ScreenSkills and Pinewood Studios are joining forces to offer people living near the Studios in Iver Heath information on how to transfer their skills to much needed roles in film production.

Skills to Film aims to tackle skills shortages already identified by the industry by taking advantage of existing expertise in the local workforce. The initiative will offer potential candidates an introduction to the film industry with a view to helping them find roles on productions.

Supported by the BFI as part of its National Lottery funded Future Film Skills Strategy, it is one of a range of initiatives aimed at recruiting 10,000 new entrants by 2022 and encouraging a more diverse workforce, including those returning to the industry after a career break and those with transferable skills from other sectors.

Skills to Film: Pinewood will focus on five areas in production - art, locations, costume, construction and accounts. A range of skills and expertise that already exist outside the film industry are key to these departments, such as carpentry, plastering, design, sewing and fitting, finance management, marshalling and logistics.

Apply for a place

Local individuals with such experience are encouraged to apply for a place on an introductory weekend at Pinewood Studios. The two-day event on 8 and 9 June 2019 will include industry panels with senior figures from across film and hands-on workshops where individuals can learn more about different departments in film and the specific skills required to work in them.

The weekend will be followed by a networking event at Pinewood Studios on Wednesday 26th June. This is an opportunity for Skills to Film attendees to meet production company staff and managers from across the departments. There will be additional events across the year, enabling Skills to Film attendees to keep in regular contact with the studios and stay informed about upcoming opportunities.

Gareth Ellis-Unwin, ScreenSkills’ Head of Film and Animation, said: “We know that there are many roles within film that have their counterparts outside the industry. This initiative aims to encourage people with expertise we need to take up opportunities to work in film. We hope that there will be many who are excited to learn about the options and share their skills.”

Andrew M. Smith, Pinewood Studios’ Corporate Affairs Director, said: “The UK film industry is growing at an incredible rate. We really hope this initiative will help local people understand how their skills are relevant to the film industry, and that it leads to people finding roles in a thriving sector.”

Information for potential candidates

It is anticipated that successful candidates are likely to take on opportunities in film alongside their current work in the first instance. Individuals must live and/or work a commutable distance from the studios in Iver Heath.

Anyone interested in taking part will need to complete a short application through the ScreenSkills website and must be available for the introductory weekend and the networking event.

The closing date for applications is 24th April 2019. For further information, please contact Louise Jury, Director of Communications and Marketing, or Elisabeth ten Cate, Communications Officer, on 020 7713 9800.

Tackling skills shortages

Research conducted by ScreenSkills’ Skills Forecasting Service has highlighted skills shortages in a number of areas, from location managers to production accounts, with considerable concern from the industry at the impact they are having, including delays in crewing up.

Jackie Campbell, Skills Development Manager, Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “As part of the UK’s fastest growing sector, Buckinghamshire ranks third out of LEP areas for the proportion of its workforce employed in the creative industries.

“We welcome the Skills to Film initiative to help attract more talent through raising awareness of the opportunities, encouraging diversity, and showing how a wide range of people’s skills in other sectors (such as accountancy, admin, digital, trades) are in demand in creative industries.”

Skills to Film is a nationwide initiative. ScreenSkills intends to work with studios across the UK in 2019.

For further information, please contact Louise Jury, Director of Communications and Marketing, or Elisabeth ten Cate, Communications Officer, on 020 7713 9800.