How did you hear about Set Ready?
Andrew Pavord from Film Fixer approached Screen Manchester to be a Regional Partner for Set Ready. After seeing the great work Liverpool and Set Ready had accomplished in previous years it was something that we thought Screen Manchester should be involved in.
What exactly does the partnership involve?
FilmFixer applied to ScreenSkills for some funding, then approached Screen Manchester (and Liverpool Film Office) to publicise the course and find placements, because like all regional screen agencies, they want to encourage as much local employment as possible. FilmFixer and Liverpool Film Office have already run two Set Ready courses in 2021 and 2022. ScreenSkills and FilmFixer were keen to expand the programme to Manchester. Set Ready Training’s tried and tested model allows Screen Manchester to provide opportunities for local people to get the experience and confidence they need to get a start in the freelance film crew world. Screen Manchester knows which productions are coming along and which ones will need location marshalls or runners, and Set Ready sorts out the rest. The trainees from the Set Ready Manchester course had the opportunity to work on the BBC’s Boiling Point, a new five-part drama series based on the multi award-winning film of the same name.
What are you hoping the courses will bring to Screen Manchester?
We hope the Set Ready Location Marshall course will bring more opportunities for the community. We are connecting productions being produced within the City to new talent, and helping that talent to understand what industry opportunities are out there, so they become excited about what the sector can do for their careers.
How does Set Ready complement the work you are already doing in Manchester for young production talent?
The Set Ready opportunity complements the work we are already doing within Manchester, not just for ‘young’ talent but for all ages of people who wish to find opportunities within the production sector. It allows us to meet new talent and helps us train and offer the new trainees to productions with the knowledge that they are fully ready to be on set, and will be an asset to that production.
What are opportunities like in the North West for young production talent?
There are plenty of opportunities in Manchester and the surrounding regions for new entrant talent including positions for those with transferable Industry skills. The City is busier than ever with all aspects of TV and Film production including High End TV Production. Like most sectors coming out of Covid there is an apparent skills gap and therefore Industry bodies must work hard to attract talent into the sector by offering courses such as Set Ready.
How would you sum up the work that Set Ready are doing?
The Set Ready course is undertaking important work by engaging with and attracting, informing, training and placing new talent within the sector. It offers a comfortable buffer for placements, with the unique element of being trained and mentored by working crew from TV production and industry bodies such as Screen Manchester. It ensures that you get training before you get on set in elements such as ‘Settiquette’, ‘TV terminology’ ‘ Team Hierarchy’ and radio usage, and offers paid experience ‘on set’ on a working production.
To read more about the Screen Manchester and Set Ready training programme visit: https://www.businessmanchester.co.uk/2023/03/23/set-ready-manchester/