Contents
1. Overview
The BFI Film Academy courses fund will provide opportunities for talented and committed young people between the ages of 16 to 19 to develop new skills and build careers in the screen industries, regardless of their background, previous educational achievement, or personal circumstances. BFI Film Academy courses must be led by industry experts and cover key areas of the screen industries, enabling young people to develop crucial commercial and cultural knowledge and skills to make those first steps towards a career in the screen industries. Our aim is to find talent with a passion for the screen industries across the UK and to ensure that the opportunity to work in the screen industries is available to all.
BFI Film Academy provides “hands-on” technical film experience centred around a collaborative experience of filmmaking. The experience of working in a team to develop a creative output differs from much educational activity (such as preparing coursework or for exams) and engages and inspires participants. It therefore has strong outcomes on soft skill development which reflects the needs of the sector. BFI Film Academy’s impact on participants extends beyond the course, with nearly 90% of participants citing the influence of BFI Film Academy on their future careers, with the vast majority aiming to pursue a career in the screen industries.
BFI Film Academy Short Courses are designed to be a potential stepping stone to participation on a BFI Film Academy Specialist Course.
The BFI Film Academy funding comprises Department for Education in England and National Lottery funding, with up to £640,000 allocated for 2024-25 to deliver the BFI Film Academy Specialist Courses, and up to £1,052,250 allocated for 2024-25 to deliver the BFI Film Academy Short Courses.
BFI Film Academy Short Courses enable young people aged 16 to 19 (or up to 25, for those in England with an Education, Health and Care plan) to develop new skills and prepare for a career in the screen industries.
We are looking for 12 lead partners across the UK to deliver BFI Film Academy Short Courses in the areas outlined below. These courses can be delivered by a consortium under the lead partner. These Priority Education Investment Areas have been identified by the Department for Education (DfE) as areas for place-based intervention. These are areas where educational outcomes are the weakest or were previous DfE opportunity areas.
- East of England, including Ipswich, Norwich, and Fenlands & East Cambridgeshire
- South East, including Hastings
- South West, including Portsmouth and West Somerset
- West Midlands, including Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent and Walsall
- East Midlands, including Derby and Nottingham
- North East including Hartlepool and Middlesbrough
- Yorkshire and The Humber including Bradford, Doncaster, and Scarborough
- North West including Blackpool, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and Tameside
- London, including Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Enfield and Newham
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- Wales
2. Delivering against our National Lottery Strategy
All activity funded through BFI Film Academy Short Courses should deliver against the following outcomes of the BFI National Lottery strategy:
- children and young people are empowered to develop their own relationships with a wider range of screen culture, including through education
- more people understand how to express their creativity through stories on screen, including children and young people
- creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers
- equitable and more visible routes into the sector for people of all ages
- people from under-represented groups across the UK can access the support they need to develop their careers and skills
In addition, all National Lottery awards must deliver against our three principles for National Lottery funding:
Equity, diversity and inclusion
We champion everyday inclusion at the BFI. A clearly defined and communicated set of inclusion targets gives us, our partners and the wider industry ambitious goals for a more diverse screen sector and representative audiences.
UK wide
The BFI funds activity throughout the UK. This includes national, regional, and local provision to ensure that communities throughout the UK feel the benefit of the screen industries and culture.
Environmental Sustainability
You’ll need to tell us how you will embed the principle of environmental sustainability throughout your funded activity. This includes describing what you’re doing to reduce your negative impact (such as reducing carbon emissions or minimising single-use plastic) as well as what you’re doing to increase your positive impact.
You will be required to deliver your project in a way that meets the stated objectives for the programme and the three cross-cutting principles for the BFI National Lottery Funding Plan 2023-2026. With regard to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability you will be required to work with the BFI or its appointed partners to finalise your planned activity, draw on specialist resources or expertise where the BFI can provide this or signpost you to it, and monitor the impact of your project in these areas. This means we will want to see that BFI Film Academy course content and delivery supports open access throughout, including recruitment of and support for participants that are typically underrepresented in the sector, and that courses adhere to best practice approaches in environmental sustainability both in terms of training delivery approaches and associated training content.
