We were incredibly sad to hear of the legendary Sir Roger Moore’s passing, especially since he had so many connections to our School. Not only did he shoot 1950s British TV Series, Ivanhoe, at Beaconsfield Film Studios (where the NFTS is now sited), he also very kindly supported the School with a contribution towards the building of our ‘Yellow Block’, which currently houses the Cinematography base and engineering.

The longest reigning 007, Sir Roger also donated two reels – the trailers for Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only and even recommended the NFTS on his Facebook page when asked: ‘Is film school worth my money and time?’ His reply? ‘Yes, most definitely – so long as it’s a good film school. You’ll learn all the important basics and techniques there and it will really help launch you. Just look how many Oscar nominations students from the National Film and Television School in the UK have snagged. Good luck.’

(Beaconsfield Film Studios in the 1920s)

Producer of the Bond films, Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli also made a contribution to the NFTS and EON Productions continue to be big supporters of the School with a gift for our new buildings and sponsorship of our new Director's workshop for directors from under-represented  ‎communities. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson of EON Productions said: “Sir Roger's legacy shall live on through his films and the millions of lives he touched".

As Daniel Craig tweeted, ‘Nobody does it better’ - rest in peace Roger.

This month, NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA students experienced their first foray into filming wild birds at an RSPB Reserve in Sandwell Valley from putting up hides to using telephoto lenses.

The MA is delivered in partnership with the RSPB and includes a Scholarship to support a student through their two-year course starting in January 2018 (applications are open until 6^th July – more info at www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory ). The RSPB is working closely with the NFTS 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 students spent a long and productive day at the Sandwell Valley Reserve. It started with a talk on the ethics of wildlife film-making by conservation filmmaker, Madelaine Westwood, which stimulated a fascinating discussion. The students then practiced their recce skills working out where would be best to film the wild birds on the reserve.

After lunch, wildlife cameraman, Toby Hough gave a talk on telephoto camera work and the use of hides. There were plenty of questions from the students about this essential skill, not least what do you do in the little canvas box for 12 hours at a time?!  Appropriately the day finished with all the students learning the arcane skill of putting up hides.

On the second visit, the students returned to film from the hides and found out for themselves what it’s like to film wild animals from the little green box. They used 400mm telephoto lenses with 1.5 teleconverters which allowed them to get great close-ups of the ducks, geese and lapwings, and even some of the more shy denizens of the reed beds.

NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA course leader and experienced producer of wildlife documentaries and series, Paul Reddish said: “We would like to thank the RSPB for providing such an invaluable opportunity for our students to learn how to film for real at the reserve. They have all really enjoyed the experience and are inspired to learn more.”

If you are an aspiring wildlife filmmaker, apply by 6^th July – more info at www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory

(NFTS Games Design & Development MA students with Radeon Pro WX7100 graphic card)

Beaconsfield, 25^th May 2017: The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is to strengthen its partnership with leading graphics processor manufacturer, AMD, through the launch of a scholarship to support a student through their two-year MA.

The NFTS is already working with AMD to deliver a series of Virtual Reality projects as part of the School’s Bridges to Industry scheme including an interactive and immersive VR experience using real-time rendered 3D computer graphics and an entertaining and inspiring 360˚ video project. The students and recent alumni are among the first in the UK to access AMD’s latest Radeon™ Pro WX7100 graphic cards, which are capable of developing and driving VR experiences at a high fidelity level.

The projects, which made their debut at FMX in Stuttgart and will be showcased at events around the world include:

Burning Daylight 360 Video Project* (developed by NFTS graduates, Christopher Cornwell, Helene Sifre and Marie-Elena Dyche, Luciana Riso, Ian Crossland, Luke Hardisty, Mdhamiri Nkemi and Tom Jenkins.)

Burning Daylight centres on three firefighters, trapped in a burning building, who send down a recon drone to scout the area ahead. Its camera can see in both regular and infrared spectrums. To the naked eye, the area seems safe... but the drone's thermal camera captures something moving in the dark. Something mysterious. Malevolent. Inhuman.  And getting closer.

Writer-Director, Chris Cornwell: "The possibilities that 360 filming give you are incredible. You get a real sense of immersion, a type of visceral presence that you just don't get in other film making mediums. AMD challenged us to tell a story- and we got to tell it in a way that we couldn't with any other format."

3 Minutes to MidnightVR Project (developed by NFTS Games Design MA graduates, Jameela Khan, Manos Agianniotakis and Laura Dodds.)

3 Minutes to Midnight is a twisted comedy horror experience inspired by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, Ealing Studios comedies and the macabre. The players are put into the shoes of Mrs Claire Clippings, a "defenceless" old lady and former baker renowned for her legendary pork pies. 

The experience begins when Mrs Clippings wakes up in the middle of the night and realises that two robbers are breaking into her house.  Through interactions with her immediate environment the elderly lady tries to defend herself and trap the criminals from the confines of her bed. During the experience the players slowly realise that Mrs Clippings may not be as helpless as they originally assumed and that the secret ingredient of her meat pies may be darker than Soy Sauce...

Manos Agianniotakis said: “We would like to thank AMD and NFTS for the opportunity to create our VR game, 3 Minutes to Midnight. The brief was to put storytelling at the heart of the VR experience so with this in mind we chose the comedy horror genre and an atypical character - a bed ridden old lady - who is not as harmless as she first appears. Our experience of designing and developing games at NFTS and through collaborating with talented alumni from other filmmaking courses gave us a good grounding for developing our VR game.”

3 Minutes to Midnight has been selected for the Reversed Festival in Vienna.

"Immersive technologies are having an enormous impact on entertainment and media, said Roy Taylor, CVP at AMD and Chairman, BAFTA VR Advisory Group.  Whilst VR and AR offer exiting possibilities they also pose challenges to the platform and the art form.  At AMD, we have found inspiration from the energy and imagination working with NFTS.  This is because the students and faculty are incredibly innovative and unafraid to break the norms of content creation. The VR work produced by NFTS students is an excellent example. Using complex software and hardware tools powered by AMD, NFTS students took on the challenge of a steep learning curve that they have obviously mastered - as the results speak for themselves”

(NFTS Digital Effects & Games Design courses at FMX)

Says Nik Powell, NFTS Director: “It is fantastic news that AMD is strengthening their exciting partnership with the School with a scholarship. Our students and recent graduates have fully embraced the challenge set by AMD to explore the worlds of VR and 360 video in new ways and we have some very innovative projects in development as a result. Blending the art of storytelling with the latest technologies is at the heart of the School’s philosophy with students on MA courses such as Games Design and Development working closely with other film and television making disciplines. The AMD scholarship is testament to this approach and we look forward to working together to harness even more creative potential in this area.”

AMD also supported NFTS graduates to create a ‘Making Of’ promo about the VR and 360° Video projects the graduates undertook. 

Applications are open now until the 6^th of July for the NFTS MA in Games Design & Development and the MA in Digital Effects. For more information on how to apply, please visit www.nfts.co.uk

Contact for further information:

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

Editor’s Notes

*The Burning Daylight - 360° filmmakers are also developing a feature film that inspired the 360° video. The feature version of Burning Daylight will follow four fire-fighters, torn apart by a recent tragedy and racked with guilt, who are called in to investigate an automatic fire alarm in a disused underground factory. They find no sign of fire, until the floor begins to crack and a thin whisper of hot smoke spills out, pushing them further down into a world without daylight. 

They soon realise that there's something in there with them, something that’s pushing them further and further down into a place of terror and fire. A place that may be hell itself...

Blending horror and disaster movies, Burning Daylight will be shot with a visceral and unique style through the firefighter's GoPro helmet cameras.

More info at: Facebook / www.burningdaylightfilm.com

About AMD 

For more than 45 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, and Facebook and Twitter pages.

