NFTS Outreach: Helpful Resources

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NFTS Google Archive

As part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations throughout 2021, The National Film and Television School (NFTS) collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to open the vaults of its extensive archive for the very first time, launching a new collection of over 200 digitised films and behind the scenes material.

After five decades training filmmakers across disciplines including fiction, documentary, animation, television and games, the NFTS Digital Archive (g.co/NFTS) features a curated selection of student films made at the NFTS, complimented by a range of multi-media resources including behind the scenes stills, trailers, original screenplays and recent interviews.

Filmmakers such as Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit), Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Rose Glass (Saint Maud) Nick Broomfield (Kurt and Courtney) and many more, share memories of making their student films and reflect on their experiences while studying at the NFTS. The incredible work NFTS graduates have created over the last 50 years has helped shape the cultural life of the UK and contributed to the worldwide success of the British film and television industry.

Check it out and be inspired, you might even discover your dream career or at least find out more about the behind the camera work and huge range of roles available. 

Organisations

Below are links to organisations offering incredible opportunities to develop and learn skills linked to many of the careers in the Film, TV and/or Games. We try to only signpost opportunities that are FREE, however please be aware these offers change and some links will have a mix of free and paid for opportunities. The links are correct at time of publishing, we will review this list regularly to keep it as up to date as possible.

Organisation	Ages	Description
ENGLAND
Film Hub North	16-25	Film Hub North - a sector development organisation supporting film culture in the North of England.
Cinemagic Film Festival	14-25	Cinemagic embraces the magic of film, television and digital technologies and offers young people the chance to develop real skills, explore opportunities, and reaffirm their belief in what they want to do and their own ability to achieve it.
HOMEmcr	15-25	HOME run an amazing series of workshops, projects and commissioning opportunities which are all free and specifically aimed at 15-25 year olds. Projects will always be led by industry professionals so you can expect to take advantage of high quality sessions that are relevant to real careers in the creative industries.
Beacon films	16+	At Beacon Films, we want to:- a) improve our filmmaking skills, a) improve our filmmaking skills, c) inspire our communities and workplaces to support our independent participation, as equals.
MediaActive	15-19	MediaActive works with local people, organisations and creative practitioners to co-design and produce an innovative programme of special projects, commissions, events and exhibitions. They run serveral filmmaking programmes for young people throughout the year.
Screen Yorkshire	18-30	Screen Yorkshire offer various free, part-time training initiatives that aim to increase diversity in the screen industries by breaking down the barriers which can prevent young people from finding work in film and TV.
Leeds Film	11-19	Leeds film offer a BFI Film Academy programme and their Burberry Inspire programme to immerse young people in the arts as well as offering online educational content.
Courtyard	9-17	Courtyard offers filmmaking classes for young people in Hereford
Rural Media	14+	Rural Media Charity works with communities, schools, groups and individuals to create issue-driven films, heritage and digital arts projects that raise awareness, influence change and celebrate rural life.
Birmingham Young Film Network	16-21	BYFN aim to create opportunities for young filmmakers and critics including work experience and networking with peers.
Boom Satsuma	16+	Boomsatsuma offer innovative training in the creative industries through their college in Bristol, their focused degree programmes, and outreach in schools.
Watershed Cinema	16-30	We identify, support and network the talent of tomorrow, encouraging their creativity, ability and curiosity as artists and audiences. Our inclusive programmes reach out to young people in the spaces where they are (on and offline), developing their profile, skills, confidence and networks and providing stepping stones into the creative and cultural sector.
Creative Youth Network	11-19	Creative Youth Network helps young people, no matter what their background or circumstances, to reach their own potential.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cinemagic Film Festival	4-25	Cinemagic embraces the magic of film, television and digital technologies and offers young people the chance to develop real skills, explore opportunities, and reaffirm their belief in what they want to do and their own ability to achieve it.
SCOTLAND
WALES
Arts Council of Wales	16+	Offering funding for arts related education as well as funding for film projects from Wales based filmmmakers
LONDON
Damilola Taylor Trust	14+	Runs the Youth Film Project which gives young people aged between 14 and 24 years old, the opportunity to write and produce their own short film.
Eastside	8+	Eastside exists to help young people develop their creative thinking, so that they are able to become the problem-solvers of tomorrow, empowered to build a better society. They engage children and young people through direct participation in the arts, enabling them to work with professional artists and creative practitioners, both in and outside school, with a particular focus on areas in London where our help is needed most. They deliver workshops to Primary, SEND and Secondary schools, and run programmes for 16-25 year olds.
Ghetto Film School	14+	GFS equips students for top universities and careers in the creative industries through two tracks: an introductory education program for high school students and early-career support for alumni and young professionals. They offer an 18-month university-level pre-professional immersion in cinematic storytelling and production training, for 16-19 year olds. No prior filmmaking experience is required.
London Screen Academy	16-18	LSA is a free sixth form academy for students who want to learn all the skills required for a career within the film + television industries.
Mama Youth Project	18-25	MAMA Youth Project is dedicated to changing the lives of young people by providing relevant industry training and opening doors to the TV & Film industry. They offer a series of training programmes throughout the year.
We Rise	16-19	We Rise is an award winning Brixton based community business, set up by a group of parents with a shared passion to tackle social disadvantage by helping young people make the difficult transition from school to work. They offer various creative projects for 16-19 year olds.
NATIONWIDE
Access: VFX	15+	Access: VFX offers virtual events to help 15+ year old to understand more about careers in VFX, Animation, Games
Bafta Guru	10+	A hub for inspirational career advice from the very best in film, games and television, including competitions and initiatives for children as young as 10.
BFI Education	8+	Offers various young filmmakers clubs offering filmmaking activities for children. They also run a variety of specialist courses for talented and committed young people aged 16 to 19 to develop new skills and build a career in the film
Into Film	11+	Into Film is a UK-wide film and education charity, which puts film at the heart of children and young people's learning. They offer classroom resources, competitions and training programmes for young people.
My First Job in Film	18+	FJIF offers the latest resources and industry news, to professional training and job opportunities.
National Saturday Club	13+	Saturday Clubs run a film and media club open to 13–16-year-olds of all abilities and are free to attend. They offer an opportunity to learn new skills, discover talents, meet new people, and find out more about further education, higher education and rewarding careers.
No Film School	16+	A resource for all things filmmaking
ScreenSkills	18+	ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based creative industries - animation, film, games, television including children's TV and high-end drama, VFX and immersive technology. They offer training and resources.
Talent Manager	18+	The Talent Manager is the UK's biggest TV jobs searching and networking community for freelancers and companies.
Young Film Academy	6-19	YFA is the UKʼs leading provider of filmmaking courses, filmmaking programmes for schools, community filmmaking projects, filmmaking outreach events and kids film parties to young people aged 5-19
ALBERT	18+	Albert offers free training up and down the country focusing on sustainability across the industry.
BBC	18+	Whether you are a school leaver, graduate or looking for an opportunity to change your career, find out about the early careers schemes the BBC offer to get you on the right track and into a job you will love.
Brightside	16-25	Brightside connect young people facing barriers with inspiring mentors.
Discover Creative Careers	16+	Discover Creative Careers is a government-funded, industry-led programme working to ensure there is a larger and more diverse intake of talent into the creative industries.
Future Film Focus	11-30	Supporting emerging talent to entry level employment, training, and work experience roles within the creative industries with key cultural partners.
ERIC app	16+	The ERIC app aggregate everything you need in one place. Helping you prepare and start a career in the creative industries.
My Creative Future	16-25	My creative focus aims to achieve a world where the arts are diverse, representative and accessible to everyone.
Physical Folk	16-24	Physical folk are focussed on connecting communities creatively.
Video Collective	18+	Worldwide network for freelance filmmakers. Find anything from jobs and career advice to equipment reviews and discounts.
Factory Films	14+	The podcast ‘Is TV For Me?’ , launched in June 2023 In each episode there is an interview with some of TV’s most experienced production talent to get the inside scoop on what they do, how they got there and what’s the best advice for people who’d love to follow in their footsteps. Initially, a series of 6, dropping each Tuesday and covering the roles of; Producer, Director of Photography (DoP), Casting Producer, Assistant Producer, Post-production Manager & Development Producer.