Key Performance Indicators
The BFI will measure the success of the Short Courses fund using the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- 900 young people gaining a relevant Level 2 qualification across the Film Academy Short Course programme
- at least one course delivered in each priority location (see delivery areas below)
- 75% of funded activity is outside of London and the South East of England
- 100% of Film Academy films have at least one accessibility feature as part of the screening (eg., subtitled, audio described)
- 100% of Film Academy films available online
- 100% of awardees have calculated a carbon footprint using designated tool within a 12 month period
The activity of this fund as a whole will contribute towards achieving the BFI’s inclusion targets which are:
- disability (including those identifying as D/deaf or neurodiverse and those with a longstanding physical or mental diagnosis): 18%
- Black and Global Majority (London): 40%
- Black and Global Majority (outside London): 30%
- gender (50-50 balance of male and female identifying within the gender binary): 50%
- low income backgrounds measured by entitlement to Free School Meals: 15%
In line with Screen Culture 2033, this set of inclusion targets helps the wider industry move towards a more diverse screen sector and representative of audiences. These are targets for the BFI to achieve, and the activity of partners contributes towards this. Applicants should propose their own KPIs that reflect identified need in relevant communities or localities that contribute towards the BFI’s broader inclusion targets. As with previous courses, this data will be reported back to the relevant funding bodies each year for monitoring purposes.
Deliverables
In your application you will need to identify the specific activity you will deliver using the funding, which will enable you to meet your KPIs. Your deliverables should include:
- number of in-person training sessions
- number of training hours undertaken per participant
- a course of training (or series of courses) for up to 80 young people across your delivery area to develop new skills and build a career in the film industry. This must also provide participants the opportunity to plan, deliver and review a practical film-based project, either individually or as part of a team.
- end of training networking and showcasing event for participants in your delivery area, so all BFI Film Academy participants can meet each other, have their films showcased, and can celebrate course completion with a range of attendees from industry experts in the area, delivery partners, parents/carers, and wider stakeholders such as BFI Skills Cluster representatives (where relevant).
You and your delivery partners will also be required to attend a Partners’ Day hosted by the BFI, which will include “train the trainer” sessions. This will take place before course delivery starts and should be used to help all BFI Film Academy course delivery partners get to know each other, share best practice, and set shared ambitions for delivery.
3. Check if you’re eligible
You should be able to deliver stimulating and exciting filmmaking courses with structured outcomes as part of the Short Course Programme, which will allow young people aged 16 to 19 to develop knowledge and skills that are relevant to both the commercial and cultural film sectors.
Your organisation
Your organisation must be a legally constituted organisation centrally managed in the UK. This includes:
- Limited Liability Company or Partnership registered at Companies House
- Community Interest Company registered at Companies House
- Combined or local authority or statutory body
- Charity or trust registered with the Charity Commission (including UK universities and colleges)
In addition, your organisation must:
- be an existing film and/or education organisation
- have direct links to film industry experts
- be a registered Arts Award or NCFE training centre (or equivalent)
- have experience and expertise in film education and/or training with 16 to 19 year olds
- have experience and expertise in recruiting and working with participants from a diverse range of backgrounds
- have the infrastructure and human resource capacity to host the proposed course
- have DBS checked staff and be able to provide documentary evidence for DBS disclosure (DBS checks must have been carried out or renewed within the last two years)
- have a current safeguarding policy
Safeguarding participants is critical to the BFI Film Academy. Appointed course deliverers will be responsible for the safety and welfare of all participants and will have a duty of care for all taking part irrespective of age. When filming any project activity, the duty of care would start by ensuring the activity is properly risk assessed and that the activity is managed in a safe manner throughout. This also applies to the delivery of the end of course networking and showcasing event.
You cannot apply as an individual or unincorporated organisation.
Get in touch if you’re unsure that you are eligible for this fund: filmacademy@bfi.org.uk.
