September Newsletter:

We hope you all enjoyed the summer break and managed to get some well-deserved rest! Here at SAW, we’ve had a busy few weeks and are pleased to bring you another round of all our news and updates.

Firstly, if you haven’t done so already, we would like to encourage you to create a profile on our website (here). This is an incredible place to showcase any credits, skills, and links to previous work. It also keeps you up to date with all vacancies that we advertise and automatically signs you up to our newsletter. If you already have an account on our directory, do make sure to keep all your details updated with you most up to date information.

Vacancies:

As always, we would like to start off by highlighting all the opportunities that are currently available over on our vacancies page. This is regularly updated, so make sure to keep checking the page on our website here. With more roles available before, now is such a great time to explore the varied roles that are on offer to join the booming Film and TV industry in Wales.

The following vacancies are available on our website:

Bad Wolf is seeking a Development Assistant (Cardiff or London)

Real SFX are seeking a Production Office Apprentice

Cinematic are seeking a Tech Lead/Machine Room Operator

Wales Millenium Centre are seeking a Casual Dresser

Sponsors and Supporters:

The work we carry out is only made possible by the fantastic contributions from our wonderful Sponsors and Supporters. Here’s what they have been up to this month...

Bad Wolf:

To kick off the Blaidd Writers Programme, RTS Cymru Wales hosted a Panel Talk with Jane Tranter, CEO and Co-founder of Bad Wolf, Emma Obank, Creative and Commercial Affairs Executive and Marnie Dickens, Screenwriter and Blaidd Mentor who were able to talk all things scripts, agents and any questions you may have had regarding the Blaidd Writers Programme.

Great news for Industry fans as Season 3 is landing on BBC iPlayer on 1st October!

If you haven’t already seen S1&2 you can catch them all on BBC iPlayer now!

To kick off the new series, the talented Kate Crowther (Executive Producer), Flynn MacDonell (Co-Producer) took to the stage for a talk alongside trainees Ashley Parris (Sound Trainee), Anna Korecka (Script Supervisor Trainee) and Jake Phillips (Camera Trainee).

Fasten your seatbelts for Season 2 of Red Eye with returning cast Jing Lusi, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore solving new conspiracies! The second series will be on ITV.

Calling all His Dark Materials Fans!

Unique items from the hit TV Series are now a permanent part of the Theatre and Performance Galleries at the iconic V&A South Kensington museum.

Head down and see Lyra’s alethiometer, iconic costumes worn by Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson and Lin Manuel Miranda along with other very cool things!

More information on the Bad Wolf website.

A huge congratulations to o Julie Gardner, former BBC Wales Head of Drama and Bad Wolf co-founder and our friend and colleague, on receiving BAFTA Cymru’s Outstanding Contribution to Television Award.

Facilities by ADF:

Exciting news from the team at Facilities at ADF, as they intend to acquire Autotrak Portable Roadways Limited. Autotrak is a market-leading supplier of portable roadway and one of the largest privately owned suppliers of panels to the film and TV sector in the UK, whilst also servicing festivals & outdoor events and construction- related industries for a client base of more than 165 customers.

You can read more about this here.

Real SFX:

Green Business of the Year at the South Wales Business Awards

We are thrilled to share that KIT4CREW, powered by Real SFX has won the Green Business of the Year award at this year’s South Wales Business Awards! Being shortlisted for both Green Business of the Year and Start-Up of the Year was an incredible honour, and this win is a reflection of our commitment to sustainability and the success of KIT4CREW.

A huge thank you goes out to all the production houses and studios that have supported us, including Dragon Studios, Badwolf, Seven Screen, BBC Roath Lock, Great Point Studios, SGIL Cymru, and The Bottle Yard Bristol, for their generous donations. Special thanks to BECTU and Cult Cymru for championing our initiative. Everyones support has been crucial, and as we continue to grow, we need ongoing help!

As we head into winter, we particularly need donations of coats and jackets - these items are essential at this time of year so please donate what you can. Additionally, we are now partnering with a local Welsh homeless charity, and any items that aren’t suitable as workwear will now be donated to them, ensuring nothing goes to waste, supporting those in need.

Proud to be part of The European Circular Economy Hotspot 2024

We’re also excited to announce that Real SFX will be participating in The European Circular Economy Hotspot 2024, held in Cardiff from 7–9 October 2024. We'll be hosting a site visit and attending the conference event, showcasing our role in advancing sustainability in the SFX industry. We look forward to engaging with industry leaders and exploring innovative ways to contribute to the circular economy

Exciting Opportunities and Initiatives!

As we celebrate another year of GCSE and A-Level results, we want to remind everyone that these grades are just the beginning of an incredible journey. At Real SFX, we believe that passion, creativity, and determination are the keys to shaping a successful career—whether in special effects or any field.

We are firm believers in the power of apprenticeships to shape the future of our industry. Our apprentices play a crucial role in bringing physical effects to life and gain hands-on experience that is truly invaluable in the world of SFX. Whether you're fresh out of school or looking for a career change, there are opportunities to explore and grow. Why not see where this journey can take you? Click here to read our latest blog.