Software

Below are links to software you can use for free to develop and learn skills linked to many of the careers in the Film, TV and/or Games. The links are correct at time of publishing, we will review this list regularly to keep it as up to date as possible. 

Software	Platform	Used For	Free Version	Free for Students	Student Discount
ANIMATION & VFX
Blender	Mac, Windows, Linux	Animation & VFX	✔️	✔️	FREE
OpenToonz		2D Animation	✔️
Autodesk Maya	Mac, Windows, Linux	3D Modeliing, Animation & VFX	✔️	✔️	FREE
AUDIO
Audacity	Max, Windows, Linux	Audio Editing	✔️	✔️	FREE
Garageband	Mac	Audio Editing
GAMES
GDevelop		Game Creator
Unreal Engine	Mac, Windows	3D Game Development	✔️	✔️	FREE
VIDEO EDITING & COLOUR GRADING
Davinci Resolve	Mac, Windows, Linux	Editing & Colour Grading	✔️	✔️	FREE
Movie Maker		Video Editing
iMovie	Mac	Video Editing
SCREENWRITING & PRODUCTION
Studiobinder	Browser	Screenwriting & Production	✔️*	✔️	FREE
Final Draft	Mac, Windows	Screenwriting	❌	❌	✔️
PRESENTATION & DESIGN
Canva	Browser	Graphic Design	✔️*	✔️	✔️
Figma	Browser	Presentation & Collbabortive Design	✔️*	✔️	✔️

*Limited Free Version available

Festivals

Below are links to Film Festival you can visit for free to watch films from a range of genres, made by people form a wide range of cultures and communities. Attending these types of events can help you develop and learn skills linked to many of the careers in the Film, TV and/or Games, as well as meet people in the industry. The links at correct at time of publishing, we will review this list regularly to keep it as up to date as possible. 

Festival	Month	Location	Genre
Outburst Queer Arts Festival	November	Belfast	LGBTQ+
Birmingham Indian Film Festival	June	Birmingham	Indian
Shout Festival	November	Birmingham	LGBTQ+
Queer Vision Film Festival	June	Bristol	LGBTQ+
Africa Eye	November	Bristol	African
Iris Film Festival	October	Cardiff	LGBTQ+
Women X Film Festival	September	Darlington	Women
Scottish Queer International Film Festival	October	Glasgow	LGBTQ+
Leeds Queer Film Festival	May	Leeds	LGBTQ+
BFI Flare	March	London	LGBTQ+
Queer East	May	London	LGBTQ+ / East Asian
British Urban Film Festival	November	London	Urban
UK Jewish Film Festival	November	London	Jewish
London East Asian Film Festival	October	London	East Asian
Film Africa	October	London	African
Scottish Mental Health Festival	May	Scotland	Mental Health
Africa In Motion	October	Scotland	African
Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival	October	Shropshire	LGBTQ+
Celtic Media Festival	June	Various	Celtic

Contact 

For more information on NFTS Outreach please contact Head of Outreach, Joe Bradbury-Walters | outreach@nfts.co.uk  

To stay up to date with all events, follow us on Instagram @accessnfts or sign up to our mailing list.