4. What you can use the funding for
You can apply for an award of up to £91,500 to deliver a Short Course (or series of) in one of the below delivery areas:
- East of England, including Ipswich, Norwich, and Fenlands and East Cambridgeshire
- South East, including Hastings
- South West, including Portsmouth and West Somerset
- The West Midlands, including Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent and Walsall
- East Midlands, including Derby and Nottingham
- North East including Hartlepool and Middlesbrough
- Yorkshire and The Humber including Bradford, Doncaster, and Scarborough
- North West including Blackpool, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford and Tameside
- London, including Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Enfield and Newham
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- Wales
Courses in England are mainly funded through the Department for Education. Delivery partners in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are required to provide a minimum of 20% match funding to contribute towards the £91,500 total, which could come from a National Lottery distributor in the nation such as Screen Scotland, Northern Ireland Screen and Creative Wales.
Applicants are encouraged to set out in their applications the specific location(s) where course delivery will be focused along with a clear rationale for this. This may be limited to the specific locations listed above or may go beyond these. In all instances, delivery should be focused on supporting participants that are typically unrepresented in the screen sector and based in locations least likely to have access to these sorts of opportunities.
If you are registered for VAT, your figures should not include VAT that you can claim back. If you are not registered for VAT, or you are registered for VAT but cannot fully recover the VAT you incur on costs, your figures should include irrecoverable VAT.
Grants we make are ‘outside the scope’ of VAT and should be listed in your accounts as a grant and not, for example, as a fee for any services supplied to the BFI. You should get financial advice from your own accountant or the relevant tax office.
BFI Film Academy course providers are not permitted to make a profit from the course.
Your course
Your course should include the following elements:
- a minimum of 40 hours of training to each participant on courses that begin from July 2024 and finish before 11 February 2025
- Silver Arts Award or NCFE ‘Preparing to Work in the Film industry’ accreditation built in, or a suitable alternative Level 2 qualification (see requirements below)
- specific sessions that:
- address the BFI Film Academy Core Educational Outcomes
- are led by high profile industry mentors who are respected practitioners in their field or include input and involvement from established industry professionals
- cover every area of filmmaking
- develop participants’ commercial and cultural knowledge and skills
- give participants the opportunity to watch British independent and specialised cinema to integrate critical understanding and enable access to a range of film cultures
- support participants to take their first steps towards employment in the screen industry
- enable participants to construct a personal development plan, including their aspirations for progression
- cover signposting and next steps, including referral to the Film Academy Specialist Courses and the Film Academy’s alumni activities
- give participants the opportunity to plan, deliver and review a practical film-based project, either individually or as part of a team, which must be showcased at the end of the course
- provide “hands-on” technical experience centred around collaborative filmmaking, including giving participants experience on current industry equipment (where applicable)
We expect that organisations applying for the full £91,500 will include delivery of the Arts Award or NCFE ‘Preparing to Work in Film Industry’ (or an equivalent alternative) and recruit the maximum number of participants (80).
If you would like to deliver an alternative Level 2 qualification, please set this out in your application with a clear rationale, including details of the qualification’s learning outcomes and why you deem this a suitable alternative for helping participants make the step into a career in the screen industries.
Course participants
You should aim to enrol up to 80 different participants across your course or series of courses for your delivery area. You should specify how many participants will be recruited per course, ensuring course size enables participants receive a quality learning experience.
We recognise that multiple courses may be run at the same time across your chosen delivery area. Participants should be from a diverse range of backgrounds that are typically underrepresented within the screen industries.
Course participants must be aged 16 to 25; where participants are aged 19 to 25, they must be in receipt of an education, health and care (EHC) plan. This applies to participants from England only.
In Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, we expect delivery to be prioritised for 16 to 19 year-olds, but are also open to flexing the age limit based on the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) policy for the respective nation.
You will need to notify the BFI of any participants who drop out of the course. Course deliverers should have a reserve list of participants and, where possible, replace the individual with another suitable applicant.
Participants who are at University at the time of applying are not permitted to take part in Film Academy courses as participants, although they may become involved in other ways (for example as peer mentors).
Delivery timeline
The deadline for delivering your course is 10 February 2025 (with End of Activity Reporting due 31 March 2025). When writing your application, please consider the most appropriate delivery dates and schedule for your organisation. Please ensure that no delivery is scheduled during the February 2025 half term period.
