Guiding Lights ... Camera ... Action ...
On the set of The Bourne Ultimatum, coffee with Gurinder Chadha in LA, recording sessions with Helen Mirren, lunch with a Hollywood star, a weekend in the country with Oscar winner Julian Fellowes, new jobs and schmoozing with the film industry's biggest names...
These are just some of the highlights enjoyed by 25 of Britain's most exciting new film talents thanks to Guiding Lights, the UK's first major film industry mentoring scheme, developed and launched by Skillset as part of A Bigger Future, a five year initiative to make UK film skills the best in the world.
Enlisting top name filmmakers like Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Paul Greengrass (United 93) Guiding Lights is an innovative 12-month mentoring scheme designed to enable today's industry expertise to guide and inspire tomorrow's successes.
To celebrate the successful completion of the pilot year of the scheme, the Guiding Lights mentors and mentees gathered with many other film industry figures for a champagne reception in London on April 16th, joined by special guest Shaun Woodward, Creative Industries and Tourism Minister.
Run by Brighton-based Lighthouse Arts and Training and funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, made up of lottery money via the UK Film Council plus industry investment, with additional sponsorship from Pathé, Guiding Lights supports up-and-coming directors, producers, writers and film business executives. All have proven track records of experience and achievement in the industry but are still in the early stages of their careers and in a position to benefit from one-on-one mentoring.
Mentors including Michael Kuhn (I Heart Huckabees), Deborah Moggach (Pride and Prejudice), Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) and Andrew Eaton (A Cock and Bull Story) were carefully matched with the individual needs and personal goals of each of the 25 participants, who have enjoyed a level of contact and access that would ordinarily be almost impossible to achieve.
Regularly acknowledged during award ceremony speeches, most notably by Helen Mirren in her recent acceptance of her Best Actress BAFTA, the role of mentor is a significant one within the film industry. The mentees on the Guiding Lights scheme are quick to appreciate the benefits of mentoring. Producer Abigail Davis acknowledges: "The film industry is such a tough business to get a foot-hold in. Guiding Lights has made a real difference - there's been an openness and generosity from everyone I've approached on the back of being part of the scheme. Above all, my mentor Steve Clark-Hall (Calendar Girls) has been fantastic - with his interested support and trenchant advice, I feel miles more confident that I can achieve my ambition to get my first feature made."
But it's not just the mentees who have enjoyed the benefits. Screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) is mentor to Mo Blackwood. "I have nothing but good things to say about the Guiding Lights scheme, which I found very rewarding for both sides. It seemed to me to be as useful for the mentors to be reminded of the difficulties of getting started, as it was for the chosen candidates to be introduced to the different pressures of working within the industry."
Janine Marmot, Director of Film at Skillset, says "The idea behind Guiding Lights is a very simple one - create the opportunity for industry heavyweights to share their invaluable experience with a future generation. Simple yet extremely effective especially in film which moves so fast it can be hard to find the time to pass on invaluable skills and develop the talent of others. Skillset is incredibly pleased with the success of this pilot and thankful for the generosity of the mentors in giving their time and expertise. It will be exciting to see these future industry stars rise."