Stewart Till on A Bigger Future
Over the last 20 years, the UK Film Industry has been characterised by a seemingly never-ending boom and bust cycle. Success has come in a short term flurry of excitement, acclaim and optimism for the highs to come. Only to be followed by a disappointing and self defeating drought. That we have survived the lows is testament to our industries' talent and staying power. But it's time we stepped off the rollercoaster. If the UK is to build a self sustaining, consistent film industry that competes on the international stage, we need to take a co-ordinated, longer term approach and one that focuses on our existing strengths.
Despite the peaks and troughs, the UK has maintained an internationally renowned, and well deserved, reputation for the finest technical and crafts skills. I firmly believe that our primary business asset is our people. Our ability to sink or swim largely depends on their effectiveness and on the quality of education and training they receive throughout their careers. But we are faced with an ageing workforce in a sporadic and fragmented industry which lacks any real training infrastructure or investment. It makes sense then, to underpin our commercial longevity by equipping our workforce with world beating skills that will be the UK's unique selling point in the global marketplace.
And that's the cornerstone of A Bigger Future - the UK Film Skills Strategy. Produced by Skillset and the UK Film Council, it is a 5 year plan of action borne out of extensive consultation with industry. The strategy covers all the aspects of the industries work across all grades from development, production, post production, distribution through to exhibition.
For too long we have scattered our training efforts in too many directions. And much of the focus has been on the nomadic freelancers predominantly found in production with the business side of the industry too often left out in the cold. Yes, production freelancers are the lifeblood of our industry, and the strategy addresses their needs extensively, but it also gives considerable weight to the skills needs of the equally important distribution, sales and exhibition sectors.
Distribution has sometimes been cited as the achilles heel of our industry. I mentioned earlier our internationally recognised reputation for crafts and technical skill. Unfortunately, we can not lay claim to such a reputation for our business skills base. To combat this shortfall, A Bigger Future will introduce a variety of initiatives to support and develop the management and business skills of our companies and our workforce. This major push will be spearheaded by the creation of a new Film Business Academy that will sit alongside the National Film and Television School as a centre of excellence. For the first time there will be a centralised point of expertise and resources with the Academy working most close with distribution, exhibition and facilities, including post-production. A key focus for the Academy will be the creation of a new post graduate degree and the development of a business module for inclusion on industry approved film production courses in further and higher education to raise the commercial awareness of new entrants.
£1.5 million a year has been earmarked for the Academy and the company development initiatives it will give rise to. The money will come from a new Film Skills Fund made up of contributions from the existing production levy - the Skills Investment Fund - £6.5m lottery funding channeled by the UK Film Council, industry investment for specific initiatives, funding from National and Regional Screen Agencies and European training funds. Skillset will also allocate a significant proportion of its core budget to implement the strategy. This combined investment will total around £10m a year. We very much see this as a challenge fund and will be strongly encouraging government to help match this investment to maximize its impact.
A Bigger Future represents our opportunity to secure a consistent and prosperous future. To attract the brightest and the best into a career in film. To safeguard and enhance our existing talent and skills base. To broker the divide between education and industry, ensuring provision is flexible and film specific. To establish the UK Film Industry as a world class leader. It's comprehensive. Its industry led. It's realistic. And above all, it's common business sense.
Stewart Till is Chairman and CEO of United International Pictures and Deputy Chair of both Skillset and the UK Film Council.
