You are here: Home » News » Freelancers' Fair 2010 is a winner

Freelancers' Fair 2010 is a winner

Two Freelance Toolkit workshops, five seminars and 21 exhibitors were the main attractions at Savoy Place off the Embankment on Friday 11 June.

Many visitors, both members and non-members, made a point of conveying their thanks for the day, a sure sign that the event kept its key promises: to deliver practical help, inspiration and advice to the film and tv production community.

De-mystifying file-based acquisition

The day kicked off with a presentation from the Televisual Roadshow, chaired by James Bennett of Televisual Media UK, showcasing the merits of file-based acquisition. A technical topic, yes, but one which succeeded in reaching its  audience.

One visitor commented:

"Reassuring session, brilliantly delivered which as someone who was trained in tapeless workflows, was a great persuasive tool in encouraging others to switch."

Another said:

"Steve, John and Emma were brilliant. The terminologies were too many but quite useful for a newcomer like me."

Nicola Lees delivered a 90 minute session on How to Pitch. Pic: Rod Leon

Welcome medicine from the Freelance Toolkit

Happening at the same time as the Televisual Roadshow, was David Thomas' first Freelance Toolkit workshop of the day, a session which equips freelancers with the tools they need to set up in business, to get paid and to keep on good terms with the tax authorities.

"I often think that people see David's sessions as a necessary medicine; if that's the case then he's a good doctor," said Sharon Elliott, communications officer.

"Informative, useful, great presentation"; "brilliant"; "excellent workshop and has helped me a lot." - just some of the assessments of David's session.

See our Course Calendar for July and August for more career courses.

(Didn't get a chance to attend the workshop? See David Thomas' free stuff)

The battle between funding and pitching

As bookings for the event arrived in the five weeks before the big day, the 50 Ways to Get Funding Before You Die! and How to Pitch seminars were fighting it out for the title 'most popular session'. In the end, How to Pitch won the battle of numbers, but the appreciation for both seminars was considered and fulsome.

Christo Hird, producer End of the Line, addresses a point to Steve Hewlett.
Pic: Rod Leon

Steve Hewlett presenter of Radio'sThe Media Show chaired the funding discussion between Christo Hird (producer End of the Line), Chris Atkins (director Starsuckers) and Tom Zeissen of the Wellcome Trust. The session was produced by Marc Sigsworth and Paul Garcia of WPDs.

"Although it didn't offer 50 Ways to Get Funding, I found it incredibly useful and having seasoned directors was a much more interesting way of conveying reality," said one visitor; "very varied, vibrant and informative" said another.

Whilst in contrast to 50 Ways, Nicola Lees was the lone woman on the platform for her How to Pitch session, in programming terms the contrast worked well. The presentation was packed full of  valuable information and many in the audience found the Q&A particularly useful.

"Nicola's presentation was actually very useful and honest; Nicola is the first speaker I've heard who tells the truth about getting a commission. Very insightful," commented one visitor.

Nicola is credited with 80 successful commissions and is the author of Greenlit: Developing Factual and Reality Ideas from Concept to Pitch due to be published in the UK in August 2010.

The final seminar of the day, Ethical Film-making Explored, was a discussion, screening and award ceremony all in one.

Benetta Adamson produced the session, building on work by the union earlier in the year on the ethics of low-budget film-making. At the heart of the session was a short film competition run jointly by BECTU and DV Talent. Directors Simon Berthon and Peter Nicolson and producer Marc Sigsworth joined Benetta on the platform, adding their analysis to that of film-makers James Hawes and Tim Sullivan. The initial shortlist was heavily influenced by the preferences of online voters at Vimeo; the competition attracted more than 40 entries. 

And the winner is ....

The four best short films (submitted by the 4 June 2010 closing date) were screened during the session.

Dominik Rippl's Looks Dangerous to Me was judged the competition winner and whilst the expert views of his more experienced peers were a prize in themselves, Dominik also won the choice of a week's free kit hire or a place on a short course, courtesy of DV Talent.

Dominik Rippl is congratulated by DV Talent's Matt Horn. Pic: Rod Leon.

The other finalists were Duncan Raitt and Jon Marsh for Ant and Len, Alex Bluffield for The Real Cinema Paradiso and Jamie Maule-ffinch for Just Say Something.

Comments on the session included "good aspect of film-making to explore" and "interesting and entertaining".

Exhibition puts on a good show

The Fair Exhibition -  headlined by the event's sponsors Broadcast Freelancer, Hard Dowdy, Production Base, Skillset and Thompsons Solicitors - was both well attended and well received.

Covering the broad base of essential issues for any freelancer - finding work, networking, training, education, production collaboration, health and safety, accountancy, legal issues and production resources - the exhibitors' representatives provided quality contact and information.

Exhibitors marked out for their advice by visitors include DV Talent, Shooting People, Skillset, the Health and Safety Executive, Hard Dowdy, Production Base, The Knowledge, Thompsons Solicitors, Broadcast Freelancer, NFTS, Research Register, DFG, BSC, BBC Academy and the Guild of British Camera Technicians.

 

BECTU representatives worked in their own time and over many months to devise and deliver the 2010 event. Special thanks are due to Benetta Adamson, Mike Dick, Paul Garcia and Marc Sigsworth, all members of the union's Writers Producers and Directors branch. Many representatives from the union's London Production Division helped out on the day as did staff from BECTU's HQ.

Huge thanks are also due to our guest speakers whose contributions were central to the day's success. 

Head office support throughout was provided by Nancy Ackah (Fair Exhibition) Tom Bell and Sharon Elliott.