Delivery format
We encourage organisations to deliver their course in person, with additional online support. As you design and structure your course, please consider how you will ensure that participants are supported to gain key soft and technical skills which are outlined in the Core Educational Outcomes 1 and 2.
Partnership funding
In addition to the BFI funding, you should indicate if you have any other income sources for the activity and/or in-kind funding (please note it is not a necessary requirement of funding to have additional income).
Ineligible costs
Please note that due to restrictions on funding, no part of this grant can be allocated to marketing or communication costs. However, recruitment and outreach costs are acceptable, particularly where it enables you to reach a more diverse group of young people.
BFI Film Academy course providers are not permitted to make a profit from the course.
Submitting an application
You need an account to make your application online. You can save your application and return to it later. Make sure you complete all the sections as incomplete forms will be automatically ineligible.
View a PDF preview of the application form below.
Information you need to provide
In your main application you’ll need to provide:
Programme of activity
You will be asked to confirm your delivery area. Please set out the locations you would like to focus your activity in, along with a clear rationale.
You will be asked to provide an outline of your course activity, detailing your aims and objectives and KPIs (see requirements under Key Performance Indicators above). You should identify the specific activity you will deliver using the funding (your deliverables), which will enable you to meet your KPIs.
Refer to section 2: Delivering against our National Lottery Strategy when you’re completing this part of the application.
Download our Short Course Schedule template below and upload alongside your online application form. Please refer to section 4: What you can use the funding for when completing the template.
In your application, please specify your delivery partners along with details of their relevant expertise and experience to help you deliver your courses across the identified locations in your chosen area.
Please includes details of your end of course networking and showcasing event.
Experience and management
You will be asked to detail your experience in managing similar programmes. You should include detail of:
- previous experience in delivering high quality training courses or activities for 16 to 19 year olds, with strong learning, cultural or vocational outcomes
- how the programme will be managed from launch to recruitment, including key milestones
- key staff members responsible for delivery, with biographies and confirmation of enhanced DBS checks for lead tutors
You should attach appropriate compliance procedures to your application e.g., your child protection policy.
Recruitment
You will be asked to outline your recruitment strategy so we can assess the likelihood of you attracting target participants (those who are currently underrepresented in the screen sector).
You should identify any underserved communities that you will focus on and why, which should be reflected in your proposed KPI targets.
You will need to notify the BFI of any participants who drop out of the course. Course deliverers should have a reserve list of participants and, where possible, replace the individual with another suitable applicant.
Learner registration
You will be required to provide details of the Awarding Organisation and Level 2 Qualification you are a registered training centre for, relevant to this application and your proposed course delivery.
Safeguarding
You’ll be required to give details of your arrangements for child protection, risk assessment and care, including your approach to digital and online safeguarding.
Budget
Download the Short Course Budget template below and upload it with your application.
Ensure you read the guidance on the first tab before completing the budget.
Of your budget (up to £91,500), the following amounts are ring-fenced to go towards specific activity:
- £1,500 for registration with the Level 2 Qualification Awarding Organisation and associated training and moderation
- £2,000 for travel bursaries and access costs for course participants. Additional access funding can be applied for from the BFI Film Academy central pot on a case-by-case basis
Finance
You should upload your organisation’s most recent independently certified or audited Annual Statement of Accounts.
If more than 12 months has passed since the year end covered in the above, please additionally provide draft accounts for the intervening year as approved by your board (including both income and expenditure reporting and balance sheet).
Your most recent budget and management accounts for the current financial year as approved by your Board (including both income and expenditure reporting and a balance sheet).
Environmental sustainability
You should consider the following elements in answering this section:
Venue - do you take environmental criteria into venue choice? For example, do they have an organisational environmental policy or any environmental awards or certifications? Are they conveniently located for public transport? What environmental measures do they have in place? (e.g., green energy, waste prevention and recycling measures, water refill stations)
Staff and course participant’s travel – how do you plan to encourage the use of low or zero carbon travel?
Catering – does your catering offer a significant proportion of plant-based options, locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients, with minimal use of single use disposable serveware?