AMD, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 

The Real Car Share, a show created by NFTS Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA students, has been optioned by Zig Zag Productions, one of the UK’s foremost independent television production companies. (Applications are open for the MA until July 6th - more at www.nfts.co.uk/tvent)

Directed by Anastazia Pieniazek and produced by Jules Braunstein, The Real Car Share was snapped up by Zig Zag Productions after they saw it at the NFTS TV Entertainment Showcase at Channel 4 in March 2017.

Ana and Jules wanted to come up with a ‘simple but effective and funny show that added a twist on existing formats we love like Gogglebox’ and Jules points out that they ‘had the idea before Peter Kay’s Car Share hit our screens!’

About The Real Car Share (Director, Anastazia Pieniazek; Producer, Jules Braunstein)

What happens if you shove a bunch of total strangers in a car together for the first time?

Watch the drama unfold in The Real Car Share as people journey across the UK, sharing petrol costs and personal space.  There are 6 car share journeys, 3 drivers and plenty of banter. No subject is off limits. After 2 hours on the road, will they become car-sharing converts? Or are we about to witness a social car crash?

Andy Scott, Head of Entertainment, Zig Zag Productions says: “The mix of brilliant characters thrust together into a fast-paced, funny three car journey makes this show irresistible. We’re very pleased to have had the opportunity to see it first at the NTFS screening and to be able to take it to market.”

Jules: “The Real Car Share puts real people at the heart of entertainment. As programme-makers, we want to ensure high production values and measures are put in place in order to create quality entertainment. At the same time, there's little complex TV wizardry here – it’s the contributors on screen that viewers engage with. We are, as individuals, all unique in our personalities and, whatever our life story, we all have something interesting or witty to share. In making the show, we wanted to capture the moments when perfect strangers - from all walks of life and with different personalities - meet for the first time, open up about themselves and start to form relationships. And we wanted do this in a very ordinary and relatable setting. There’s magic in the simplicity of interesting people engaging with one another.”

The Tech

Using the latest in fixed-rig technology, this show is the first of its kind to be produced at the NFTS. Requiring specialist equipment, Ana & Jules had to source five Marshall CV502-M Mini Cams with lenses and suction mounts, and five portable 240 PIX Sound and Video Recorders. As this kind of hi-spec technology needed for The Real Car Share is used for broadcast television and is limited in number, they knew they’d be competing with TV production companies to get their hands on it in time (and with a nominal budget)! The team was able to agree a great deal with PROCAM, who were incredibly helpful by providing a few free extras and running through everything on a test day ahead of filming.

Where are they now?!

Following a successful work placement, Ana is now a junior researcher in Entertainment Formats at BBC studios. Jules is currently working in production as a researcher for Sky Arts' most popular show, Artist of the Year.

The NFTS Crew:

Production Manager, Sonia Hoogenstraaten; Camera, Del Nadjafi, Kartik Ralhan, Matt Murnaghan; Sound Recordist, Emilio Pascual; Graphic Designer, Jake Ferris; Sound Editors & Dubbing Mixers, Sam Boulton, Morgan Muse; Composer, Hollie Buhagiar; Colourist & Online Editor, Alex Davies

If you would like to follow in Ana and Jules’ footsteps, apply for the NFTS Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA by 6th July - www.nfts.co.uk/TVEnt

Nominations have been announced for this year’s Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Television Awards and the NFTS leads the way in the postgraduate categories with nine graduation programmes and films in the running. (If would like to have your work considered for the RTS Student Television Awards next year, don't miss our Directing Animation MA open day on the 6th June - sign up at www.nfts.co.uk/animation and apply for our Directing and Producing Television Entertainment MA by 6th July - www.nfts.co.uk/TVEnt)

Chaired by Philip Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, the awards recognise the best audiovisual work created by students across the UK and Republic of Ireland at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Awards are judged in six categories – Animation, Comedy & Entertainment, Drama, Factual, News and Short Feature.

In addition, to reward excellence in craft skills, undergraduate and postgraduate awards will be presented for camerawork, editing, production design and sound. Entries are not accepted for these categories and the prizes will be awarded at the judges’ discretion. One winning student will also receive the newly introduced Judges’ Award.

NFTS Nominations Include:

Postgraduate Animation

A Love Story, Anushka Naanayakkara (Director), Khaled Gad (Producer) and Elena Ruscombe-King (Writer)

The Alan Dimension, Jac Clinch (Director), Millie Marsh (Producer) and Jonathan Harbottle (Writer)

Postgraduate Comedy & Entertainment

The Great British Butler, Ian Packard (Producer) and Tom Day (Director)

The Love Gym, Raphael Beaulieu (Producer) and Marika Santala (Director)

Postgraduate Drama

Ferris & The Fancy Pigeon, James Gardner (Director/ Writer) and Helene Sifre (Producer)

Mia, Maria Martinez Bayona (Director/ Writer) and Marie-Elena Dyche (Producer)

Postgraduate Factual

Forest Gate Girls, Tariq Elmeri (Director/ Producer/ Cinematographer) and Khaled Gad (Producer)

The Sunflower Inn, Miriam Ernst (Director/ Cinematographer)

Uprooted, Ross Domoney (Director/ Producer/ Cinematographer)

Three NFTS graduation documentary films have been selected and over 40 NFTS students and graduates are credited at this year’s Sheffield Doc/ Fest, the UK’s premier documentary festival, which takes place between the 9^th and 14^th June.

NFTS Directing documentary graduate, Nick Broomfield, described on the Sheffield Doc/ Fest website as ‘one of the most influential documentary makers of our time’ is being interviewed by Louis Theroux for The BBC Interview on Sunday 11^th June at 3.30pm – tickets here. Nick’s latest acclaimed documentary about Whitney Houston, Whitney, “Can I Be Me” is being screened at the festival.

(Still: Whitney, "Can I Be Me")

The three NFTS graduation films include: Pride in Rags, directed by Tom Whitaker; Professional Foreigner, directed by Catherine Harte and Unspeakable, directed by Kate Stonehill.

About Pride in Rags: 

Dewsbury is a town with a 19th century heritage and a 21st century population, and recent events have brought unwanted attention to this small corner of Yorkshire. From suicide bombers to the case of a mother who faked the kidnapping of her own child, the area is regularly trashed by the national media, leaving its reputation in tatters. Danny Lockwood is the local Rupert Murdoch, a controversial newspaper publisher and author of ‘The Islamic Republic of Dewsbury’. Pride In Rags looks at Dewsbury through Lockwood’s readers and critics, in a town where the pride went with the woollen industry and racial tensions bubble under the surface...

Tom Whitaker says: “I am delighted that Pride In Rags will be premiering at Sheffield Doc/Fest. I was fortunate to work with a really talented crew at the NFTS and am looking forward to discussing the film with an audience in Yorkshire.”

Pride In Rags is screening on Wednesday June 14^th at 3.15pm – book tickets here.

Tom is speaking on the panel, ‘What Does Brexit Look Like?’ at the festival discussing the impact of Brexit on documentary making in Britain – you can see him at 10am on Tuesday 13th June.

About Professional Foreigner

This character-driven documentary explores the bizarre job opportunities available to white people in India. Talent is not essential — just the presence of a white face supposedly adds glamour to a movie or event. Following casting agents and foreigners, this documentary explores race and stereotypes while illuminating a world where Europeans migrate East for work. The story centres around Sasha, who left Russia with his mother and sister in the hope of making it as an actor. He needs to support his household so when acting gigs run dry, he is forced to reassess his easy but limited prospects in India.

Catherine Harte says: "I volunteered at Sheffield Doc Fest in 2011 and that's where I first heard about NFTS. It's so nice to look back over the years since then and to finally have a film to show there!"

Professional Foreigner is screening on Friday June 9^th at 3pm – book tickets here.

About Unspeakable:

In 2015, the British government issued a press release calling for universities to do more to tackle extremism. The document identified six men as examples of ‘radical’ speakers who have expressed views that are ‘contrary to British values’ and who should therefore be silenced. Unspeakable is a hybrid documentary that combines interview, performance and image to tell the stories of three of these men. The result a complex and gripping encounter with some of Britain’s so-called extremists and a rigorous meditation on the nature of free speech.

