Screen Training Ireland –A Year in Review 2017 Cover image Angela’s Christmas, Brown Bag Films 03 Who We Are 05 What We Do 08 Key Initiatives 2017 18 Training Highlights 2017 34 Bursary Review 2017 36 Local Partnerships 38 Festivals 39 International Training Partnerships 47 Looking Ahead: 2018 and Beyond 02 Screen Training Ireland Review 2017 Who We Are Screen Training Ireland (STI) is the national screen training and development body, tailored for Ireland’s film and television industry. It was established in 1995 to provide ongoing training and career-development opportunities for professionals working in the screen industry. STI works with recognised industry professionals, both locally and internationally, to identify, design and deliver training for Irish professionals. Training programmes are offered to practitioners and companies to enhance their expertise in film, television, animation and interactive screen content. STI comes under the auspices of the Irish Film Board (IFB) since 2013. It is mainly funded by the IFB, third-party training partnerships and fee income. STI offers training for the changing needs of the Irish screen industry. STI developed and delivered over 47 courses in 2017 and allocated 1,115 places to participants. Of these training places 48% were allocated to female participants and 52% allocated to male participants. 03 Who We Are We also supported 23 masterclasses and workshops at leading Irish Film festivals, and seminars in partnership with various organisations throughout the year. Approximately 1,558 places were provided at these events in Dublin and throughout the country, of these 39% were allocated to female participants and 61% allocated to male participants. STI categorises skills needs in three core areas; creativity and creative collaboration (CCC), production and technical skills (P&T) and business and enterprise (B&E). STI also supports high-level international training opportunities through the Bursary Award scheme and through its support of programmes such as Guiding Lights, Inside Pictures, EAVE and ACE. Through the Bursary Award Scheme, 25 Irish industry professionals availed of funding to attend high-level training programmes and workshops with international companies and organisations. 04 Screen Training Ireland Review 2017 What We Do STI offers training opportunities in the following areas: • Business and enterprise training to enhance expertise in management and strategy development • Masterclasses and specialised programmes to help experienced professionals avail of advanced development opportunities • Programmes to meet long-term development needs in the creative areas of script, directing and producing • Short focused courses to meet updating, upgrading and transfer skills needs • Pathways to progression for technical professionals through traineeships, apprenticeships and bridging programmes • International training and the Bursary Award scheme which enables experienced professionals to participate in training opportunities internationally and where necessary, design a development opportunity customised to meet their individual needs. 05 What We Do An Ode to Love Key Initiatives 2017 STI delivered a range of key initiatives in 2017 aimed at retraining existing professionals in new technologies, developing new entrants, trainees and apprentices, nurturing individual creative talents through mentorships and enhancing business skills. 08 Screen Training Ireland Review 2017 — Creating Show Business: talent development and mentoring Entertainment TV creation seminar programmes for animation and VFX kicked off in January. The programme companies. Senior management tutored by TV producers, Larry Bass and teams, supervisors, HOD’s and training Philip Kamp, provided creative talent in personnel in VFX and animation studios the entertainment television sector in all took part in the programme. Many Ireland with the tools to devise cutting- forms of mentoring were included, edge programming. providing participating companies with clear guidelines for implementing — Chrysalis, an intensive, project- structured mentoring programmes based programme for development within their organisations. executives, producers and script editors, was launched in March. The Chrysalis — In early 2017 a Train the Trainer programme focused on developing initiative was launched to enhance the established and emerging writing talent skills of educators and trainers working while encouraging creative collaboration in further education, higher education, within the development process. Eight and training. This focused on targeting projects at mid-development stage skills in the teaching of industry- were selected and brought through the standard software and processes for development process. Workshops in animation