Procurement and suppliers – tell us about how you avoid waste and source recycled, recyclable or reusable materials.
Diversity and inclusion
You will also need to outline in your application how your proposed approach meets the BFI Diversity Standards. All of the activity supported by our funding is informed by the BFI Diversity Standards. You will need to demonstrate how your proposal meaningfully tackles under-representation in relation to disability, gender, race, age, sexual orientation and socio-economic status, while also considering the interactions of these identities and any other barriers to opportunity. If successful, you will need to report following the conclusion of your activity, evaluating how you have delivered against the aims of the Diversity Standards in practice.
How your application is assessed
The sections below gives examples of some of the questions we consider about your application.
Scope
Does the:
- outline proposal demonstrate a good understanding of the aims and objectives of the BFI Film Academy?
- application demonstrate clear links to the film industry?
- application demonstrate strong relationships within the educational and wider cultural sector?
- applicant explain how they will develop young people’s interest, passion and inform them about potential careers across the film industry?
- application demonstrate a clear, relevant and high quality approach to partnership working to aid course delivery in the respective delivery area?
Course schedule
- Does the schedule offer a minimum of 40 hours training to each participant between September of this year and the following half-term February?
- Does the planned programme of activity contribute to delivering the Core Educational Outcomes 1 & 2?
- Is qualification achievement and associated certification built into the course schedule?
- Are there sessions where participants are given the opportunity to watch films enabling critical understanding and access from a range of film cultures?
- Is there time for each participant to plan, deliver and review a practical film-based project either individually or as part of a team?
- Does the course include sessions which signpost participants on to next stages of development?
- Does the course schedule include established industry professionals?
- Does the application propose a viable contingency plan in the event that the proposed schedule could not be delivered?
Experience and management
Does the applicant:
- have experience of delivering high quality training courses or activities for 16 to 19 year olds with strong learning, cultural or vocational outcomes?
- have a clear plan for managing the course from launch to conclusion, including recruitment and evaluation?
- have appropriate compliance procedures in place, e.g. a child protection policy?
Recruitment
Does the applicant:
- demonstrate a clear recruitment strategy for attracting underrepresented participants?
- include a proactive approach to ensuring diversity of young people from a range of cultural and social backgrounds?
- describe ways it will reach those with disabilities, with proof of strategies to achieve this through previous projects?
- demonstrate how equality, diversity and accessibility will be addressed when assessing participants’ applications?
- met its diversity commitments (where applicable), for a Film Academy course (or similar) previously?
Safeguarding
Does the applicant have:
- a safe and reliable premises where they are proposing to run the programme?
- an up-to-date safeguarding policy, which includes digital safeguarding?
- qualified and relevantly skilled Disclosure and Barring checked staff to deliver the programme and evidence that appropriate compliance procedures are in place e.g. health and safety policies?
Budget
- Is the applicant in an adequate financial position to deliver the Film Academy?
- Is the budget realistic, and appropriate to the scale and nature of the programme?
- Does the budget include consideration of access issues? (E.g. improved physical access to the venue(s), interpreter costs etc.)
- Is there provision for Arts Award or NCFE Preparing to Work in the Film Industry (or equivalent qualification) delivery?
- Does the budget suitably allocate funding to partners to aid delivery across all specified locations?
How we prioritise submissions
We prioritise proposals that:
- best deliver on the relevant National Lottery outcomes
- best address the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion; environmental sustainability; UK wide
- offer value for money
- take risks and try new approaches
We will undertake a detailed assessment of your proposal for the course activity including management, recruitment, delivery plan, alumni support plan, safeguarding and the budget.
6. What happens after you apply
After you apply you’ll get:
- confirmation we received your application within 1-2 working days
- a decision from the week commencing Monday 10 June 2024
We’ll request any additional information we may need within 3 weeks.
We’ll review your application and if necessary, may write to you or request to meet with you to obtain more information about your application. If we need additional information from you, it may take us longer to reach a decision on your application.
