also directed television drama for the BBC, with credits including The 4 O’Clock Club, Holby City and Doctors. She is currently developing a feature script set in New York, a high end drama series and has written several other features and shorts. Sullivan is a graduate of the National Film and Television School, where she was awarded a scholarship from the David Lean Foundation for her MA in Fiction Direction.

Cathy Brady

Cathy Brady is a two-time IFTA-winning director, having won Best Short in 2011 for her first film Small Change and again in 2013 for Morning, which was also selected for the BFI London Film Festival 2012 and won the Short Film Nominee prize for the European Film Awards at Cork Film Festival. In 2011, Brady directed the BIFA nominated short Rough Skin (written by Laura Lomas and starring Vicky McClure) as part of Channel 4's Coming Up scheme. Her short film, Wasted, competed at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2013. In the same year, Brady was named one of Screen Daily’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’. In 2014, Brady directed on the BAFTA-nominated drama-thriller series Glue. Most recently, Brady directed Stefanie Preissner's TV comedy series Can’t Cope/Won’t Cope for Dead Pan Pictures and RTE, which is currently showing on BBC Three. Her debut feature as writer-director, Wildfire, is currently in development, and will be produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina (The Wonders, Cannes Grand Jury Prize 2014) along with Cowboy Films.

More information at http://www.bafta.org/supporting-talent/elevate/elevate-female-directors-2017