Kate Stonehill says: “My motivation for making this film was to ask some hard questions in a creative way, and instigate a conversation around what I thought was a deeply troubling UK government policy. I'm thrilled to premiere the film at Sheffield Doc/Fest, which I hope will provide a perfect space for a discussion of the complex grey area between freedom of speech and incitement to hatred that is the subject of the film.”

Unspeakable is screening on Tuesday June 13^th at 6.15pm and Wednesday June 14^th at 3.15pm – book tickets here.

Other NFTS graduates credited include:

(Still: Almost Heaven)

Almost Heaven (Director/Producer, Carol Salter; Associate Producer/Editor, Cinzia Baldessari; Composer, Terence Dunn; Editors, Hoping Chen & Rodrigo Saquel; Sound Designer, Raoul Brand; Additional Sound, Ania Przygoda & Rob Szeliga

69 Minutes of 86 Days (Producer, Tone Grøttjord-Glenne)

Carnage: Swallowing the Past (Sound Assistant, Nina Rice)

The Dread Pirate Roberts (Director, Emily James)

The Flying Proletarian (DoP, Annika Summerson; Re-recording Mixer/Sound Designer, Philippe Ciompi)

Out of Thin Air (Editor Miikka Leskinen; Sound Editor, Christopher Wilson)

Thank You for the Rain (Editor, Adam Thomas; Composer, Chris White)

Whitney: Can I Be Me (Writer/Producer/Co-Director, Nick Broomfield; Cinematographer, Sam Mitchell)

The Workers Cup (Producer, R Paul Miller)

If you are an aspiring documentary maker, find out more about our Directing Documentary MA at www.nfts.co.uk/documentary

“You are the future. It’s up to you to change things about the way you look at the natural world, using formats I haven’t dreamed about.”

Whilst many may dream of following in Sir David Attenborough’s footsteps, not many get the chance to spend two hours in the iconic Natural History presenter’s presence and fewer get the opportunity to get their individual questions answered in person.

This is the privilege the National Film and Television School’s inaugural intake of Directing and Producing Science and Natural History students enjoyed, each getting the chance to put three questions to David. (Applications are open for the NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA until the 6th July 2017 - more information at www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory)

David drew us all in from the outset as he informed the students how audiences are usually built for programmes and introduced the concept of the ‘inheritance factor’ when at least 50% of the audience is inherited from the previous programme.  This certainly applied in the days when there were only a three TV networks – and probably still does to a considerable extent.  He gave the example of Planet Earth II being followed by the hugely popular Great British Bake Off, - although he was quick to point out he didn’t watch cookery programmes himself!

He put his popularity down to the fact that he had been appearing in natural history programmes for as long as most viewers could remember.

On how he writes narrations, David said: “When I happen to see a programme that I narrated a long time ago I almost invariably feel that there were too many words!  A commentary should not blather but let the pictures tell their story.  It should never give information that viewers can see for themselves.

The attributes that make a good presenter are a lot more difficult to pin down according to David. “It’s very difficult to know who will capture the interest of the audience. Hollywood had the phrase, ‘does the camera love him or her?’   One person can be magic on screen while another can be boring for no obvious reason. There’s no correlation between zoological knowledge and being a good natural history presenter. If you can’t mug up on the subject, you shouldn’t be in the business. You’ve got to have a feeling for animals of course and have the ability to speak from the heart. What’s so unfair is that so few get the chance to demonstrate their talent and many get into it by accident, as I did.”

(Still from BBC's Planet Earth II)

David was vociferous when asked if Blue Chip natural history programmes have a future when there are so many wildlife programmes: “Of course they do. The familiarity of a species is seldom a huge problem.  We know that people love looking at apes. It doesn’t matter how often they see them, apes will always be fascinating. And if you can’t make a decent film about big game, you’re in the wrong business.  But the programmes have to be well filmed – and that can take a lot of money.  If natural history films are given the proper budgets, I am sure they will hold their place!”

The conversation then turned to the prehistoric as David was asked to choose which prehistoric place and period he would like to visit and what he would make a film about. “It would most certainly be terrestrial and probably Triassic. Surprisingly little has been done on pterosaurs.  We still don’t know how some of the really big ones flew.” David then regaled us with a charming story about telling a lady at a black tie event how he was making a film about pterodactyls gliding over the cliffs of Dorset, to which she replied, ‘Oh they are so lovely aren’t they!’ and turned away.

(Still from Flying Monsters 3D)

The narrative then swiftly moved to politics and whether David has ever been tempted to join a political party, given his considerable influence and respect. “I would like to influence no matter what political party is in power. I’m not a politician. What astonishes me is that politicians are expected to know the answer to everything! Don’t ask me about the economic effects of Brexit! I don’t know! But I do have strong views about CO2 and feel confident speaking about it to whatever party is in power.”

Technology was the next subject covered thanks to a question about whether new filming techniques affected the way audiences view nature. “I don’t think any filmic tricks have changed the audience’s attitudes.  I hope they have instead deepened their knowledge and broadened their understanding. Not so long ago, we could only film during the day so people thought that lions were lazy creatures since they sleep for much of the day.  But of course, at night they are very active hunters.  The more technically competent we become, through using high-speed cameras, drones and night vision and so on, the fuller the story we give. The aim of the natural history programme maker is to tell the truth about the natural world and convey the reality about what is going on out there.”

Continuing the theme of truth, one of the students asked whether there is a place for anthropomorphism (crediting animals with human emotions). “A certain amount is justified.  We inevitably judge what an animal is feeling by comparing it with our own reactions.  If an elephant flares its ears, trumpets and charges towards you, you can be pretty sure that it is angry - even though anger is a human emotion and you are, therefore, being anthropomorphic.  On the other hand, if you watch an elephant pick up an elephant bone that it finds lying on the ground and fondles it with its trunk, you cannot be equally sure that it is mourning over a dead relative.  So if you say that it is, you should make it clear that this in only a suggestion.”

(Still from Frozen Planet)

“You should not conceal the way things are filmed, but you need not necessarily declare it. The classic case was in Frozen Planet. We filmed a polar bear giving birth and in the credits, we credited the zoo where it was filmed.  A journalist noticed this and accused us of fakery because we did not say so in the commentary.  The midwinter birth is a crucial event in polar bear biology. It would have been impossible to film in the wild without risking the life of the cub, the mother – or indeed the cameraman.  But it would have been absurd and defeated the purpose of the film to convey the reality of the Arctic winter to interrupt and say ‘by the way this scene was shot in captivity’.  We were not shooting a documentary about the experiences of an arctic explorer.  We were trying to convey the reality of a polar bear’s life – and we can therefore use background music, or cut together shots of different individual animals or different localities to do that.  The question simply is whether or not the filmmaker is trying to tell the truth.

On how to inject emotion into a film with a hard-hitting conservation message, David advised that “you have to start by producing a rational argument using cold, clinical facts.  Pleading a cause without a rational basis is dangerous.  Nor do you necessarily have to provide answers to issues.  Broadcasting on a national network is a huge privilege only given to few.  It should not indulge in propaganda, no matter how high-minded the issue.  Instead, it should strive to present both sides of an issue with such force that it cannot be ignored.

Most useful secondary skills for wildlife filmmakers was up next and David had plenty of intriguing stories to tell. “I’ve always said if I get into trouble in the bush, the person I want to have as a companion is a wildlife cameraman.  They are the most resourceful people, and skilled at everything from sweet talking customs officials to cooking! They have extraordinary mechanical abilities. For example when we were in the Galapagos shooting in 3D, a tiny lead broke.  We didn’t have a micro-soldering iron to fix it. The cameraman solved the problem using a hypodermic syringe from the medical kit – the tiny point of the syringe was used to make the connection. Their ability to improvise is really extraordinary! A recordist once even used a hollow plant stem to inject petrol!”

