The Sargent-Disc BAFTA Filmmakers' Market

Following the great success of last year's Sargent-Disc BAFTA Filmmakers' Market - a networking and skills development event for first-time feature filmmakers, Sargent-Disc were delighted to once again partner BAFTA and continue this annual event. This year the Filmmakers' Market was held at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly on Saturday 5th July.

The event was supported by 18 of the UK film industry's major organisations who contributed to a packed day of boardroom sessions, master classes, screenings and speed sessions; all aimed at helping emerging filmmakers improve their creative and business skills as they move towards making their first or second feature. It also offered a chance to network and gain valuable advice on how to navigate and progress in the industry. With over 1500 tickets sold, it was a busy and exciting day. We take a look at some of the highlights:

Laurence Sargent (Director, Sargent-Disc) welcomes attendees to The Sargent-Disc BAFTA Filmmakers' Market

How to Budget and Schedule Your Film

Presented by The Production Guild

The day kicked off with a budgeting and scheduling masterclass. This sold out session was chaired by Alison Small (CEO, Production Guild) and featured an expert panel: Lucy Drake (Production Accountant), Clare Cahill (First AD) and Alex Boden (Producer). This lively and informative session focussed on lowbudget features and the experienced panel provided a wealth of practical advice on how to effectively budget and schedule a film, often drawing on their own experiences.

Key points raised:

- It's extremely important to meet legal obligations during production, including paying employees the minimum wage and fulfilling all Health & Safety requirements.

- Make sure your application for tax credits is fool proof and seek professional advice to save time, money and stress later on.

- Think outside the box to save money and allow your budget to go further. For example get cheaper rates on equipment by shooting outside of London, or allocating water bottles to the production team to avoid costly water bills.

How to Budget & Schedule Your Film

 How to Budget & Schedule Your Film: The panel (from left to right): Alison Small, Alex Boden, Clare Cahill, Lucy Drake.

Producers' Masterclass

The Producers Masterclass brought together three well known and respected producers Damian Jones (The Iron Lady), Kate Ogborn (This is England) and Jim Wilson (Under The Skin) in a panel discussion chaired by David Pope (Story Campus). The well attended session was an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to hear each producer talk about their experiences. They shared insight into their careers to date and offered helpful advice during the Q&A session. Key topics covered included:

- The benefits of collaborating with other producers to share the workload and develop relationships.

- The importance of taking opportunities to network via industry events and festivals.

- The necessity to ensure financiers and producers of a film are on the same page, to ensure smooth running of production from pre through to post.

 The Producers' Masterclass: The panel (from left to right): David Pope, Damian Jones, Kate Ogborn and Jim Wilson.

How to Shoot Your Film

Presented by Creative England

This session provided a wealth of practical and helpful advice for filmmakes looking to shoot outside of London. Rebecca Snook (Production Liaison & Partnerships Manager) chaird a discussion with Farhana Bhula (Producer - Bonobo) and Matthew Knott (Writer/Director - Bonobo) who discussed the benefits of shooting outside London, especially when working to a micro budget or low budget, as well as highlighting the key resources available to filmmakers through Creative England. The benefits ranged from cheaper equipment hire and cheaper accommodatino options, to generating local interest and creating an audience for your film.

 How to Shoot Your Film: Panel (from left to right): Rebecca Snook, Matthew Knott, Farhana Bhula

 Click here for information on Creative England's funding options.

The Boardroom

Roundtable sessions were running in the Boardroom as part of The Filmmakers' Market. These sessions, presented by Creative Skillset, offered filmmakers the chance to speak with experts about their particular field. Six sessions took place over the course of the day covering a range of topics: Meet the Editor, Low Budget Hair & Make Up, From First AD to Producer, Meet the Sound Editor, Low Budget Costume and Meet The Cinematographer.

  Boardroom Session: Meet The Cinematographer with Mike Eley

Showcase and Screenings

The Run Run Shaw Theatre hosted a number of screenings of short films and Q&A sessions from some of the top UK film institutions. Over the course of the day BAFTA Shorts, London Film School, Sheffiled Doc/Fest, London Short Film Festival and the National Film and Television School all showcased a selection of their work. These intimate screenings gave filmmakers the opportunity to enjoy a taste of the films these institutions produce every year and interact with some of the writers and directors through Q&A sessions.

Speed Sessions

Film London, Creative Europe, Story Campus, ThinkSync and Sargent-Disc were all available on the day to offer 15 minute speed sessions for filmmakers looking for more personalised advice and information. John Sargent ran speed sessions on Cost Reporting and Budgeting to give advice on the different types of budgets, the software and tools available and how to understand a cost report.

 Speed Sessions: John Sargent (Founder of Sargent-Disc)

Click here for the Sargent-Disc Top Ten Tips for Budgeting and Cost Reporting 

CV Clinic

In addition to the speed sessions, Kate Watson from Sara Putt Associates held a CV Clinic offering one-to-one sessions. These were an opportunity to discuss interviews, CVs, cover letters and working with employers and agents.

 The CV Clinic: Kate Watson (Sara Putt Associates)

Distribution Forum

Closing the day, the Distribution Foum featured an engaging panel: Katie Ellen (BFI Distribution Fund), David Shear (Shear Entertainment), Edward Fletcher (Soda Pictures) and Claire Jones (Producer) and was chaired by Wendy Mitchell (Editor, Screen Internationsl). The session addressed both the challenges and opportunites of the current distribution market. Key topics discussed: 

- The benefits of working with a distributor vs. the opportunities of self-distributing.

- The new wave of distribution driven by social media.

- Looking outside the box to other venues and audiences instead of the traditional theatrical release.

- The role exhibitors play in the UK distributions marketplace, specifically the high ticket prices and lack of independent films.

Distribution Forum: Panel from left to right: Katie Ellen, David Shear, Edward Fletcher, Claire Jones and Chair: Wendy Mitchell

Overall, the Sargent-Disc BAFTA Filmmakers' Market was a great success and Sargent-Disc are looking forward to next year's event!

Further Information

If you attended the day, please click here to join the Facebook group for further networking opportunities.

If you missed a session from the day, or would like to be reminded of the highlights please click here for the BAFTA Guru podcasts now available to download (free of charge) on iTunes.