WM Case study Equal
Skillset, in partnership with the UK Film Council, is leading the Audio Visual Entrepreneurship Development Partnership under the second round of Equal, the European Social Fund initiative designed to test and promote new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequality in the labour market.
The overall aim of the project is to explore innovative approaches to supporting individuals from groups currently under-represented in the creative media industries (women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, older people and young people from economically disadvantaged areas) to develop the skills, knowledge and experience they need to develop successful businesses, including self-employment, in the sector.
Diz Life, developed by West Midlands-based film production company 104 Films is just one of the initiatives supported by the Equal project that gave two groups of talented young people in Birmingham and London the opportunity to make films. Working with film-making professionals as mentors, they were able to plan, shoot and edit their own films.
Scott Swadkins from Nechells Green Garden Centre Employment Preparation Team has learning and physical disabilities which he feels have prevented him from seeking a career in film and television. He got his first taste of film-making when he worked with 104 Films on a previous project where he focused on developing skills in camerawork and acting. On the Diz Life project he was able to concentrate on his acting and develop his confidence and grasp of screen performance which has successfully led to him landing a small role in an upcoming feature film.