A question followed about whether future generations will lose touch with wildlife and how to combat this. “The industrial revolution led to great numbers of people losing contact with the countryside. There are great advantages and pleasures in living in cities. I live in London by choice. I love the theatre, museums, and have a wide range of friends.  But I’m aware that if I didn’t get away, I’d lose touch with the natural world which I also treasure. TV is very important in maintaining a link to the natural world. So people now can be more knowledgeable than they have ever been about the nature world-wide.  And that is of great importance when the natural world is facing such grave threats”.

(Still from Hummingbirds: Jewelled Messengers, narrated by David and produced and directed by NFTS Head of Natural History, Paul Reddish. Credit Mike Potts.)

On which of his trips he had enjoyed most, Sir David chose a trip back in 1956 to get the first ever television coverage of Komodo Dragons – “it took two months to get to Java.  No one there even knew about them!” He then reminded NFTS Head of Natural History, Paul Reddish about their own ‘unforgettable journeys’ together to film birds of paradise: “Paul and I had good times!”

And on which three people he’d like to have dinner with, David chose Darwin; marine biologist, William Beebe, and Canadian author and naturalist, Ernest Thompson Seton whose books caused David to ‘weep buckets’ in his childhood and was a ‘huge influence on me!’

(Charles Darwin)

David had plenty of good advice for young filmmakers and on what it takes to succeed: “One thing you want is dedication and the ability to take the rough with the smooth. Persistence and being serious about what you are doing is key.” And the best way to convince potential employers that you deserve a chance is to make a 10 minute film to show what you can do.

David left the students to ponder the role they could have in the future of wildlife filmmaking and how they can make a difference:

“You are the future. It’s up to you to change things about the way we look at the natural world and exploit formats, styles and means of transmission to find audiences that I haven’t even dreamed about.” 

For more information about the NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA, please visit www.nfts.co.uk/naturalhistory

(Peter Sallis with Nick Park)

NFTS graduate and Wallace & Gromit creator, Nick Park has paid tribute to actor, Peter Sallis who has passed away aged 96 and was the voice of the much loved Wallace.

Nick created the famous stop motion animation while at the NFTS and recalled Peter’s “generosity of spirit to help out a poor film school student back in the early 1980’s, when we first recorded together, when neither of us had any idea what Wallace & Gromit might become”. 

Peter provided the voice for Wallace on Nick’s NFTS graduation film, A Grand Day Out, which was nominated for an Oscar in 1989. Peter continued to voice Wallace for 15 years over various feature, short and video game iterations including Nick’s Oscar winning animations, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

(Still from A Grand Day Out)

Nick reflected how Peter’s “unique, charming quality, together with oversized vowels and endearing performance” helped him fashion Wallace from the beginning. “The way he first said “We’ve forgotten the Crackers Gromit” and “Cracking toast Gromit” or just “Cheeeese!” soon lead to Wallace’s enormous ‘coat-hanger mouth’”.

“I’m so sad, but feel so grateful and privileged to have known and worked with Peter over so many years. He was always my first and only choice for Wallace. I knew him of course from the very popular long running BBC series Last of the Summer Wine. He brought his unique gift and humour to all that he did, and encapsulated the very British art of the droll and understated.

“Working with Peter was always a delight and I will miss his wry, unpredictable humour and silliness – that started the moment he greeted you at the door, and didn’t stop when the mic was switched off. He had naturally funny bones and was a great storyteller and raconteur off stage too and would keep us amused for hours. He could make the simplest incident sound hilarious – just by the way he said it.

 “They don’t come along very often like Peter Sallis – he was a unique character, on and off screen, and an absolute honour to have known him.”

The NFTS continues to work with Aardman Animations (the production studios behind Wallace & Gromit) and inspire new generations of animators through its animation courses including:

Certificate in Character Animation in partnership with Aardman (apply by 8^th June)

Model Making for Animation Diploma in partnership with Aardman and Mackinnon and Saunders (apply by 6^th July)

Directing Animation MA (apply by 6^th July)

Directing Animation graduation film, Tête-à-Tête, directed by Natasha Tonkin, has been selected for Annecy, the world's leading animation film festival! The festival takes place between the 12^th and 17^th of June 2017.  (Applications are open for our Directing Animation MA until July 6^th– more at www.nfts.co.uk/animation)

Tête-à-Tête has been selected in the ‘Graduation Films in Competition 3’ category and will be screened from Monday 12^th June at 8.30pm.

Tête-à-Tête: Directed, written and designed by Natasha Tonkin and produced by Rae Erlingsdóttir (full credits below).

Synopsis: A young woman visits her family. Over the weekend tensions flare, whilst technology provides an easy respite. As Kerri's gaze shifts from the screen, she discovers a deeper kind of connection.

As well as being selected for Annecy, Tête-à-Tête has also been selected for Anima Mundi, International Animation Film Festival and Supertoon, and was shortlisted for the BAFTA International Student Film Awards.

The Team: Cinematographer, Daniella Rice; Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer, Sashko Potter Micevski; Compositor, Colourist and Online Editor, David Sheldon.

First year students on the National Film and Television School Directing Animation MA will be attending this year’s Annecy festival to soak up the atmosphere and get inspiration. If you have animation experience or are artistic and would like to learn directing and storytelling skills, you can apply up until July 6^th 2017 – more info at www.nfts.co.uk/animation

“Anybody with strong ideas, talent and industry exposure can make successful games”

Alan Thorn, NFTS Head of Games explains why our Games Design and Development MA can help you stand out from the crowd and get a step ahead of the competition. If this sounds like you, apply by 6^th July – more information on how to apply here:

The games industry is an exciting landscape. It’s constantly challenging developers to innovate and captivate in order to be successful. With the democratization of games development, more people than ever may now download software and tools completely free of charge, and then invest their time making fun games. But in this climate of openness, the competition in the marketplace is undoubtedly fierce, and so other types of skills and knowledge are needed to stand apart from the crowd. Developers must work cleverly to let their creativity flourish. This is why our games course at the National Film and Television School is especially unique and important.

At NFTS games we realize that you don’t necessarily need a background or a degree in games to make great games. People from all walks of life and all backgrounds can be successful games developers, and indeed they can move beyond traditional gaming to challenge the very meaning of games themselves. This is part of the beauty of the games industry and our games course. This variety of perspectives is critically important for innovation. With determination, talent, and great ideas our course can help you develop story-telling skills, technical skills, and the necessary industry connections that elevate your work to excellence and recognition. Specifically, our games course teaches you the art and craft of game-making from all major perspectives, alongside related skills like story-telling and producing, and it helps develop your industry profile through connections, events and portfolio development. Let’s take a look further at what makes our ground-breaking MA so special.

Portfolio Approach

NFTS Games is a two-year flagship MA course that’s highly regarded for its unique approach. We welcome rising stars and strong talent onto the course, even if they have no prior game development skills! It doesn’t matter if you haven’t programmed before or created 3D art and animations. Our course is taught by leading industry practitioners with many years industry experience who are committed to helping you establish a varied skillset. The first year of the course consists of five intensive modules, each of which results in a complete, playable game specifically intended to build you a career portfolio showcasing your talent. You’ll learn programming, life-drawing, 3D-modelling, texture creation, story-telling, game production and many more industry-relevant skills. This portfolio will be critical to employability, demonstrating what you can do while working in a highly collaborative studio setting.

(Game: ReTreat; Developer: Jonathan Nielssen; Module: Moments of Consequence)

Innovation Focus - Storytelling and Mechanics

Our course aims to make you an industry leader and a pioneer. Someone who assertively challenges established norms and tries new ideas. Right now, the games industry is still dominated by a traditional diet of big guns, glorified violence, hyper-sexualized women and blood-soaked zombies. But games can be so much more than this if we let them. Games can make us laugh and cry, can bring us together and make us think, and most of all they can inspire us to become better people both inside and outside of virtual worlds. We recognize the value of strong story-telling skills, coupled with innovation in gameplay, to help you make compelling games that stand apart from the mainstream shooters. Our modules are designed to engage you with philosophical, cultural and contemporary themes, and to help you explore new directions for gaming experiences.