We’re also super excited that we will have two new apprenticeship opportunities at Real SFX:

SFX Technician Apprentice - get into the world of SFX and learn from the best as you help create mind-blowing effects on set!

Production Office Apprentice - Join our busy production office and gain invaluable experience in managing the heartbeat of our film and television productions.

For more details, check out SGIL Cymru, where these opportunities will be posted soon!

KIT4CREW: Our Sustainable Workwear Initiative As we head towards autumn and winter, don’t forget about our sustainable workwear initiative, KIT4CREW. We have a huge range of stock donated by studios and productions, including outerwear, boots, and t-shirts. If you’re just starting out in the industry or working on a tight budget, KIT4CREW is here to help! Get in touch at [email protected] and gear up!

BAFTA Cymru: 2024 BAFTA Cymru Awards: The 2024 BAFTA Cymru Awards are fast approaching. The awards return to the ICC Wales in Newport on Sunday 20 October with 21 categories spanning craft, performance and production. For those who can’t be in the room on the night, the awards ceremony will also be streaming live on BAFTA’s YouTube channel. Don’t forget to follow @BAFTACymru on X and Instagram for all the red carpet arrivals and behind the scenes action! View all the 2024 nominees here BAFTA Cymru Awards Session: Factual Directors Tues 8 October, 6:00pm BST – Online With the 2024 BAFTA Cymru Awards on the horizon, this is your chance to hear from the four nominated directors in the Director: Factual category. They’ll be chatting with Camilla Lewis (CEO and Co-Founder of Curve Media) about their craft and careers to date. The panellists are Caryl Ebenezer (Siân Phillips Yn 90), Chloe Fairweather (The Kidnap of Angel Lynn), Jenny Casterton (The Crash Detectives)andvJess Howe (The Women Who Fought Back) This event is taking place online via Zoom and is free to attend! Sign up for this free online event here

Screen4Schools:

Rhys has been back at it again with Screen4Schools this month, showing all the learners the excitement of the creative industries. From Special Effects Make up to Camera and Editing, the learners have had a blast, and so has Rhys!

We’ve spotted some superstars in the making, don’t forget us when you win your first Oscars!

My Community My Story, Documentary Screening:

You might have heard that this Summer we had a Documentary training programme, ran alongside Documentary Producers Angela Clarke and Jay Bedwani. Our 2 cohort of trainees created two brilliant documentaries based on the Butetown/Grangetown Community.

We welcome you to join us in the screenings of ‘Back to Bute’ and ‘That Rugby Team from Tiger Bay’.

We’ll be hosting 3 screening across the month of October, so please come down and join us and see how you can be a part of the next one.

Join us on:

9th October: CIAC Rugby Club, CF10 5GX at 6PM.

18th October: Butetown Community Centre at 6:30PM.

25th October: Grange Pavilion at 7PM.

August for Allison:

In support of our colleague and friend Allison and her recent recent diagnosis, Bad Wolf and Screen Alliance Wales got moving to raise money for Llandough Hospitals ‘Breast Centre’ who were providing Allison with the best care.

The Wolfpack signed up for 100k challenge throughout August and raised over £5,000! Thank you to all that took part in August for Allison, and to those that donated.

Production Manager Course: We're excited to announce that our HETV Production Management training course began this month! (Funded by ScreenSkills)

This course gives the opportunity to group of experienced Production Coordinators, 1st AD’s and 2nd AD’s the opportunity to learn and develop their skills in order to step into a Production Manager role.

The course will deep-dive into the functions of production manage on a TV production, the role and its responsibilities, and where it sits within and how it relates to other members of the production team.

Led by an experienced industry practitioner and contributions from multiple industry experts across various fields, the training course participants will develop their understanding of the role of a production manager and the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform it effectively.

We look forward to welcoming them into the SAW classroom for an in-person training session, and talk/s with special guests at the start of October.

Sinemaes at The Eisteddfod:

Rhys had a fantastic time at this year’s Sinemaes, he had the pleasure of welcoming nearly 2,000 people into the tent for the weeklong of activities.

Rhys had a blast, and he can’t wait to do it all again in Wrexham next year!

SURVEY LINK:

creativediversity.net/DiamondFeedback_SAW

The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) is the cross-industry body leading the work to increase diversity on and off-screen in UK television and we are calling for your help! We are currently evolving Diamond, our data monitoring form, with the goal of delivering extensive improvements to all users. We’ve created a freelancer opinion survey as we want to hear directly from you about your experiences of using Diamond and the changes you’d like to see. Over the last seven years we’ve provided benchmark reports on UK television’s diversity landscape, with over 7.5 million contributions from the freelance community. This has influenced the strategic thinking of industry leaders when it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Your experiences and recommendations will provide us with crucial insights that will ultimately help shape the design and adaptations we make to Diamond so please click the link below to complete our short survey which has 13 short multiple choice questions. Closing date for the survey is midnight, Sunday 20th October. This survey isn't available in BSL. We will be holding BSL-interpreted focus groups following the closing date, so please let us know if you'd be interested in participating by emailing [email protected] Please be advised that your information will be anonymised, and the survey does not capture any personal data unless you want to be part of the follow up focus groups, in which case we will ask for a means of contacting you.