SCREEN TRAINING IRELAND A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 SCREEN TRAINING IRELAND A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 Welcome to Screen Training Ireland’s Review of 2016 which details key initiatives and training delivered in 2016 and outlines plans for 2017 and beyond. Training and development is of the highest quality, closely aligned to industry needs and clearly targeted to individuals and companies. CONTENTS About Screen Training Ireland .............. 4 What We Do .............................. 6 New Initiatives 2016 ........................8 Training Highlights 2016 ...................17 Bursary Review 2016 ......................35 Local Partnerships ........................38 International Training Partnerships .........44 PANEL SESSION ON DESIGN AND CRAFT DEPARTMENTS AT TROY STUDIOS OPEN DAY Looking Ahead 2017 .......................46 SCREEN LEADERS ABOUT SCREEN TRAINING IRELAND Screen Training Ireland (STI) is the national training and STI offers training for the changing needs of the Irish screen development resource, specifically tailored for Ireland’s film and industry. STI developed and delivered over 52 courses in 2016 and television industry. It was established in 1995 to provide ongoing allocated 1462 places to participants. We also supported workshops training and career development opportunities for professionals and masterclasses at leading Irish Film festivals. Of these training working in the screen industry. places 47% were allocated to female participants and 55% allocated to male participants. STI works with recognised industry professionals, both locally and internationally, to identify, design and deliver training for Irish STI categorises skills needs in three core areas – Creativity and professionals. Training programmes are offered to practitioners and Creative Collaboration (CCC), Production and Technical Skills (P&T) companies to enhance their expertise in film, television, animation and Business and Enterprise (B&E). In addition, STI supports high- and interactive screen content. level international training opportunities through the Bursary Award Scheme and through its support of programmes such as Guiding STI comes under the auspices of the Irish Film Board (IFB) since Lights, Inside Pictures, EAVE and ACE. 2013. It is principally funded by the IFB, third-party training partnerships and fee income. Through the Bursary Award Scheme, 20 Irish industry professionals availed of funding to attend high-level training programmes and workshops with international companies and organisations. 4 | A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 | 5 COLM McCARTHY DIRECTING RIPPER STREET WHAT WE DO STI offers training opportunities in the following areas: • Pathways to progression for technical professionals through traineeships and bridging programmes • Business and enterprise training to enhance expertise in management and strategy development • International training and the Bursary Award scheme which enables experienced professionals to participate in training • Masterclasses and specialised programmes to help experienced opportunities internationally and where necessary, design a professionals avail of advanced development opportunities development opportunity customised to meet their needs. • Programmes to meet long-term development needs in the STI works closely with industry professionals and tutors so that the creative areas of script, directing and producing training it delivers is industry relevant. • Short focused courses to meet updating, upgrading and transfer skills needs 6 | A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 | 7 NEW INITIATIVES Irish speakers included Patrick O’Neill, Managing Director, Wildcard Distribution and Audrey Sheils, Head of Distribution, 2016 Element Pictures. Participating companies included SP Films, Underground STI delivered an exciting range of new initiatives in 2016 aimed at Films, Fantastic Films, Blue Ink Productions, Dot Television retraining existing professionals in new technologies, developing and Venom. new entrants, trainees and apprentices, nurturing individual talents through mentorships and enhancing business skills. “Fantastic Films were delighted to participate in ‘Finding Your Audience’ and along with meeting terrific mentors, Adaptation was devised to explore successfully adapting pre- we found the approach to be practical, well presented existing material to the big screen. The course examined where with very up-to-the-minute information.” stories come from, conceptualisation, comparative adaptation, John McDonnell, Head of Production Fantastic Films adaptations from novels, plays, history/articles, short stories and comics/graphic novels. A case study on multi Oscar-nominated Room with director Lenny Abrahamson was a highlight of the course. Find Your Audience – a