(Game Name: Sprinkle Palooza; Developer: Benita Kvinlaug; Module: Final Year Project)

Collaborative Workflow

Nobody is alone on the games course! The games department is an energetic hub of creativity and sociability within the school. It inevitably attracts connections across all departments. Although curriculum hours are normally between 10am-5pm on weekdays, students nevertheless get access to the games labs and equipment 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week! That’s simply incredible! In this studio environment, connections and networking naturally happens. Our students get access to high-talent from other departments within the school, including screen-writing, cinematography, digital FX, sound design and composing, production management, marketing and creative business, and many more. For this reason, nearly every game made at the NFTS is the result of a collaborative process guided by the game student’s central creative vision; a process in which many skills and experiences have been brought together to form a high quality experience. In short, NFTS Games is a great place to work if you want to work with talented people!

(NFTS Games and Digital Effects Departments at FMX)

Industry Connectedness

Our games course is tightly integrated into the games industry in many ways, and our graduates quickly achieve success and recognition for their work. Our modules are taught by passionate and experienced industry professionals who are masters of their craft. And they continue to maintain industry links and careers outside the school too. In addition, guest speakers from across the creative industries, including games and film and television, regularly visit the school to deliver inspirational talks and masterclasses, and to visit students to discuss their work. We are also committed to taking student talent directly into the industry, and so our students attend and exhibit their work at high-profile industry events, like EGX.

Apply now! More information at www.nfts.co.uk/games

(Marika Santala, Director, The Love Gym with her RTS Student Award)

NFTS students have once again done us proud winning no fewer than seven RTS Student Television Awards! Prizes were won in Comedy & Entertainment; Drama; Factual; Camerawork; Editing; Production Design and Sound. There were an incredible 20 NFTS nominations overall. (If you would like to follow in our winners’ footsteps, application deadlines are coming up on the 6^th of July for MA’s in Directing & Producing Television Entertainment; Directing Animation and Production Design.)

The ceremony took place on Friday 16^th of June at the BFI Southbank in London and was chaired by Philip Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts and hosted by the very funny, writer, presenter and comedian, Katherine Ryan.

The awards recognise the best audiovisual work created by students across the UK and Republic of Ireland at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Awards are judged in Animation, Comedy & Entertainment, Drama, Factual, News and Short Feature. Excellence is also rewarded in craft skills for camerawork, editing, production design and sound.

The winners:

Postgraduate Comedy & Entertainment

The Love Gym, Raphael Beaulieu (Producer) and Marika Santala (Director)

 “A great concept, brilliantly executed. Being character led rather than overtly scripted meant the right balance of charm, naughtiness and naturalism. The jury wanted to watch more!”

Postgraduate Drama

Ferris & The Fancy Pigeon, James Gardner (Director/ Writer) and Helene Sifre (Producer)

“An uplifting, heart-warming coming of age comedy; mixing grounded, kitchen-sink style drama with heightened moments and flights of fancy.”

Postgraduate Factual

Uprooted, Ross Domoney (Director/ Producer/ Cinematographer)

 “A beautifully crafted film that demonstrated a real understanding of how personal stories, powerfully told, can be used to shine a light on a wider political issue.”

Postgraduate Craft Skills - Camerawork

Krzysztof Trojnar, Mia

“The jury admired the beauty of composition and how every shot seemed to have been carefully considered.”

Postgraduate Craft Skills - Editing

Dennis Mabry, The Sunflower Inn

“With no resorting to voiceover, the edit managed to deliver great clarity of storytelling and hugely contributed to the joy and warmth of the film.”

Postgraduate Craft Skills - Production Design

Joelle Aoun, Mia

“The production design was quietly effective in creating a distinct and clear vision for the film and was integral to its success.”

Postgraduate Craft Skills - Sound

Eleanor Nicholls, Mia

“Sound was used very effectively in bringing to life the world of the film. Bold choices such as the use of silence at times were greatly admired by the jury.”

More information on how to apply for MA’s in Directing & Producing Television Entertainment; Directing Animation and Production Design at https://www.nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/deadlines

An amazing 185 NFTS students and graduates are credited across the feature films and short films selected for this year’s prestigious Edinburgh International Film Festival. This year, an outstanding seven NFTS graduation films – five animations, one fiction and one documentary - have been selected for the event, which is the the world’s longest running festival of its kind. (If you are a budding animator, applications are open for our Directing Animation MA until 6th July - apply at www.nfts.co.uk/animation)

Three NFTS graduation animations will compete for the McLaren Award for Best New British Animation including:

·         Don’t Think of a Pink Elephant (animation), directed and written by Suraya Raja and produced by Rebecca Smith

·         Homegrown (animation), directed and co-written by Quentin Haberham, produced by Caroline Bartleet and co-written by Tim Fraser.

·         Poles Apart (animation), directed and written by Paloma Baeza and produced by Ser En Low.

NFTS Animation MA graduate Daisy Jacobs whose graduation film, The Bigger Picture was nominated for an Oscar, also has a film competing for the McLaren award, The Full Story.

Wild Horses (fiction), directed and written by Rory Alexander Stewart and produced by Rebecca Smith will be shown as part of this year’s EIFF SHORTS strand as part of the UK-Spectrum selection.

A programme of student shorts entitled (Be)longing have been curated by the MSc Film, Exhibition and Curation course at the University of Edinburgh, ‘where animation, fantasy, and reality collide. Moving from sandy beaches to icy landscapes, from Finland to Texas, and a universe made of wool, the films are each a carefully placed detail to the exploration of relationships across generations’. NFTS graduation films include:

·         Fishwitch (animation), directed and co-written by Adrienne Dowling, produced by Helene Sifre and co-written by Jenna Jovi.

·         A Love Story (animation), directed by Anushka Naanayakkara, produced by Khaled Gad and written by Elena Ruscombe-King.

·         Markku and Me (documentary), directed, produced and cinematography by Lauri Danska

Feature Film Credits:

(Still from The Marker)

Access All Areas: Composer, Roger Goula

Daphne: Sound Maintenance, Howard Peryer (Michael Powell Award)

The Dark Mile: Dialogue Editor/Rerecording Mixer, Jens Rosenlund Petersen

Darkland: Production Designer, Sabine Hviid

Double Date: DoP, Laura Bellingham; Sound Mixer, Tarn Willers; Boom Operator, Doug Templeton

Edie: ADR Editor, Adele Fletcher (Audience Award)

Final Portrait: Foley Editor, Dario Swade; Sound Assistant, Nina Rice

God’s Own Country: Production Designer, Stephane Collonge; Art Director, Pedro Moura (Michael Powell Award)

Hyena: DoP, Benjamin Kracun; Production Co-ordiinator, Hussain Ahmed

Kaleidoscope: Boom Operator, Doug Templeton; Composer/Orchestrator/Conductor, Evan Jolly (Michael Powell Award)

The Last Photograph: Boom Operators, Thomas Markwick, Howard Peryer & Michael Sinden (Michael Powell Award)

Let Me Go: Stand By Art Director, Isobel Dunhill

The Marker: DoP, Liam Landoli; Editor, Carmela Landoli; Production Managers, Stephanie Paeplow & Catherine McNamara; ADR Mixer, Raoul Brand; Sound Maintenance Engineer, Caroline Singh (Michael Powell Award)

Maudie: Director, Aisling Walsh (Best International Feature Film)

Modern Life is Rubbish:  Digital Compositor, Andy Quinn

A Private Function [1984]: Director/Co-Writer, Malcolm Mowbray; Co-Editor, Scott Thomas

My Pure Land: Supervising Sound Editor, Vicente Villaescusa; Senior Colourist, Susumu Asano (Michael Powell Award)

The Oath: Editor Sigvaldi J Karason (Best International Feature Film)

The Receptionist: Editor, Hoping Chen; Sound Effects Editor, Matis Rei

Romans: DoP, Felix Wiedemann (Michael Powell Award)

That Good Night: Boom Operator, Kyle Pickford (Michael Powell Award)

