SUBMISSION 34
Memorandum submitted by FT2—Film
and Television Freelance Training
FT2—Film and Television Freelance Training—was
established in 1985 by trade union and employer organisations
in the film industry to provide apprenticeship-style training
to young people wishing to work in junior technical, production
and craft areas of feature film production. This initiative was
in response to the loss of traditional apprenticeships within
the film industry when the film studios went "four walled"
and ceased to employ staff crews (production companies then employing
freelance crew, production by production).
In 1993 this training was expanded to cover
television production (primarily location drama production) when
it became clear to the board of management that freelance film
crews work across features, commercials and higher budget TV drama.
This breadth of training experience has stood
our graduates in good stead. We regularly track graduates' progress
and their record of working in the industry and progressing up
through the grades is impressive. We have found that experience
on both film and television production has proved invaluable—for
example in 1995 we started training assistant editors on AVID
when television productions started to use non-linear digital
technology. These graduates were then in a good position to secure
work when feature films started using the new non-linear editing
systems shortly afterwards.
FT2 runs the following training schemes: The
New Entrant Technical Training Programme, the Set Crafts Apprenticeship
Training Scheme, plus the Independent Companies Researcher Training
Scheme (in factual television production only). In addition we
are currently running a pilot Feature Film Development Intern
scheme for the Film Council. We are an assessment centre for the
Skillset Professional Qualifications (NVQs).
During 2002, 23 feature film productions and
two feature shorts offered training placements to our trainees,
in addition to their television drama, documentary, pop promo
and commercial attachment experiences. [A hard copy list of these
productions is attached—not reproduced here].
Our New Entrant Technical Training Programme
won a 2002 National Training Award and FT2 received a Skillset
award for outstanding contribution to training and skills development
in the Audio Visual Industries.
However, as a new entrant training provider
we, like the rest of the industry, are all too aware of the peaks
and troughs of production. We are funded by the industry, the
majority through the Skillset Investment Funds with some additional
direct contributions from Channel 4. Where possible we also access
ESF and LSC funding for specific training initiatives and some
schemes have direct funding from production companies. We are
a not for profit training provider with charitable status and
all core costs are apportioned across our projects. Industry investment
in training is directly linked to the economic situation within
the industry—this year funding is down and we currently
have funding to continue our existing trainees and start only
four new trainees, even though 20 trainees have completed or will
complete training in 2003.
We have received 586 applications for this year's
entry—228 of these from young people who have already achieved
first degrees or masters degrees in media. We do not look for
degrees but increasingly find that people with film and television
production education at university will then apply to us, as without
significant industry work experience on industry standard equipment
they do not have the skills to be employed in the industry.
There is a common misconception about the glamour
of this industry. The fact is that earnings, when weighed against
the extremely long hours worked, and the long periods of unemployment
between assignments, are probably well below the national average.
The competition is fierce from people who suffer this misconception,
which we try to correct at an early stage, and only those with
real skills who have been properly trained will survive. This
is the edge that we give all our trainees.
We believe that the reputation of high quality
British technicians attracts overseas production to shoot in the
UK and that that high quality must be maintained for the industry
to retain its international reputation as a centre of film excellence
and thus attract overseas investment. We also believe that British
audiences enjoy, and should have access to, films directly linked
to this country's culture, as well as those that reflect US and
European perspectives.
Therefore we believe we contribute significantly
to the future well-being of the industry but can only do so if
we are adequately and consistently funded.
(The FT2 Board of Management is made up of representatives
from the Advertising Producers Association, the British Broadcasting
Corporation, the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and
Theatre Union, Channel 4, the ITV Association, the Producers Alliance
for Cinema and Television and the Motion Picture Association.)
11 April 2003
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