The Programme will run three times throughout 2024, and is designed to equip you with the skills you need to become ‘set-ready’ for a career in scripted film and TV production.

The Programme will have three intakes throughout 2024 – Round One in the Spring, Round Two in the Summer and Round Three in the Autumn. (The following dates/information are relevant for Round Three.)

If you’re interested in the Programme, we encourage you to sign up for our introductory ‘Get to Know the Industry’ Webinar (via the button below) which will take place on Monday 7th October 2024. After the Webinar, you will be emailed the application form for the Programme.

30 successful applicants will be invited to attend an Industry Induction Day at The Bottle Yard Studios on Thursday 31st October 2024, where they will receive a tour of the Studios and learn more about the different departments found on a scripted film or high-end TV production and the range of career specialisms that are available.

They will then have the opportunity to apply for a further five week training course which will cover in greater detail the range of skills needed to become ‘set-ready’.

15 participants will be selected for the course, which will take place from 13th November – 11th December 2024. It will include sessions on confidence-building, set etiquette and work-readiness, communication skills and teamwork, wellbeing and resilience, as well as digital and financial literacy and how to find work as a freelancer.

Those who complete this full training will be added to a Trainee Portfolio that will be shared with film and high-end TV productions filming in the region.

Applications for Round Three of the Programme will open shortly after the webinar on Monday 7th October 2024.

The application form will ask for your personal details as well up to 500 words on why you are interested in taking part in the scheme and an Access Fund will also be available to any participants who may face a financial barrier to taking part in our programme.

If you have any other additional needs which we can accommodate during the recruitment process and beyond, or would like support completing the application form and/or would like us to send it to you in an alternative format, please email bottleyardskills@bristol.gov.uk.

The West of England is one of the most film-friendly regions in the UK. The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol is consistently popular with drama producers and has recently expanded, whilst the region’s Film Offices are busier than ever supporting film and TV shoots on location.

The reputation of the skilled local crew who currently work in the region plays a major part in attracting productions to film here. But in order to service the growing numbers of productions opting to film in the West, we need to grow our local crew base.

There has never been a better time to consider a career in scripted production – it is one of the fastest-growing parts of the region’s film and TV industry. On a national level, it is estimated that 21,000 new crew will be needed across the UK by 2025.

We believe that the opportunity to join this fast-growing industry should be open to everyone in the region, particularly those who are not currently represented in the film and TV workforce or who may not have previously known how to go about starting out in scripted production.

You can read more about why we have devised this programme here.

This Programme is delivered by Bristol City Council’s Film Services (comprising The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office) . It is funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s Mayoral Priority Skills Fund which provides flexible grants to meet current priority skills gaps in the region. This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.