This Beautiful Fantastic: Sound Effects Editor, Jens Rosenlund Petersen; Boom Operator, Alex Bryce; Digital Compositor, Andy Quinn

Time Bandits [1981]: Additional Music Composer, Trevor Jones; Assistant Art Director, Celia Barnett

Tom of Finland: Sound Mixer, Joonas Jyrala (Audience Awards & Best International Feature Film)

Wakefield: Art Department Coordinator, Kimberley Pope

Non NFTS Shorts Credits:

(Still from Britain)

1745: Producer, John McKay

Alarm:  DoP, Ben Hecking; Sound Production, Xan Marquez

Black-Eyed Susan: Sound Recordist, Nina Rice

Britain: Director/Animator, Bexie Bush

Chicken/Egg: Editor, Carmela Landoli

Creeling: DoP, David Pimm; Composer, Freya Thomsen

Dad’s Dead: Animator/Compositor, Leigh Hodgkinson

Firecracker: Editor, Fiona DeSouza

The Flight of an Ostrich (Schools Interior): DoP, Annika Summerson

The Full Story: Writer/Director/Animator, Daisy Jacobs; DoP, Max Williams; Editor, Vera Simmonds; Sound, Jonas Andreas Jensen; Composer, Huw Bunford; Compositor, Allar Kaasik

Life Between Lives: DoP, Ben Hecking; Sound Production, Xan Marquez

Mall 84: Director/Animator, Gervais Merryweather

My Dad: Sound Mixer, Michael Wyeld

Real Gods Require Blood: DoP, Nick Cooke; Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor, Tom Jenkins; Main Title/Credits, Susumu Asano

Struck: DoP, Ben Hecking; Sound Production, Xan Marquez

Sympathy for the Lemon: DoP, Ben Hecking; Sound Production, Xan Marquez; Production Manager, Stephanie Paeplow

Tick Box: DoP, Ben Hecking; Sound Production, Xan Marquez

Work: Director, Aneil Karia

If you are inspired by our animators, there is still time to appy for our Directing Animation MA; applications are open until 6^th July 2017.

NFTS graduation animation, Poles Apart, directed and written by Paloma Baeza and produced by Ser En Low, has been awarded the prestigious Maclaren Award for Best British Animation at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. Poles Apart beat off stiff competition including fellow NFTS graduation animations, Don’t Think of a Pink Elephant, directed and written by Suraya Raja and produced by Rebecca Smith and Homegrown, directed and co-written by Quentin Haberham, produced by Caroline Bartleet and co-written by Tim Fraser. (If you are inspired by Paloma, applications are open for our Directing Animation MA and Model Making for Animation Diploma until the 6^th July.)

Paloma Baeza said: "We are over the moon to receive The Maclaren Award, particularly in the company of such strong and talented filmmakers.  We are extremely grateful to everyone who voted for us - thank you!"

The Award for Best Short Film went to The Full Story, which is directed by recent Directing Animation MA graduate, Daisy Jacobs.

The Short Film Jury said: “For its originality, level of technical artistry and emotional poignancy, we are awarding the prize for best short film to The Full Story by Daisy Jacobs, and co-director, Christopher Wilder.  What struck us in particular was the perfect marriage between form and content, in particular the way in which the fluidity between the live action and animation perfectly represented the transitions between memory and the past.”

Daisy Jacob’s said: “It is an honour to receive the Best Short Film Award from such a prestigious Festival, we are delighted.”

Other winning films with NFTS credits include:

God’s Own Country, which won The Michael Powell Award For Best British Feature Film, credits Production Designer, Stephane Collonge and Art Director, Pedro Moura.

The award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film went jointly to actresses Emily Beecham for her role in Daphne and Anne Reid for her roles in Kaleidoscope and Romans, and was also selected by the Michael Powell jurors. Daphne credits Howard Peryer (Sound Maintenance). Kaleidoscope credits Doug Templeton (Boom Operator) and Evan Jolly (Composer/Orchestrator/Conductor). Romans credits Felix Wiedemann (DoP).

Short film, 1745 produced by NFTS graduate, John McKay received a special mention from the jury in the Award for Best Short Film.

NFTS Credits:

An amazing 185 NFTS students and graduates are credited across the feature films and short films selected for this year’s prestigious Edinburgh International Film Festival and an outstanding seven NFTS graduation films – five animations, one fiction and one documentary - have been selected for the event, which is the the world’s longest running festival of its kind.

Wild Horses (fiction), directed and written by Rory Alexander Stewart and produced by Rebecca Smith was selected as part of this year’s EIFF SHORTS strand as part of the UK-Spectrum selection.

A programme of student shorts entitled (Be)longing  curated by the MSc Film, Exhibition and Curation course at the University of Edinburgh, include the following NFTS graduation films:

·         Fishwitch (animation), directed and co-written by Adrienne Dowling, produced by Helene Sifre and co-written by Jenna Jovi.

·         A Love Story (animation), directed by Anushka Naanayakkara, produced by Khaled Gad and written by Elena Ruscombe-King.

·         Markku and Me (documentary), directed, produced and cinematography by Lauri Danska

If you would like to follow in the footsteps of the NFTS graduate animators, there is still time to apply for our Directing Animation MA and our Model Making for Animation Diploma applications are open until 6^th July 2017.

NFTS Games Design and Development MA students have won ‘Best Game’ at the highly competitive Ukie Student Game Jam organised by UK Interactive Entertainment, the only trade body for the UK's games and interactive entertainment industry. (If you want to be part of our exciting Games department, apply by July 6^th and start in January 2018! More info at www.nfts.co.uk/games)

The Game Jam saw teams from Ukie Student institutes competing against each other to create the best game in 48 hours and win the coveted Ukie Student Game Jam trophy. The theme of the game jam was announced at 9:30am on the first day and then teams had 48 hours to brainstorm, design and complete their game. A panel of games industry judges awarded the trophy to ‘My Body, My Choice’ developed by NFTS students including Michael Murray, Shane Hou, Gracie Drake, Daisy Fernandez and Joel Marshall.

(NFTS Games students L-R: Michael Murray, Shane Hou, Gracie Drake, Daisy Fernandez and Joel Marshall)

About ‘My Body, My Choice’

My Body, My Choice is a good-humoured side-scrolling platform game. The player takes on the role of a disembodied skull, collects body parts as they go, navigates the environment and builds a body.

Head of NFTS Games, Alan Thorn says: “I am thrilled that NFTS Games Students have won the UKIE Game Jam ‘Best Game’ Award with their game ‘My Body, My Choice’. The UKIE Game Jam is a highly prestigious event for students throughout the UK, and the games industry more widely, for showcasing talent and excellence. There is a lot of skilful, friendly competition involved, and this award reflects the great work our students do as well as the creative climate running throughout the NFTS. By coming on our games course, students immerse themselves in a multidisciplinary environment, work with students from other departments, attend key industry events, and receive extensive guidance and support from industry expert tutors.”

Playthrough here

Apply for the NFTS Games Design and Development MA by July 6^th 2017 – www.nfts.co.uk/games

Leading industry representatives from the film, television and games industries turned out in their droves to toast the opening of the £20 million  development of the School including the ‘Channel 4 Rose’ building (named after the  late Senior Commissioning Editor for Fiction at Channel 4, David Rose) and ‘Sky Studios at the NFTS’, a brand new 4K digital content training studio and hub.

Lord David Puttnam was also announced as the School’s new Life President to replace the late Lord Richard Attenborough.

The Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP, the long-serving former Minister of State for Digital and Culture at the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), unveiled the new buildings alongside 

Channel 4 Chief Executive, David Abraham; Gary Davey, Managing Director, Content at Sky and NFTS Deputy Chairman, Stephen Louis.

Following the unveiling, guests were invited to go on a tour of the School and experience:

• The new 4K multi-camera digital content training studio and hub, guided by Head of Television, David G Croft
• Cinematography and Design departments, led by Co-Head of Cinematography, Stuart Harris and Head of Production Design, Caroline Amies
• A glimpse into the worlds of animation and model making,  led by Head of Animation, Robert Bradbrook
• An experience of VR and 360 video, led by Head of Games, Alan Thorn and Head of Digital Effects, John Rowe.