Each eligible application will be assessed by the BFI (which may involve a combination of internal and/or external assessors). If your application is ineligible, we will email to tell you we will not be able to consider it. We may allow you to fix a mistake if this is the only reason the application is ineligible.
Lottery Funding Committee Consideration
Following assessment of each application, funding recommendations will be made to the BFI Lottery Finance Committee. This is the final stage of the funding decision process. We undertake due diligence assessments of the applications we are recommending to our decision-making committee for funding. As part of this, before submitting an application to the committee, we will request the bank details of the lead applicant.
We will also request the personal address and date of birth of the CEO or Managing Director of the organisation applying. Please note that our request for this information is not an indication or confirmation of funding and you will be informed separately of the funding decision on your application. We will use this data to run an identity check. Please note that this is not a credit check and will not affect the ability of the CEO or Managing Director to receive credit from other organisations. We will be unable to submit your application to our decision-making committee until we have received your completed form.
All applicants will be informed in writing of the decision on their application. If your application is declined, all supporting materials will be deleted from your submission in line with our record retention policy.
Feedback may be given on unsuccessful applications upon request.
Please contact BFI Film Academy filmacademy@bfi.org.uk if you have any queries.
7. Getting a decision
If you are successful in your application we will issue a conditional offer of funding (the Funding Agreement) the week commencing Monday 10 June 2024. You will be required to attend an induction day arranged by the BFI for all selected course providers.
If you are offered an award from us, in addition to the General Conditions of National Lottery Funding, the following conditions will apply to your award.
8. Conditions of funding
All appointed course providers will be required to submit the following paperwork prior to receipt of funding and commencement of the course:
- list of all staff working on the course on headed paper, including those from partner delivery organisations
- evidence of Disclosure and Barring (DBS) for all key staff working on the course
- an up-to-date health and safety policy
- an up-to-date safeguarding policy and procedures, and an incident reporting template
- completed risk assessment (we provide this template to successful applicants)
Use of the award
Any award must be used exclusively for the purpose for which it was requested as set out in your application. The award should not be used for marketing and advertising, or for any costs associated with the maintenance, technical development or updating of existing websites or for the development/creation of new websites. You will be required to undertake to fully comply with Disclosure and Barring, health and safety and child protection policies in delivering the course.
Course providers will need to notify the BFI of any participants who drop-out of the course and where possible replace the individual with another suitable applicant.
Term
Funding will be offered to run the course for one year.
Monitoring, performance review and evaluation
As part of the award we expect course providers to collect monitoring data on the deliverables. An End of Activity (EOA) report template will be provided to you by the BFI, which will capture this information, and will be due on the 31 March 2024.
In addition to the completed EOA report, you will also need to submit:
- a budget and cost statement setting out actual expenditure against budget
- media release forms for all participants
- list of project staff, freelancers and volunteers
- images, video and/or sound recordings of your activity in formats specified
An evaluation may be carried out by an independent third party, and you may be asked share data and other information with the appointed evaluators to demonstrate your contribution to these measures of success.
Payment of the award
The BFI will set out a cash flow schedule for the award. This is likely to be in three instalments as follows:
- 35% on signature of funding agreement and receipt and approval by of funding agreement and receipt and approval by BFI of Conditions of funding:
- list of all confirmed staff working on the course on headed paper
- evidence of Disclosure and Barring (DBS) for all key staff working on the course
- an up-to-date safeguarding policy
- an up-to-date health and safety policy
- completed risk assessment (we will provide this template to successful applicants)
- 50% upon receipt and approval from the BFI of:
- a finalised course schedule and budget
- completed BFI monitoring template (we will provide this template to successful applicants), which should include the number of participants:
- successfully recruited
- from Black and Global Majority backgrounds
- from from female identifying backgrounds within the gender binary
- from a working class background
- with a disability
- in receipt of Free School Meals
- 15% upon receipt of:
- End of Activity (EOA) report by BFI, films, images and all accompanying documentation (before this payment is made, the EOA report will be reviewed internally and this will take a minimum of two weeks from submission)
Branding
The BFI funding comprises Department for Education in England and National Lottery funding. It is therefore an important condition of BFI funding that the sources of the funding are prominently acknowledged throughout all aspects of the programme including through display of the display of the UK Government and Department for Education, and BFI and National Lottery lock-up logo and any logos from agreed match funders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (e.g. marketing materials, website) and through agreed verbal and written acknowledgment (e.g. press releases, social media) and that award recipients take frequent opportunities to highlight not just the fact of the funding, but why it is funded, and therefore the good work that‘s possible through these agencies.
