STEPPING UP FOR SUCCESS

An innovative scheme is making waves in the industry, helping prepare talent for a career on set across all levels. Bridging technical innovation, inclusive skills development, and practical hands-on experience, the initiative is opening pathways into UK film and HETV careers for marginalised communities. 

An ecosystem that delivers new pathways into the industry, combining technical excellence, inclusive access, and future-facing research and development — led by Futures in Film CIC with the support of Pixeleyed Pictures and Mr Helix — is leading a dynamic evolution in UK film and HETV training, engineering innovation, and social impact.  

Rizwan Wadan, founder of all three entities, is known for innovating across the creative and technical sectors of the film industry. Alongside his work on productions such as The Favourite, Star Wars: Rogue One, and BBC’s Luther, where Wadan led the development of new stabilisation systems to solve on-set challenges, his engineering achievements of dynamic on-set solutions have earned him membership at the Royal Academy of Engineering and a reputation for problem solving and engineering excellence. This was the starting point for a much wider mission: bridging technical R&D, high-end cinematography, storytelling and inclusive skills development into one connected ecosystem. 

A socially ethical approach 

These initiatives included Pixeleyed Pictures, his socially ethical film production company established over seven years ago. Pixeleyed’s projects include 2018’s Error in Terror, a hard-hitting short film highlighting terrorism and Islamophobia; 2020’s Lost in London, made by a 12-year-old boy and his cousins to shine a light on bullying; and Game Over, which underlines the importance of stunt safety and armourers on set.  

Pixeleyed has worked to develop the foundation of the Screen Strategy in Blackburn with Darwen and the wider Lancashire area through delivering production simulations and set up of a Social Impact Rental House which in the pilot phase generated £1.125m of social impact, highlighting how HETV can deliver significant additional value to the region whilst upskilling local talent and providing opportunities to learn practically to those who wouldn’t have otherwise had them. Futures in Film was established to provide a solution that encompasses both the technical and creative needs of our industry. 

Cohorts who have gone through Futures in Film’s simulations and training have secured roles on productions such as Wolf Hall series two (BBC), Curfew (Paramount+), and Wake Up Deadman: A Knives Out Mystery, giving them direct access to significant industry and on-set experience at early career stages. 

Industry acclaim 

Gavin Finney BSC, former BSC President, is among the industry figures praising Futures in Film. “I applaud the Futures in Film training initiative,” he says. “If the UK film industry is not only going to flourish, but more importantly, to last, we need the long-term thinking and investment in the future that this project represents.” 

Terra Bliss, managing director for Camera and Optics, EMEA, Panavision, is proud to be associated with the scheme: “Panavision and Futures in Film share a commitment to providing access to equipment, education, and professional opportunities for aspiring filmmakers from a diverse range of backgrounds and communities. For many years Panavision has provided the selected Futures in Film cohorts with practical and technical knowledge, empowering them to pursue careers in production and equipping them to create their own stories.” 

Laurie Rose BSC is similarly supportive of the initiative: “Everything about Futures in Film is impressive; the aims, the energy and the results. As an access point into every aspect of production, this scheme puts real world filmmaking into the hands of young people who might never get the chance otherwise. Truly hands-on, from pre-to-post, the future demands this kind of opportunity. The industry needs this.! 

Hands-on learning 

Futures in Film places participants at the centre of a working rental house, providing direct access to industry-standard technologies and hands-on experience across the full production pipeline. This immersive approach is followed by live production simulations, designed to replicate real-world set environments to the standard of HETV and film. Over the past decade, Mr Helix has operated as a social impact rental house, generating revenue through major film and HETV productions and reinvesting it into developing technical training. Through a sustainable model, Futures in Film continues to bring access for underrepresented, faith-based, and disadvantaged communities, offering a practical pathway into the industry. 

In addition, Futures in Film has set up a live-in workspace in London to enable cohorts from Lancashire and the North of England to access industry networks and production opportunities that are often geographically restricted to the capital. 

Through the social-impact ecosystem Wadan created with Mr Helix, Pixeleyed Pictures and Futures in Film, the team is carrying out “genuinely life-changing work” across its five key pillars. 

“We’re driving innovation in new technologies, providing hands-on production experiences, making socially impactful films, aligning education with real-world industry needs and creating opportunities for talent from underrepresented, and faith-based communities,” adds Wadan. 

“We guide talent across all levels, through all aspects of filmmaking, from concept development all the way through post production. Thanks to support from companies who have supported this initiative with leading technologies and resources such as Mr Helix, Panavision, Helicopter Film Services, Pinewood Studios, ARRI Rental, RED Digital Cinema, MBS Equip Co, CineArk, Sunbelt Rentals, Aperture and Mo-Sys Engineering amongst other respected companies and industry professionals.” 

Futures in Film’s hard work and production training activities were recognised this year at the Production Guild of Great Britain’s Duke of Edinburgh Film & TV Inclusion Awards where they were finalists. Onwards and upwards! 

Participant success stories 

“Futures in Film has been an amazing opportunity that’s given me incredible experience in the HETV Drama and film industry. Through lots of training, learning how to handle and prep kit, and understanding proper set etiquette, I got essential skills even before stepping onto real sets. Their production simulations were really helpful in getting me ready to shadow and work on major shows like Wolf Hall series 2, Curfew, and Knives Out 3; experiences I definitely wouldn’t have had without all the training, support, and funding provided by Futures in Film and their industry partners. Coming from the North, where the industry feels really far away, Futures in Film has genuinely connected people like me to these amazing opportunities. There’s nothing else quite like it; it’s hands-on, practical, and gives real-world set experience, especially for young people and communities and regions usually overlooked by the British film and TV industry.” 

Joe Madigan