Guests were then treated to champagne and canapes while chatting to staff and alumni.

"The lesson is to keep going until you get the lucky break, and then pile in there!"– Sir Richard Branson

In a sparkling encounter that ran for over an hour, legendary entrepreneur and Virgin Founder Sir Richard Branson took questions and cracked jokes with scores of students from the NFTS in a transatlantic Q+A hosted by the school’s outgoing Director Nik Powell (assisted by head of Producing and head of Creative Business for Entrepreneurs and Executives, Chris Auty).

Speaking from Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands to students in the NFTS cinema on Wednesday, Branson offered practical support to some students and networking opportunities to others, whilst taking questions and sharing business and personal lessons reaching back to his days as a schoolboy. 

He personally complimented Nik Powell, his one-time business partner, on his remarkable achievements at the school, in a warm exchange.

Branson, who sold his cherished Virgin Records company for almost $1bn in the early ’90s in order to save his then-struggling Virgin Atlantic airline business, talked about personal and business lessons, old and new, that included:

Saying yes or no.
I always prefer to say yes to something new and exciting, even though I know it may not succeed… In fact one of my lessons is that failures and challenges can still be good for the brand — they can reinforce its quality and value. That’s certainly true in the UK — though perhaps less so in the USA…

Filmmaking and business
We made a classic film in 1984 — the film of Orwell’s classic novel ‘1984’. It was the same year as the start up of Virgin Atlantic. The film went THREE times over budget and we ended up in a very public wrangle with director [NFTS alumnus] Mike Radford. I wanted to include a music track from the Eurythmics — simply to save our investment — and it caused a fuss. We got there in the end.  But that over-run on costs nearly killed the whole Virgin business at a critical moment….

Cash
There are many, many more investors out there looking for new businesses today than when Nik and I started up. That’s all I can say.

Name and Brand
Imagine: I originally wanted to call Virgin ‘Slipped Disc Records’ . That could have been our brand. I’m not sure it would have worked for the airline business! 

Social issues and personal conscience
I’ve always been involved in social issues and I still am today: whether it’s about the death penalty or the treatment of drug addiction rather than its punishment….

Over 40 years ago, through my sister, I was asked to buy the London night-club HEAVEN, as someone who could pledge to keep it gay forever. I have always been vocal on gay rights. I did it. We finally handed it over in a management buy-out to the staff last year, at their request.

To-Do lists
I have always had them. Today they just tend to be a bit bigger. Top of list today: ‘how to fix rocket to top of jumbo jet for launch’..

Dyslexia
When I was a kid at school I’d look at a blackboard and go blank. I ended up leaving school at 15. But it made me stronger:  it also made me a better delegator. I simplify everything. There can be no jargon. We have a rule in-house: if Richard understands it, anyone can.

Competition
Some sectors are not just competitive: the companies already there — Air B ’n’ B, Coke, Google — have VERY deep pockets. So if you are going up against them you'd better have something very UNIQUE and very CLEAR!

Partnerships
They come in many shapes and sizes and for different reasons. British Airways had an American partner and could have killed us. 
So we ended up in a terrific partnership with Delta. Who would have guessed?

Personal journey to success
We made the best of our lucky breaks. The lesson is to keep going UNTIL you get the lucky break, and then PILE IN there!!!!!

People
A company is just a group of people. Planes are planes. Look at what has happened on the transatlantic route in the last 20 years: most of the airlines have gone out of business. But we are still there. When we started I hoped that the spirit would still be there in the business 20 years later. It is, and we are still there. It’s all about people.

Free Taster Workshop

The NFTS Creative Business for Entrepreneurs and Executives course is offering a free Taster Workshop on Tuesday 18^th July as part of the NFTS Free Summer Taster Workshops Day.  Chris Auty will be will be joined by the former CEO and now chairman of Ministry of Sound, Lohan Presencer, for an exclusive Q&A, to discuss how he set-up one of the most successful indie businesses to come out of the UK in the last 25 years.
For more information and to attend:https://nfts.co.uk/tasterworkshop

An incredible three NFTS graduation films – Perched, Sweet Maddie Stone and Tête-à-Tête - have been selected from over 1500 films to reach the semi-final stage of the Student Academy Awards. The awards presentation takes place on Thursday October 12th at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Tête-à-Tête (animation): Directed, written and designed by Natasha Tonkin and produced by Rae Erlingsdóttir (full credits below).

Synopsis: A young woman visits her family. Over the weekend tensions flare, whilst technology provides an easy respite. As Kerri's gaze shifts from the screen, she discovers a deeper kind of connection.

Tête-à-Tête has also been selected for Annecy, Anima Mundi, International Animation Film Festival and Supertoon, and was shortlisted for the BAFTA International Student Film Awards.

The Team: Cinematographer, Donna Wade; Editor, Fiona Brands; Production Manager, Daniella Rice; Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer, Sashko Potter Micevski; Compositor, Colourist and Online Editor, David Sheldon.

Perched (animation): Directed by Liam Harris and produced by Elina Litvinova (full credits below).

Synopsis: 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.

Perched has won multiple awards including ‘Best Animation’ at London Indie Fest and the ‘GFA Jury Award’ at the US Hollywood Int’l Film Festival. 

The Team: Writers, Nathaniel Price, Eoin Patrick Doran; Cinematographer, Dan Atherton; Production Designer, Jan Gronczewski; Production Manager, Paul Smith; Editor, Sian Clarke; VFX Lead Compositor, Victor Almela; VG Lead Artist, Stevie Gill; Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer, Payam Hosseinian; Composure, Victor Hugo Fumagalli; Online Editor & Colour Grader, Carl Thompson.

Sweet Maddie Stone (Fiction): Directed and co-written by Brady Hood, produced by Jake Riley-Hunte and co-written by Jessica Jackson (full credits below):

Synopsis: 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.

Sweet Maddie Stone has won a number of awards including ‘British/ Irish Short Film of the Year’ at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

The Team: Cinematographer, Dan Atherton; Production Designer, Declan O’Brien; production Manager, Grace heath; Production Co-ordinator, Simone Tomasi; Production Assistant, Scott Eggleholfer; 3^rd Assistant Director, Anna Bennett-Squire; Editor, Meredith Mantik; Production Sound Mixer, Richard Eastick Esq; Boom Operators, Simon Richert, Tom Osborn; Composer, Tim Morrish; Compositor, Victor Almela; Sound Editor & Re-recording Mixer, Payam Hosseinian; Online Editor & Colour Grader, Carl Thompson.

If you would like to follow in our filmmakers footsteps, applications are open for a range of MA and Diploma courses for a January 2018 start including an MA in Digital Effects, Television Entertainment and Production Technology - more information on how to apply here.

“Go for what you like. If you are passionate, you will it to work and through that comes success. If you paint a great picture, you make a great movie.”

Yet another highly influential figure from the film industry delivered a Q&A to the NFTS students and it doesn’t get more influential than Harvey Weinstein! Introduced by NFTS Director, Nik Powell as having ‘the single biggest influence of a non-director on the independent film industry’, Harvey spoke to the students via Skype from his offices in New York. (If you would like to benefit from masterclasses like this one, applications for a range of MA and Diploma courses are open now until September 7^th to start in January 2018 – these include Masters in Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition and Creative Business for Entrepreneurs and Executives).

An Oscar and BAFTA winning producer and co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Co, Harvey  regularly works with directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. His multi-Oscar winning and nominated films include Pulp Fiction, The Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Carol, Lion, The King’s Speech,  My Week with Marilyn,Emma, The Lord of the Rings, and The Artist.

Nik opened the questions by asking how the independent film industry had changed over the years and what had remained the same. “Netflix, Google and Amazon are having a big impact and changing the paradigm. I love the magic of the movie theatre and find it hard to deal with the fact that movies are often now relegated to phones. The supply of independent films is diminished by this kind of competition. However, good movies still work if you are tenacious and create the right marketing campaign. Lion and Silver Linings Playbook are good examples of this; they needed time to grow.”