and VFX. It enabled lecturers, the craft of screenwriting, tutored by trainers and educators to access Beth Serlin and Mary Kate O’Flanagan, professional training, enhancing their provided advice and feedback to the understanding of current creative teams. studio processes. — Screen Training Ireland was — A VFX and Animation Mentoring supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme was launched to facilitate programme and the Irish Film Board to the development and implementation deliver the Screen Leaders strategic of structured mentoring programmes company development and leadership for animation and VFX companies. programme. Hosting participating Senior management teams, supervisors, companies from across Europe, it took HOD’s and animation trainers in VFX and place in Ireland and Germany. animation studios all took part. — A Mentoring Skills Programme All aspects of the mentoring process tutored by talent specialist Laurie were covered providing participating Knell facilitated the development organisations with clear guidelines and and implementation of structured pathways for implementing structured 09 Key Initiatives 2017 mentoring programmes within their Shameless (Channel 4) as well as feature organisations. filmWhat Richard Did; Ciaran Donnelly, award-winning producer-director — Writing Animation with Barbara Slade of the upcoming Krypton as well as took participants through six days Harley And The Davidsons (Discovery), of intensive animation writing which Vikings (History Channel), Titanic: Blood mimicked a “real world” animation And Steel (Lionsgate) and The Tudors writer’s room process. Participating (Showtime); Neasa Hardiman, BAFTA- writers are developing their own winning director of Happy Valley (BBC / animation episodes and will attend a Netflix),Jessica Jones (Marvel / Netflix) second module in January, followed by and Z: The Beginning of Everything mentorship and detailed feedback. (Amazon); Lisa McGee, creator of Derry Girls, London Irish (Channel 4), — Big Stories on the Small Screen, screenwriter with Indian Summers, funded by the Broadcasting Authority of The White Queen, Being Human (BBC) Ireland, The Irish Film Board and Screen and Raw (RTÉ); Katie Holly and Yvonne Training Ireland, launched its second O’Donoghue, producers, Striking Out major initiative to develop skills in quality (RTÉ); Declan Croghan, creator, Life of long-form screen drama. This brought Crime, The Body Farm (ITV) and Ripper together eminent screen storytellers Street (BBC); Robert Quinn, director, from across the world to work with Irish Endeavour (ITV), Ackley Bridge (BBC) screen professionals and included a and No Offence (ITV); John Hayes, one-day conference in Dublin. director, Bancroft (ITV), Vera (ITV), Home Speakers included, Ronan Bennett, Fires (BBC); Lisa Mulcahy, director, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter of The Moonstone, Undercliffe (BBC) and the currently screening Gunpowder Red Rock (TV3); Gerard Barrett, writer/ (BBC), TV dramas Top Boy (Channel 4), director, Smalltown (TV3) as well as Hidden (BBC), 10 Days To War (BBC), feature films Brain on Fire, Glassland and The Hamburg Cell (Channel 4), feature Pilgrim Hill. films includingPublic Enemies. He Big Stories continues into 2018. is also an acclaimed novelist whose Participants selected following the works include Zugzwang, Havoc, In Its seminar will embark on a five-day Third Year and The Catastrophist. Other project-based workshop to include speakers included Malcolm Campbell, a pitching session to local and showrunner of Ackley Bridge (BBC), international broadcasters. screenwriter, The White Queen (BBC), 10 Screen Training Ireland Review 2017 WOW! Just WOW! What a day you put together on Saturday. Thank you so much for a really brilliant event. It was packed with such interesting and inspirational info and people. I’m definitely going to get my best thinking cap on for the second round. Enda Hughes, Writer/Director The whole day was really inspiring. Conor Morrissey, Director I loved hearing all the amazing world- class speakers share their valuable insight. Hearing them speak about their work was incredibly exciting. Cherley Kane, Actress It was a privilege and a pleasure to welcome such an array of international and Irish talent to the stage through Big Stories. The speakers were generous and candid in their discussions of their work. Feedback has been stellar. We’re looking forward to our next event! Neasa Hardiman, Writer/Director and creator of Big Stories 11 Key Initiatives 2017 01 02 06 12 Screen Training Ireland Review 2017 03 01 Reed Morano 02–03 Big Stories Conference with writer Ronan Bennett and director Reed Morano 04 Martin Scorsese with President Michael D Higgins 05 Screen Leaders Alumni 2017 06 Directing Actors