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Kickstart your journey into film and television with hands-on training in the Location Department - one of the most in-demand areas of production.
Delivered by NFTS Scotland in partnership with the Sean Connery Talent Lab, and supported by Screen Scotland, this programme combines practical training, mentoring, and paid on-set experience.
Screen Craft Pathways: Starting in Locations supports entry into below-the-line trainee level roles through a structured, hands-on model:
- Foundations Training
Learn how the locations department works - from scouting to on-set logistics - through workshops, masterclasses, and real-world exercises. - Practical Skills Development
Build technical and organisational skills through collaborative projects and fieldwork. - Mentored Film Placement
Apply your learning on a funded short film, mentored by industry professionals in a supported production environment and working with the Sean Connery Talent Lab team.
This approach ensures you gain real experience, confidence, and credits - before stepping into larger-scale productions.
What You’ll Learn
Location Scouting
- How to find and research potential filming locations
- Supporting location visits (recces)
- Taking and organising location photos
- Understanding what makes a location suitable for screen
Working in Locations
- The basics of getting permission to film in a space
- Supporting the day-to-day running of a location
- Helping with simple logistics and organisation on set
- Introduction to health & safety and sustainable working
The Wider Locations Department
- An introduction to how the full locations team works across a production
- Insight into roles such as Location Assistant, Unit Manager and Location Manager
- Understanding how entry-level roles can progress over time
- Set visits across a range of productions to see how these skills scale from short films to larger film and TV shoots
Industry Practice
- How film and TV productions are structured
- What to expect when working on a set for the first time
- The roles and responsibilities of an entry-level location assistant
This is an entry-level programme designed to support those starting out in the screen industries.
- Open to early-career entrants and career changers
- No formal qualifications required
- Some prior experience or training in film and TV is helpful, but not essential.
- A genuine interest in working in the Location Department
- Willingness to work collaboratively, be organised, and spend time outdoors on location
We particularly encourage applications from individuals currently underrepresented in the screen industries. We also particularly welcome applications from those who have undertaken Hit the Ground Running and/or Early Entrant Pathways Set Ready: Working in the Location Department course.
Successful applicants should be ready to commit to both the training and the short film paid placements, which will take place in August - early November, and be motivated to take the next step towards a career in film and television.
This programme is designed to support practical foundational learning and pre-industry production experience for new entrants, creating a supported progression pathway into future employment and training opportunities, including the postgraduate-level Certificate in Location Management for Film and TV Production and its industry placement component.
To apply, please complete the application form by Monday 15th June at 9am.
