The Guardian’s predictions for the media industry in 2016 featured COO Minnie Crowe’s thoughts on how broadcasters and production companies can continue to address the diversity challenge both on and off screen in 2016.
Category: News
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Minnie Crowe in The Guardian
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Happy New Year!
A huge Happy New Year to all out network!
2016 has launched off the starting blocks with lots of opportunities in the first few weeks of the year. Have a look below and see if there’s something for you:
Get A Grip
Our initiative with Creative Skillset’s Trainee Finder Programme. We’re searching for behind the camera talent with LESS than two year’s professional experience who are looking to launch their careers in high end TV drama. This talent search is taking us all over the UK with the following opportunities coming up soon:
Wednesday 3rd February 6.30 – 8.00pm BRISTOL
We’re holding an open evening in Bristol at the Arnolfini for those interested in finding out more about this programme in the South West. It’s free to attend of course, but we do ask that you register online so we know how many people are coming!
To register go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/triforce-creative-network-and-creative-skillset-present-get-a-grip-get-ready-for-a-career-behind-tickets-20072721049
Saturday & Sunday 5th & 6th March MANCHESTER
We’re holding a Microshorts Workshop in Manchester at Studio Manchester for those who are interested in joining the Trainee Finder programme. The ONLY criteria is that you are interested in working in a behind the camera role in TV drama (i.e. camera operator, sound operative, make up artist, production co-orindator etc…) and have LESS than two year’s professional experience.
The workshops is free, but places are limited, so you must apply before midnight on 31st January 2016!
To apply to take part in the MANCHESTER workshop go to: http://competitions.hiive.co.uk/Opportunities/Brief/c2c11732-19e4-454a-828a-a54100d1e5a0#Overview
Saturday & Sunday 9th & 10th April LEEDS
We’re holding a Microshorts Workshop in LEEDS at Duke Studios for those who are interested in joining the Trainee Finder programme. The ONLY criteria is that you are interested in working in a behind the camera role in TV drama (i.e. camera operator, sound operative, make up artist, production co-orindator etc…) and have LESS than two year’s professional experience.
The workshops is free but places are limited, so you must apply before midnight on 31st January 2016!
To apply to take part in the LEEDS workshop go to: http://competitions.hiive.co.uk/Opportunities/Brief/68b3f540-644b-42b9-9984-a53a010ecdfd#Overview
We’ll be holding further Microshorts workshops in London and Bristol to help find more people to take through to Trainee Finder. Keep your eyes on the website for details!
MonologueSlam UK
Saturday 16th January LEEDS Auditions
MonologueSlam is back with a bang with our first event in Leeds on 13th February with Chizzy Akudolu hosting. There’s still a few spaces left for the auditions on Saturday 16th January. To book your place go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/triforce-and-west-yorkshire-playhouse-present-monologueslam-uk-leeds-auditions-spring-2016-tickets-19573915107
We’ll shortly be announcing the first London and Birmingham auditions of the year so make sure you’re signed up to our mailing list to find out first!
Make 2016 your year and come and get involved.
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TriForce Short Film Festival 2015 – Winners Announced!
The 4th annual TriForce Short Film Festival took place this Saturday at BAFTA. We showed 16 shortlisted films throughout the day, with our 4 finalists shown at the red carpet gala in the evening.
The winners were annoucned on the night, with 3 prizes up for grabs.
The top prize of the evening, the Best of the Fest Award, supported by Channel 4, went to the team behind Family Reunion, directed by David Kitchen and produced by Karen Bryson (pictured above). The team win a cash prize of £1000 along with a career development opportunity with supporters Channel 4.
We also announced the winner of the Best Documentary Award, supported by Shiver. This prize went to Teddy Nygh and the team at Fully Focussed Productions, with their film highlighting the work of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. They were joined on stage by some of the young people who were featured in the film. The team win a £250 cash prize and director Teddy will meet with Shiver’s MD Alexander Gardiner in the new year to discuss his career.
The audience selected the final award – the Audience Choice Award supported by Directors UK and Red Planet Pictures. This prize went to director Abigail Blackmore for her film Vintage Blood. The team win a £500 cash prize and Abigail will meet with Red Planet Pictures in the new year to discuss potential shadowing opportunities on their 2016 productions.
To check out the winners and details for all the shortlisted and finalist films, please go to: http://tfsff.com/shortlisted-films/
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What is Shorts TV?
We’re talking to some of our TriForce Short Film Festival partners about what they do to support filmmakers. Here’s Sebastien de Lame, EMEA Sales & Marketing Manager from Shorts TV explaining how their platform for short film works. Carter Pilcher, the CEO of Shorts TV is one of our judges, with Chris Tidman, their VP of Acquisitions speaking on the There’s No Business Like Short Business seminar on 5th December at BAFTA. Make sure you’ve got your ticket booked!
