News and Features

June Newsletter - start of article

June Newsletter

Welcome to the Screen Alliance Wales June Newsletter!

Firstly, if you haven’t done so already, we would like to encourage you to create a profile on our website (here). This is an incredible place to showcase any credits, skills and links to previous work. It also keeps you up to date with all vacancies that we advertise and automatically signs you up to our newsletter. If you already have an account on our directory, do make sure to keep all your details updated with you most up to date information

Vacancies

As always, we would like to start off by highlighting all the opportunities that are currently available over on our vacancies page. This is regularly updated, so make sure to keep checking the page on our website here. Now is such a great time to explore the varied roles that are on offer to join the booming Film and TV industry in Wales.

We have the following exciting opportunities available:

Bad Wolf require a Production Assistant.

Location Solutions are currently seeking a General Manager to join them at their facility in Bridgend.

A UK based female-led, diverse and inclusive animation production company is seeking an experienced Art Director, CG Director, Concept Artist, Illustrator and Character Designer for CG family comedy feature film development work.

Rondo have a few opportunities currently available:

- Researcher

- Post-Production roles

- Content Producer

- Publicity

Boom Cymru have roles for:

- Researcher

- Production Manager

Bang Post-Production are seeking a Data I/O Technician

We regularly update our vacancies page with the latest media roles
Make sure to sign up to our website if you haven’t done so already!

Sponsors and Supporters

The work we carry out is only made possible by the fantastic contributions from our wonderful Sponsors and Supporters. Here’s what they have been up to this month…

Bad Wolf have been incredibly busy throughout June, making a number of exciting announcements! They revealed that the international actor, Neil Patrick Harris, will be joining the cast of `Doctor Who’ for the show’s 60th Anniversary. They also shared an exclusive pic on their social media from their adaptation of Bernard Cornwall’s epic Warlord Chronicles ‘The Winter King’.

University of South Wales held open days across their campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. They also attended the annual Tafwyl festival (a celebration of the Welsh language, arts and culture) and had a stall set up to speak to attendees about their incredible courses and facilities.

Facilities by ADF - Back in May, Facilities by ADF provided a tech truck to Paramount for the production of a commercial marking the UK launch of Paramount+, a new streaming platform. The commercial features Uma Thurman and Jack Whitehall amongst other Hollywood names and was filmed over the course of 10 days at Farnborough Airport, Bracknell Forest, Black Park Country Park and Neasden Studios. ADF provided a tech truck which carried equipment for Grips and Camera, including an ATV tracking bike. If you look carefully in one scene you’ll see the tech truck in the background. The advert can be viewed online using the address below or seen on Channel 5 and Sky over the coming weeks. Paramount+ launches on 22nd June 2022.

S4C is keen to support individuals who are interested in a career in Welsh language sports broadcasting, and who are from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background, by offering a bursary to study an MSc Sports Broadcasting course at Cardiff Metropolitan University. The bursary is in collaboration with Rondo and Media Atom. Further information and details on how to apply are available on S4C’s website.

Mae S4C yn awyddus i gefnogi unigolion sydd â diddordeb mewn gyrfa ym myd darlledu Chwaraeon Cymraeg, ac sy'n dod o gefndir Du, Asiaidd neu ethnig lleiafrifol, drwy gynnig bwrsariaeth i astudio ar gwrs MSc Darlledu Chwaraeon ym Mhrifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd. Mae'r fwrsariaeth yn gynllun ar y cyd â Rondo a Media Atom. Mae rhagor o wybodaeth a manylion am sut i wneud cais ar gael ar wefan S4C.

Coleg y Cymoedd student Ashley started at CYC at level one and has worked steadily throughout his time with them and will graduate shortly with his BA Hons TV and Film: Prop Making.Their course attended the 'New Blades' graduate recruitment event in London last week, alongside around 100 other graduate model makers from around the UK, with Ashley scooping one of the prestigious prizes awarded by industry during the event. Click here to find out more.

BECTU are pleased to announce that their highly successful programme Mentoring 4 Screen is back for its third round, whereby 25 successful applicants will have access to free mentoring from an experienced mentor within their field of work in scripted and unscripted film and television in Wales. To be considered as one of the mentees on the programme you must first read the information (here) and submit an application Form to them by 11th July @ 9am.  We wish you luck!

Newport Council - Since launching the CCRSP Employment and Skills Plan 2019-22, there has been a huge change in the way people work and the types of jobs on offer. More importantly, there has been a significant change in the skills now required by industry to drive forward their businesses in a post pandemic world. The turbulent times over the last two years has meant that many new skills have been identified as a key requirement for businesses. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we ensure that people gain the right skills in our colleges, universities and through our work based learning provision (apprenticeships). The CCRSP team would appreciate you clicking the link here to fill in our Employment and Skills Survey, which will take you no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The information gathered will again help inform our new Employment and Skills Plan for 2022-2025. This plan is key when influencing the regional skills landscape, and when informing Welsh Government on skills and training requirements, and where funding needs to be allocated to fulfil these demands. We would also be grateful if you could cascade the survey across your related networks.

