Production Assistant Training Programme for Unscripted TV (Online)
Production management offers an exciting career path in TV and high levels of employability. The production assistant (also known as a production secretary or production management assistant) is the starting point for a dynamic and challenging career in production management which requires key skills and industry training.
This UK-wide programme is aimed at individuals who are new entrants committed to pursuing a career in production management, those serious about transferring into unscripted production management from other departments or genres within TV or film, those looking to return to unscripted TV after a career break and those from other industries who have transferable skills and/or experience e.g working in admin, travel agents, theatre, events etc.
What it covers:
Course content includes:
What to expect when working in TV
ALBERT/sustainability
Setting up shoots – location, studio, outside broadcast, overseas (including in remote & hostile environments)
Understanding kit
What is required on a call sheet
The importance of Risk Assessments and H&S on productions
Release forms
GDPR/dealing with confidential and sensitive information
Expenses/petty cash/per diems/POs/credit cards/cost managers/budgeting basics
Clearances/copyright (including music & archive)
The post production process/workflow
Post production paperwork including how to use Silvermouse
Negotiation skills
Mental health awareness
What to do when things go wrong
Freelance toolkit and CV clinic
Addressing unconscious bias: basic awareness in the workplace (e-learning)
Tackling bullying & harassment at work (e-learning)
Inclusive hiring for the screen industries (e-learning)
This will be an interactive course with group work/discussions and industry exercises. You will be provided with a resource pack and useful documents at the end of the course.
Course Tutors:
Hannah Gosney will be running the training focused on the Production Assistant role and CV clinic and is the Programme Manager. She is an experienced Head of Production/Senior Production Manager and founder of Media Career Advice. She has extensive knowledge and experience of what it takes to deliver programmes from pre-production to post production across a variety of unscripted genres.
Starting out as an Office Runner Hannah quickly worked her way up the ranks working on extreme sports shows and commercials to remote and hostile shoots among others, to specialise in factual, factual entertainment and natural history programmes. Credits include The Mekong River with Sue Perkins (BBC 2), Flintoff’s Road to Nowhere (Sky One), Wild Shepherdess with Kate Humble (BBC 2), Wales: Land of the Wild (BBC 2), Veganville (BBC Three) and Wonders of the Celtic Deep (BBC Wales).
Throughout her career she’s been passionate about nurturing and training crew and understands the importance of best practice in the industry. With this in mind she now focuses her time on providing training for the media industry with an emphasis on those working in production. She has a Level 3 Train the Trainer qualification, a Level 3 Award in Education and Training contextualised to the screen industries and is a Level 3 qualified ILM Coach & Mentor.
Matthew Harrison will be supporting the delegates with understanding kit for their unscripted productions. Matthew has worked in television since 1999, when he started as a technical trainee in BBC Wales. As a member of staff there for 17 years, he gained experience in the camera department in studios, OBs and on location, and also in production with the BBC Wales music department. Since leaving BBC Wales in 2017, Matthew has continued to direct short insert films for music and dance productions as well as working as a freelance camera operator. He currently works across a range of productions, including Pobol Y Cwm (as Director of Photography/Camera Supervisor), sports coverage for various broadcasters, and orchestral concert coverage. Matthew is also Honorary Secretary of the Royal Television Society Cymru.
David Thomas will be running the freelance toolkit element of the training. He is a highly experienced trainer, with a qualification to teach English to adults, as well as ScreenSkills’ own Level 3 Award in Education and Training contextualised to the screen industries. His BBC career saw him running an educational production department for 8 years. He has run online training for creative freelancers for about ten years and ran courses during the pandemic helping other trainers to become more confident with training via Zoom or Teams. He has clients all around the UK, including the BBC, Channel 4, unions (BECTU, NUJ, Writer’s Guild, CULT Cymru), The Grierson Trust, Netflix and Amazon. His website has a wealth of information and downloadable resources for freelancers, all of which are available to trainees for ever.
Jude Spencer will be running the session on mental health awareness. Jude is an internationally accredited Mental Health First Aid Trainer and Consultant working for clients such as ITV, Screenskills and PACT to help improve mental health awareness in the industry and empower individuals and companies to support their own and each other's mental health better. With over a decade’s experience in Film and TV, working for broadcasters such as BBC as well as independent production companies, Jude understands the unique challenges and pressures that come from working in the creative sector. Jude tailors her courses to address these specific challenges, making them relevant and bespoke to the companies and individuals she trains. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, Jude set up The Daily Cuppa, an online group where people in the industry can connect, share personal challenges, and support each other. Jude is also a Co-Director for 6ft From the Spotlight, a CIC campaigning for meaningful change in the industry including promoting the use of a Wellbeing Facilitator on productions.