Marketing and Distribution Mentorship Programme in association with We Are the Tonic – was launched in April. It provided a practical environment for participants in the key principles and processes of film distribution and how to apply them directly to their projects. International speakers included Academy-Award winning producer, Gareth Ellis-Unwin (The King’s Speech, Kajaki); Andy Mayson, Co-CEO Altitude Film Entertainment; Chris Bird, Director of Content Strategy, Amazon Prime; Pete Buckingham, MAZ KANATA FROM STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS Co-founder of SampoMedia; Dave Shear, CEO of Shear Scott Pritchard, Compositing Supervisor at Industrial Light Entertainment; Simon Osborn, Head of Legal and Business and Magic delivered a VFX Masterclass on Star Wars: The Affairs at Protagonist Pictures; Lucy Savage, Content Distribution Force Awakens. Scott discussed ILM London’s work on Star and Digital Consultant; Adam Rubins, CEO of Way To Blue; Wars, focusing on a character created exclusively at the studio Jonathan Rutter, Director of Film at Premier PR; Oli Harbottle, – Maz Kanata. He detailed the challenges in taking her from Head of Distribution at Dogwoof Pictures; Jon Rushton, Head of concept art through to her performance on the big screen. Theatrical Distribution, Curzon Artificial Eye. 8 | A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 | 9 Big Stories on the Small Screen funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, The Irish Film Board and Screen Training Ireland was launched in late 2015 and continued in 2016. It focused on developing Irish skills in quality long-form screen drama. Big Stories supports Irish-resident screenwriters, producers and directors develop the skills necessary to craft a successful drama series for the international market. Participants completed a five-day project-based workshop and pitching session to local and international broadcasters. Ten projects were selected in a writers’ room led by David Isaacs (Mad Men, Frasier, The Simpsons) and Oscar nominee Tom Abrams, Professor of Screenwriting at USC. Participants and projects included: Laura Canavan-Hayes – The Female Banker Eoin Cleland and PJ Hart – The Watchlist Tom Collins – Pirate Queen Peter Delaney – Blood Harrow Gemma Doorly – Madam Devin John Doyle – Devoted Wife and Mother Niamh Gleeson – Hannah Golden Tara Jane Hegarty – Normal For North Lauren Mackenzie – Never Again, Again Nick Wilkinson & Senta Rich – Devils DEVIN JOHN DOYLE AND LAURA CANAVAN HAYES PARTICIATING IN BIG STORIES ON THE SMALL SCRREEN “A huge thank you to Big Stories for creating and facilitating an incredible week of creative learning and development. To “Wow – what a week! Thank you so much for all the all the hugely talented fellow writers, it is an honour to be in the energy and ideas. I feel like I’m part of the start of process with you and thanks for your generosity, energy and something big – the X movement!” ideas this week.” Senta Rich Laura Canavan-Hayes 10 | A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 | 11 Animation Base Camp an initiative of Once Were Farmers and “Working as a story artist at Basecamp in Glasgow was an The Animation Centrifuge, in partnership with Sony Pictures amazing learning experience. Together with a brilliantly Animation, Creative Scotland, and Midtnorsk Filmsenter and talented group of artists from Norway, Scotland and Ireland supported by Screen Training Ireland and Animation Skillsnet, we worked on the project alongside Director David Feiss was launched in 2016. and a team from Sony Pictures Animation in LA. Through regular google chats and constant feedback we were given This unique eight-week programme for animation graduates and an insight on the working process of a feature film animation emerging talent focused on developing the skills of animators, production.” enabling the transition from study to employment. Participants experienced a real production environment in feature animation, John O’Connell, Animation Base Camp participant pre-production with a strong focus on teamwork and problem solving. Relationships with industry professionals from Sony Pictures Animations and international studios and organisations were developed. Irish participants supported on Animation Basecamp 2016 included Katie Lyons, 2D Character Designer; John O’Connell, Story Artist and Dermot Lynskey, Editor. BASE CAMP PARTICIPANTS CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 12 | A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 A YEAR IN REVIEW 2016 | 13 The second VFX and Animation Graduate Traineeship programme was launched in October with a day-long symposium in Dublin. It featured a range of exciting talks and sessions with top international speakers on the latest creative and technological advances in these areas. The Irish animation and VFX sectors are