Production Question Time

Sargent-Disc was delighted to sponsor the Production Question Time event for Production Guild members, held at CVP & Arri Creative Space in London on Thursday 6^th June.  

Chaired by Sargent-Disc director, Dr. Laurence Sargent, the panel discussed some of the core issues surrounding the production industry today. The focus centred on skills and training; building the infrastructure for filming in the nations and regions; movement of crew and kit post Brexit; and part time and flexible working.

The Panel: 

• Christine Healy, Head of Production, New Pictures and Chair of Screen Skills High End TV Council
• Bob Clarke, Founder and CEO, Mama Youth Project
• Caroline Cooper-Charles, Strategic Development Executive, Screen Yorkshire
• Victoria Stone, MD and Immigration Advisor, CoSmopolitan Production Services

 (Left to Right: Christine Healy, Victoria Stone, Bob Clarke, Caroline Cooper-Charles, Dr. Laurence Sargent (Chair)

Training and Skills:

The panel began with a deeper look into training and the skillsbase of the UK production industry. Christine pointed out the increasing success of ScreenSkills over the past three years in getting  more individuals trained up for specific roles in the industry, however all the panellists agreed that there are still skill gaps and it is often difficult to find out about job opportunities in the film and TV industries.

Individuals are now progressing very quickly in their careers, which although good in many cases, can also present issues if those individuals are not ready for the move. The panel stressed the importance of monitoring performance and ensuring that up and coming industry talent get all the support they need in order to succeed. In addition to this, members of the audience raised the issue that freelancers typically do not get feedback at the end of a production. They suggested the need for industry mentors in order to learn from each other - ScreenSkills is a useful platform for freelancers to connect with each other and develop their skills.

The panel reiterated this point, adding that it is very important to include intermediate level crew in this continued training as it not only moulds a highly experienced worker ready to pass on their knowledge to the next generation, but also contributes to diversity within the industry by encouraging individuals to return to work after having a family.

Diversity:

Improving diversity within the industry has been a high priority in recent years, with people choosing to work with the same crew repeatedly instead of trusting new crew members with the roles. Addressing the issue of the low representation by ethnic minorities and those from working class communities joining the industry at a young age, Caroline explained how Screen Yorkshire's Beyond Bronte Initiative aims to tackle this by supporting young people to develop the skills, confidence and connections to succeed in the screen industries.  

Equally, the film and TV industry is not family orientated by nature with unsociable hours and most companies not set up for individuals to share a role. The general consensus of the room was that together we need to find solutions to encourage existing skilled crew members to re-join the industry after starting a family.

The panel, with the audience members' input, covered many topics throughout the session, exploring the positive and negative impacts of current changes and issues within the film and TV industry. There was a lively discussion around potential solutions including the contact need to support new and existing talent, and raise awareness of the variety of jobs available to positively impact diversity and skills. Following the event, drinks and nibbles provided by CVP & Arri allowed audience members to network with other industry professionals.