News / Bristol Film Office
£300,000 secured to harness new talent for West of England’s high-end film and TV sector
A new skills training programme to support creatives looking to break into behind-the-camera roles on scripted film and high-end TV productions made in the West of England will launch later this month.
It comes after Bristol City Council’s Film Services have secured almost £300,000 from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) to deliver an industry-led West of England Film & High-End TV Workforce Development Programme to help creatives make their impact and find new career opportunities.
Delivered by The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office – the three departments that make up Bristol City Council’s Film Services – the year-long programme will be open to regional participants from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the industry.
The scheme is tailored to demystify the world of scripted production and prepare trainees for entry level crew positions, with the aim of strengthening the pipeline of diverse local crew talent.
Metro mayor Dan Norris opening Box7 studio in Brislington -photo: Milan Perera
The investment comes at an important time of continued growth in the West of England’s film and high-end TV sector, with an estimated 21,000 new crew forecast to be needed across the UK by 2025.
Metro mayor Dan Norris, who leads the WECA, said: “The West of England is fast becoming the Hollywood of the UK. Only recently, huge names like Disney+ have checked in to The Bottle Yard Studios’ new state-of-the-art and West of England Mayoral Authority-funded TBY2 facility – that’s a massive vote of confidence in our world-leading creative industries.”
He reiterated the importance of sustained investment on the sector: “But to keep up the pace, we need to tap into the extraordinary wealth of creative talent we have in the West. That means supporting them with world-class training to create that new home-grown creative generation for the sector.”
The popular ITV drama Winter King was filmed in Bristol – photo: Simon Ridgway
Also commenting on the scheme, Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol with responsibility for city economy finance and performance said: “It’s brilliant to see Bristol’s thriving film and TV sector in the spotlight once again and we are delighted to secure funding to further support this vital industry, as well as the talented people who bring Bristol’s creative sectors to life.”
Applications will be invited from residents of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire aged 17 and above. Underrepresented target groups will include young people aged 17-25, those not in education, employment or training, under-employed people and those on zero-hour contracts.
An Access Fund will also be provided to support any participants who face a financial barrier to taking part.
On the fresh boost of funding for training the next generation of creatives, Laura Aviles, head of film for Bristol City Council, said: “We’ve long made the case that targeted skills investment for scripted crew in our region is essential if we’re to develop this often-overlooked segment of the screen workforce. Film and high-end TV production levels in Bristol and the West have been increasing steadily in past years, supported by The Bottle Yard’s expansion and the region’s Film Offices facilitating more productions on location.”
She added: “With this success comes the opportunity to grow our local talent base – which is crucial when the existing crew base hits capacity, something we anticipate as we move on from last year’s US writers and actors strikes.”
The Bottle Yard Studios is considered South West’s biggest dedicated production space – photo: The Bottle Yard Studios
The programme will aim to engage up to 750 people in total across its different strands of activity, with a view to 45 undertaking the five-week training course that will equip them to go on to get jobs.
Upcoming productions recently filmed in Bristol and the West of England include Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals (Disney+), series three of spy thriller Alex Rider (Amazon FreeVee), series three of Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws (BBC/Amazon Prime Video), teen crime thriller A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (BBC Three) and series five of children’s drama Malory Towers (CBBC).
Main photo: Bert King
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