On why he chooses to get involved in particular projects, Harvey reminded the students how he had worked with Nik and his partner Steve Woolley when they started Palace Pictures, on films like Scandal, which is based on the Profumo Scandal of 1963. “I tend to go for provocative or controversial topics like Scandal or emotional subjects like Lion.”

However, sometimes films ‘just resonate.’ Harvey was convinced to back The Artist, despite it being silent, black and white, and lacking well-known actors, because it was so good. Harvey then had to convince the board to go with the movie and decided the only way they would ‘get it’ would be if they saw it “and the rest is history.”

One of the students was keen to know how to be as successful as Harvey! “Go for what you like. If you are passionate, you will it to work and through that comes success. If you paint a great picture, you make a great movie.”

When it comes to qualities Harvey looks for in his co-workers, he listed “loyalty, a good work ethic and a good sense of humour. You need it in our industry – being able to laugh at stuff helps!”

Harvey’s love for the magic of the movie theatre was palpable throughout the Q&A. Answering a question about whether there are any technologies that excite him, Harvey said: “New technology that can make movie theatre going invigorating and that you can’t do at home, excites me.” He counselled the students to brush up on their ‘film grammar’ if they want to be successful: “The more you study film grammar, the more you will succeed. If you can do that when young, then I can guarantee you’ll have a great career. Nik and I carry the history of movies in our genes; the generation today don’t. You’ll get a leg up if you study movies from the likes of François Truffaut.”

Continuing this theme, the film that Harvey picked from his impressive back catalogue as his favourite was Cinema Paradiso: “Cinema Paradiso makes me the most emotional as it’s about our industry. It’s the best love letter I’ve ever seen to the movies.”

Nik asked Harvey to talk about the value of test screenings, which are frequently used in the US to gauge audience reaction before movies are released. He used Trainspotting as an example as he had felt that the film needed to be changed for an American audience due to the difficulty of understanding the thick accents, but when they showed the test screening, “the audience didn’t care about the accents; they loved the movie.” But the test screening for The Talented Mr Ripley, lead to a change to the start and end of the movie, which ultimately made it a success.

Harvey moved onto the importance of great scripts. “If you develop a great script, that’s an equaliser in this industry. If you spend your time doing anything, find that script, or that book.”

One highlight of the Q&A was when NFTS Co-Head of Cinematography, Oliver Stapleton, who worked with Harvey on a number of movies from The Grifters to The Cider House Rules, told Harvey how much he had enjoyed working with him and how his passion for projects had made a real difference. Harvey countered by saying “I thought your work was unparalleled – they were beautiful movies and a credit to you.”

Harvey finished the session by saying: “God bless you with whatever you do.”

For more information on our upcoming course application deadlines, please visit https://www.nfts.co.uk/sign-me-up/deadlines

‘Morrissey at the Movies: The Films that Saved your Life’ is the first of a series of film programmes curated by finalist students from the National Film and Television School’s MA in Film Studies, Programming and Curation, led by Sandra Hebron. The season comprises eight exhibition projects, which will take place between August and December 2017.  They range from themed programmes and national cinema seasons to expanded cinema and online initiatives.

Mark Donaldson’s Morrissey celebration is up first and takes place over the weekend of August 12^th and 13^th at Genesis Cinema, Mile End, London. Mark chose to coincide his event with the release of Morrissey biopic, England is Mine and the programme includes a screening of the film and a Q&A with director Mark Gill.

The weekend will also include a panel discussion to give context to the season.

We caught up with Mark Donaldson to find out more:

Which films have you selected and why?

The Collector (1965) – Saturday 12^th August, 1pm

Morrissey chose an image of Terence Stamp taken on the set of the film as the LP cover of What Difference Does It Make? He also listed it as one of his favourite films in the March 1993 issue of Movieline magazine.

Orphée (1950) – Saturday 12^th August, 3:40pm

The narcissistic image of Jean Marais asleep next to a reflective pool provided the cover for the LP of ‘This Charming Man’. A poet pre-occupied with death could easily describe Morrissey but Jean Cocteau's film renders this relationship literal.

England is Mine with Q&A with the director, Mark Gill – Saturday 12^th August – 6pm

The South Bank Show: The Smiths (1987) – Free bar screening – Saturday 12^th August 9pm

Rocco & His Brothers (1960) – Sunday 13^th August, 12pm

In an interview with XL magazine to promote his Italian inspired album Ringleader of the Tormentors, Morrissey spoke of his love of the director Luchino Visconti and this wonderful film. Actor Alain Delon was also the cover star of The Smiths seminal album ‘The Queen is Dead’, due for a re-release in October.

East of Eden (1955) - Sunday 13th August, 3.20pm

Shots of Richard Davalos from the set and the film itself provided the covers for Strangeways Here We Come and a two volume Best Of collection. Morrissey wrote to a penpal talking of his ambition to meet and interview Davalos, an ambition which was sadly never realised.

Charlie Bubbles (1967) – Free bar screening Sunday 13^th August, 6pm

Listed as one of Morrissey's favourite films, once again in March 1993's Movieline, hardly surprising given it has a script from Shelagh Delaney and is directed by and starring one of Morrissey's favourite actors, Albert Finney. Also, a still of Billie Whitelaw provides the cover art for ‘William It Was Really Nothing’.

A weekend ticket, covering all screenings and events is available for £25 from the Genesis website

What was the inspiration behind the project?

The film England is Mine, which is released on August 4th. I remember hearing that a film based on Morrissey's early life was entering production and being sceptical about whether it could do justice to its subject. I've seen so many biopics in recent years that lack a sharp focus, opting for a cradle to grave narrative which fails to get under the skin of their protagonists. Thankfully, having seen it at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival, England is Mine is not one of those biopics and is a real celebration of what makes Morrissey such a unique artist. As he is someone who is well versed in popular culture, I thought it would be interesting to present a season of films that he loves or that have had some impact on his work as an alternative means of understanding him, through cinema.

How did you go about selecting the films for the programme?

Fortunately, there are a number of dedicated and hard working Morrissey fans who have collated all the films he has referenced in magazine interviews, lyrics and album artwork on fan sites, IMDB and Mubi. Once I'd tracked down those lists, it was a case of whittling them down into my own shortlist of films.

The temptation with Morrissey is to exclusively focus on British cinema, for example Ken Loach, the Carry Ons, and everything in between, but I wanted to provide fans with something they wouldn't immediately suspect. This is why, for example, rather than choose Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey I've gone for her lesser-known and rarely screened Charlie Bubbles which also has the distinction of being the only film Albert Finney ever directed. 

I had decided very early on that I wanted to provide as diverse a programme as possible, and so focused a lot on his interest in French and Italian cinema. It was important to present a diverse programme, in light of recent controversial comments. I want to challenge the perception of him as a Little Englander and celebrate the ways these international titles have influenced the work of a unique cultural icon. We're also hoping to put together a panel discussion to talk about how these films have shaped Morrissey and invite fans to get involved through audience contributions

What are your career aspirations after you graduate?

Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Film Festival! But first and foremost, I'm keen to build on my existing industry experience from four years working in both multiplexes and independent cinemas by programming for a venue, using the skills I've learned from the course to strike a balance between screening films the audience want to see and introducing them to those that they never knew they wanted.

What have been the highlights of the NFTS MA so far and how has it shaped your career goals?

The placement within the Film Audience Network with the BFI was an eye-opening experience and taught me a lot about the types of film programming currently taking place across the UK which is invaluable for me as I approach graduation next year. Our partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre was also an incredibly helpful exercise in working with a venue and my fellow programmers to deliver a season of films to an audience, and the various joys and difficulties that you encounter along the way which is a useful primer for my future career as a programmer.

The Film Studies Programming and Curation MA is delivered in partnership with the BFI; applications are open until the 7^th September and the course starts in January – more info on how to apply at www.nfts.co.uk/filmstudies