We have all sat through the incredibly long credits at the end of Marvel movies, just waiting for that extra minute and a half of footage. But have you ever stopped to think what all those titles and names actually mean? Those are all jobs that are vital to creating a film and they are careers waiting to happen for anyone willing to go for them.
Scotland’s film & TV industry has undergone a quiet revolution. Since we lost out to Ireland as a Game of Thrones location, Scotland’s creative industries and Creative Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government have been making changes to improve the opportunities available. The first two series of internationally acclaimed TV series Outlander was filmed almost exclusively in Scotland. This combined with recent blockbusters like Transformers, The Last Knight, T2 Trainspotting, Under the Skin, World War Z and upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, all fully or partly filmed in Scotland have created a real buzz around Scotland as a film and TV hub.
But it takes more than a few scenic locations to be considered a leader in the field. Studio spaces and locations need to be supported by skilled workers at every level. Many people have concerns about the film industry as all they see are the actors and finished product, but there is so much more to it! People such as Carpenters, Painters, Decorators, Hairdressers, Makeup Artists, Camera Crews and many others are all needed for this industry to work.
Scotland has responded to this demand and decided to open the National Film and Television School.
This school will offer post graduate courses for Film, Television, and the Games industry and is expected to be used by 400 people over the course of the year, 100 of which as full-time students. As this is the first school in Europe outside of London it is hoped that this not only will benefit the film and television school and our film and TV industry here in Scotland, but also the hundreds of people here that are looking for a career in screen.
NFTS Scotland is expected to open in January 2018 with students enrolling from April onwards.
This school will mainly work to address gaps in our television and film industry by offering courses others in Scotland are not such as production accounting, script editing, factual development and drama, and craft and movie production accounting.
They have received strong interest from broadcasters and film production companies in Scotland including those such as STV, Channel 4, the British Film Institute (BIF), and the producers of Outlander, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sunshine on Leith and T2 Trainspotting.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “This is an exciting development for our screen sector which is already an area of growth for Scotland. While we have excellent University and College provision for a range of screen subject and media skills, NFTS’ plans will compliment and expand the training opportunities available in Scotland.”