Bristol City Council’s Film Services have secured a £245,425 award from the BFI National Lottery Places Fund: Skills and Training to launch All Set West, a new accessible skills package designed to support creatives from the West of England into careers behind-the-camera on the growing number of scripted film and TV productions made in the region.
Delivered by The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office (the three teams that together form Bristol City Council’s Film Services), All Set West will launch in April 2025, to support regional participants from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the film/TV workforce with inclusive training, information, connections, work opportunities and networks, to help them gain industry employment – and thrive in their new careers. All Set West’s bespoke package of skills support will include:
- All Set West Hub: a new and inclusive online hub full of opportunities, events and resources relevant to local scripted film/TV production entrants or those progressing through their first few credits
- All Set West Training: two rounds of a free, five-week training scheme delivered at The Bottle Yard Studios, that demystifies the world of scripted production and prepares trainees for entry level positions in the industry
- All Set West Placements: matching industry entrants to scripted film and TV productions that are active at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in the region and seeking to provide work experience or paid placements for local entrants
- All Set West Outreach: targeted community and educator engagement to widen awareness of careers in the region’s fast-growing scripted film/TV production sector
Additional industry consultation delivered in partnership with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) will analyse regional industry skills gaps and set a future strategy for addressing workforce development and retention challenges.
The BFI Places Fund aims to help develop new and emerging production centres across the UK. It is providing targeted funding to organisations, including Bristol City Council’s Film Services, to pilot new skills and training activity in the region and develop strategic plans that seek to cultivate and encourage more film and television production in the area.
Alex Roxton, Senior Skills Programme Manager at the BFI, said: “This partnership between Bristol City Council Film Services and West of England Combined Authority brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, as well as insight into skills gaps and the local growth potential. We believe that together, they can develop a sector skills strategy and training pathways that realise a skilled and representative local workforce.”
Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “It’s fantastic that our Film Services team has secured this funding from the BFI. Bristol’s film and TV industry is thriving, and we should be encouraging more people to explore opportunities in the arts. Ensuring access for people from all backgrounds is so important, and this initiative is creating apprenticeships, training, and employment for the next generation of filmmakers. We’re grateful to the BFI for recognising Bristol’s potential to lead change and make the regional industry more inclusive.”
All Set West’s package of support will be available to all residents of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. All Set West’s Training element will follow a similar format to that which was piloted during the West of England Film & High-End TV Workforce Development Programme, funded by the West of England MCA’s Mayoral Priority Skills Fund and delivered at The Bottle Yard in 2024. Of the 47 trainees that participated in that training, 32 have since gone on to some kind of paid work in the industry.
Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, says: “All Set West is all set to support the next generation of creative people from across the West of England. Our region produces content that’s watched by over 800 million people around the world each month. We’re rightly renowned for TV and film, and I’m proud to see the National Lottery and BFI are investing in nurturing our talent too. The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, which I lead, is committed to harnessing our region’s strengths. We invested £12 million to develop three new sound stages at The Bottle Yard Studios. My Mayoral Priority Skills funding has paved the way for All Set West, already helping dozens of young people from under-represented backgrounds secure paid work experience and full-time jobs in TV and film as a result.”
Laura Aviles, Bristol City Council’s Head of Film, responsible for The Bottle Yard Studios and Bristol Film Office, says: “We are delighted to have secured this Lottery funding from the BFI to launch All Set West. Scripted film and TV production at The Bottle Yard and on location in Bristol alone generated £30M towards the regional economy last year. We are committed to ensuring more local people benefit from employment created by productions filming in the region using freelance crew. All Set West is a bespoke package of interventions that create a pathway into entry-level positions specifically suited to the film and High-End TV drama we regularly host. As well as increasing local awareness about career options behind the camera, the training element crucially prepares participants for the fast-paced, tough reality of this type of work and accompanies them on their first steps, ensuring stronger retention rates. Production companies will benefit by being able to engage with a more diverse and inclusive local workforce, that is prepped and ready to progress. We can’t wait to get started in April.”
Natalie Moore, Bristol UNESCO City of Film Manager, says: “It has been a priority within our UNESCO Action Plan to work with The Bottle Yard, and Bristol Film Office, the West of England MCA and industry stakeholders, to harness our region’s huge popularity for filming and build the local pipeline of scripted crew whilst improving representation in the workforce. All Set West’s multi-pronged approach addresses challenges we know entrants experience at a grassroots level and we welcome national industry backing through the BFI to enhance and develop this important work. The Places Fund aligns fully with our aims as a UNESCO City of Film and this backing represents a step-change in regional support for below-the-line talent development in film and TV.”
All Set West Training will focus on confidence-building, set etiquette and work-readiness, communication skills and teamwork, wellbeing and resilience, as well as digital and financial literacy and how to find work as a freelancer. Support will be targeted at underrepresented groups including: Disabled People (including those with a longstanding physical or mental condition and those identifying as D/deaf or neurodiverse), People from the Global Majority, Women, Those identifying as LGB+, People from a Working class background, Asylum seekers/refugees, Carers/Care Leavers. An Access Fund will be provided to support any participants who face a financial barrier to taking part.