You will be required to comply with all branding guidance issued by BFI (which may be updated from time to time).
More information about Level 2 qualifications
The Silver Arts Award qualification is a Level 2 qualification that gives young people the chance to take on an artistic challenge and a leadership role too. There are two strands to Silver Arts Award, one focusing on artistic practice and the other on arts leadership. Completing both successfully requires teamwork and independence, creativity and critical thinking, leadership and collaboration, confidence and communication.
This qualification is developed through participants completing tasks in:
- Unit 1: Arts practice and pathways, which includes film reviewing and career research
- Unit 2: Arts leadership, which involves arts project planning and reviewing leadership abilities
If you believe it would be more appropriate to deliver the Bronze Arts Award4 on your course, you will need to provide additional reasoning to justify this.
The NCFE Preparing to Work in the Film Industry is a Level 2 qualification that will develop young people’s interest, passion and skills to help them in their potential careers across the film industry. The role of film academies is to be an assessor for the qualification, and will plan the delivery overview for participants.
Participants will:
- develop technical skills
- understand professional development opportunities
- develop effective working relationships
- understand working practices and legislation in the film industry
- review films
This qualification is developed through participants building portfolios and documenting their time on the film academy course.
9. Appendix 1 — Core Educational Outcomes (CEO)
The BFI Film Academy will deliver a wide range of Core Educational Outcomes (CEO). It is expected that the skills and knowledge acquired through such activities will aid participants’ progression into the film and media industries.
Applicants should address these core educational outcomes when developing their course. Activity should include:
- all core educational outcomes from CEO 1
- one or more from CEO 2
Core Educational Outcomes 1 (CEO 1)
Your course should include all of the outcomes from CEO 1.
Knowledge and understanding
- Understanding of film as a subject and art form and other subjects that are addressed through film
- Receive a rounded educational and cultural experience of film and filmmaking
- Develop basic critiquing skills through watching and discussing a wide range of British and world cinema
- Gain understanding of a story structure
- Gain a clear understanding of the film value chain from development through to distribution
- Have direct engagement with industry practitioners in relevant fields
- Greater appreciation of and demand for British films
- Understanding the film industry, options for career and Further Education progression
- Gain a clear understanding of key roles and job market in the film industry and wider film sector
- Develop knowledge around opportunities for advancement in this sector across employment, HE/FE and vocational training
- Supported in devising a bespoke development plan
Soft skills
- Gain or improve soft skills, communication skills (including non-verbal)
- Gain knowledge of negotiating, communication, teamwork through direct practical application of filmmaking for example, as part of production team, role of producer, director etc.
Attitudes and behaviours
- Improve or enhance motivation and engagement, empathy, confidence, motivation at home and at school
- Strengthen identity and voice. Provide individuals with a sense of achievement
Enjoyment and aspiration
Participants are engaged, captivated and enjoy the experience of film.
Core Educational Outcomes 2 (CEO 2)
Your course should include one or more of the outcomes from CEO 2.
Skills
- Gain and improve technical skills, critical faculties, and collaboration and team work
- Gain understanding and practical experience of physical production of film
- Learn basic camera, lighting or sound skills on current industry equipment
- Gain overview of 3D and 2D animation techniques
- Gain overview of VFX workflows with mainstream production
- Post Production and mastering of films
- Marketing, exhibition and distribution lessons
- Gain practical experience of editing software, for example Final Cut Pro
- Produce short films where relevant
- Develop a script or treatment that meets film production specification
- Learn about the documentary form: Produce Mini Docs
- Understand the uses of animation in film and develop and use the techniques and processes in a short film production: stings (short 15 sec animates)
Where relevant, participants should have the opportunity to showcase work produced during programme activity.