Foot in the Door

Throughout the month, we have been working with Ffilm Cymru Wales and Newport Council to provide opportunities for people living in Newport to gain experience and skills that can help them with their careers in the film and TV industry. We welcomed participants to our classroom to partake in some courses which included Fire Warden training, Health and Safety and First Aid training which gave them all certificates to add to their CVs. On the final day, we headed over to the Hope Centre in Newport where we covered CVs, cover letters and mock interviews to help participants with their applications for roles within the industry. Thank you to Mike and Seren from Blackwood fire, Jon, from St John Ambulance Cymru, and John from Anchor Risk Management for leading the brilliantly informative sessions. We are so thrilled that the days were a success and are positive that our attendees will go on to have excellent careers in TV and Film.

We loved welcoming the Foot in the Door candidates to our classroom
Mike and Seren from Blackwood fire taking a Fire Safety course
Jon from St John Ambulance Cymru leading the First Aid course
and finally, a CV and Cover Letter workshop in Newport

Black Cake Recruitment Day

We headed over to the Grangetown Hub for an incredibly special recruitment day, looking to find local talent to be a part of the crew on the brand-new production of ‘Black Cake’ – a TV adaptation of the ground-breaking novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. Sgil Cymru, Culture Connect and SAW met with many people on the day who were passionate about starting their careers in the industry. We are thrilled to have had so many applicants expressing an interest to work on the production, especially from such a diverse and multicultural part of Cardiff and we are even more thrilled that some of them have already been taken on by the production.

We loved speaking with so many people at the event
We were joined by Culture Connect Wales
and Sgil Cymru!
The Screen Alliance Wales table

Screen Alliance Wales and Square Peg at the Grangetown Festival

Later on in the month, we braved the rain to join the incredible hair, makeup and prosthetic design company Square Peg at the Grangetown Festival! This gave us the opportunity to speak with lots of people about film and tv careers, and Square Peg got the chance to put on a special effects workshop for young people. They did an incredible job with the gruesome special effects make up, proving just how important they are bringing TV shows and Films to life. A special thanks to Rachael for organising the day- we all had a blast – despite the thunder and lightning!

We were glad to see so many people attend!
Realistic (but definitely not real) special effects make-up by Square Peg

‘All of Wales in 2022’ continues

As part of Screen Alliance Wales’s mission to visit every Welsh Local Authority in 2022, Screen Alliance Wales’s Rhys has continued his journey, this month, visiting a number of schools across the North East of Wales. By adding Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham to the list of local authorities we have delivered face to face sessions to, we have now visited the whole of North Wales already in 2022. In this visit, workshops were delivered in Interview skills, and groups from each school were rewarded with a visit to the studio facility at Glyndwr University, to interview Ryan Grant, Communications and Marketing manager at Wrexham AFC.

Interview skills were the theme of the visit

Jason Mohammed visits Screen Alliance Wales

We also welcomed Jason Mohammad to Wolf Studios Wales to chat with us about future projects and some exciting collaborations! The presenter, who hosts a number of shows across the BBC, as well as his own radio show on BBC Wales, is also the mastermind behind ‘Jason Mohammad Academy’ working with Cardiff and Vale College where he delivers media masterclasses to students who want to work in TV and Film (read more here). It was wonderful to have you here Jason, and we hope to see you again soon!

Thank you for visiting Jason!
Read more about Jason's media academy with Cardiff and Vale College on the link above

USW visits SAW

We also had the pleasure of welcoming Ben Calvert, the vice chancellor of the University of South Wales and Tom Ware, Director of Production and Performance at USW to Wolf Studios Wales to present a summary of our valued partnership over the past 3 years. We are so pleased to call USW a key sponsor of SAW’s and are ever so grateful for their continued support. We look forward to working alongside you for many years to come.

Ben Calvert (left) with SAW's Alison (centre) and Tom Ware (right)
USW have been a valued sponsor for years now

Screen 4 Schools Project

Last month we shared the news about the exciting Screen 4 Schools project with the University of South Wales and Cardiff Commitment. Over the 6 week period, pupils from a number of schools got the chance to interact with live streamed practical workshops, as well as the opportunity to create their own films. This month, USW invited the pupils to their campus for a tour of their incredible media department as well as a special screening for the films they created. You could really see the amount of effort the pupils put into their productions and the passion they have for the creative industries. There is certainly a few future film makers in there!

The pupils were given a tour around USW's incredible media facilities
They were also invited to a special screening of their films

SAW Magazine Survey

Are you looking for advice on how to enter the screen industry? Cardiff University MA Magazine Journalism student Hannah Watkin is currently working with Screen Alliance Wales to create a prototype online magazine filled with content tailor made for people interested in entering careers within TV and Film. Whether you are someone currently looking to begin a career in the screen industry or someone already established within it, Hannah would really appreciate you giving five minutes of your time to complete her survey investigating public interest in her idea: https://forms.gle/73KNCftLzf9JvJLx7. Thank you!

Don’t forget to follow us on our social media channels to keep up to date on all the latest news and vacancies. 

Twitter: @ScreenAllianceW /@SAWeducation

Instagram & Facebook: @ScreenAllianceWales

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