Can you tell us a bit about Shorts TV and what you do?
ShortsTV is a 24/7 HD TV channel dedicated to short movies. Available across the US, Europe and Africa, we bring audiences the best professionally produced short films from around the world as well as original programming on the global short film scene. We also have a short movie on demand service available on iTunes and other online platforms, and every year we are responsible for the theatrical distribution of the Oscar Nominated Short Films in cinemas across the US and Europe.How do film-makers get involved?
Filmmakers submit their films to our acquisitions team in London or LA, usually via an online link. If the film is suitable and a deal is agreed then they are invited to also provide us with a filmed introduction and to send us any “making of” or behind the scenes footage they might have. Our production team regularly interviews filmmakers for our original productions, further helping them to gain exposure on the world stage.ShortsTV also travels to film festivals to host The Pitch, a competition which gives filmmakers the opportunity to pitch their next short film idea to us for the chance to win €5000 towards its production.
What are the benefits of showcasing your work on Shorts TV?
ShortsTV reaches millions of households across the US, Europe and Africa and so we provide a great opportunity for international exposure. We also actively help films and festivals gain appropriate international awards consideration.Many of the filmmakers who have entered The Pitch competition have gone on to achieve great success. For example, Dutch filmmaker Rob Luecker’s winning pitch went on to win the Golden Calf award at the Netherlands Film Festival, while Eva Sigurdardottir, who won The Pitch at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, recently won the 2015 London Calling award for the film, Rainbow Party.
What are your plans for Shorts TV in the future?
We’re actively trying to increase the distribution of our channel around the world and grow our audiences wherever we operate. Hopefully 2016 will see the arrival of ShortsTV in new markets, including here in the UK. We’re also focusing on the theatrical release of the 2016 Oscar Nominated Short Films in February. This year we distributed the films to 475 US cinemas and 100 European cinemas and we’re aiming to increase our reach in 2016.For more information about ShortsTV visit our website: www.shorts.tv or follow us on social media:
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WriterSlam Finalists Announced!
The next WriterSlam UK will be on Thursday 19th November, and we have now chosen the 5 writers who will be showcased at the event.
The finalist will take part in a workshop with veteran producer Michael Jacob, (My Family, Goodnight Sweetheart), who will help them polish their script extracts in preparation for the event on 19th November.
They will have their extracts performed on the night, with career development prizes up for grabs from Tiger Aspect Productions, who will be offering a paid development commission, as well as prizes Hat Trick Productions, the BBC and ITV/ITV Studios.
The shortlisted writers are:
- Halida Abbaro – Mersey Cumparsita
- Lynda Clark – Them Indoors
- Ravdeep Mangat – All Around Avi
- Rafiq Richard – Black Sheep
- Esosa Uwaifo – Life Of A Roadman
Congratulations to all!
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WriterSlam Longlist Selected!
The next WriterSlam UK will be on Thursday 19th November, and with the show fast approaching, the TriForce team have been busy whittling down the enormous number of entries.
The longlist have now been informed and a shortlist of just 20 writers will be announced on Monday 26th October, with the 5 finalists announced on Thursday 29th October.
The finalist will take part in a workshop with veteran producer Michael Jacob, (My Family, Goodnight Sweetheart), who will help them polish their script extracts in preparation for the event on 19th November.
Key Dates:
Shortlist Announced: Monday 26th October
Finalists Announced: Thursday 29th October
Finalists Workshop: Saturday 31st October
WriterSlam UK: Thursday 19th November
Congratulations to our longlist and well done to everyone who entered the competition. The standard was once again very high and it was a tough job to choose!
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Tickets On Sale for TriForce Short Film Festival!
You can now buy tickets to the TriForce Short Film Festival, a fantastic career development focussed opportunity for directors, producers and below the line talent!
The TriForce Short Film Festival was set up to support directors, producers, writers and below the line talent to encourage, support and provide access to diverse emerging creatives. Its aim is to give a platform for innovative storytelling and content production, connect creatives with industry professionals and offer guidance, information and opportunities to build sustainable careers.
The TriForce Short Film Festival 2015 will again be held at the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in London on Saturday 5 December 2015. The 16 shortlisted films will be screened across the day and the four finalists screened in the evening at the red carpet gala event. The festival will also include an exciting programme of seminars provided by leading industry panels, focusing on areas of career development for short film makers and below the line talent, and the issue of diversity behind the camera, as well as an all day industry Expo, with exhibitors from BFI Network, 4Talent, Trainee Finder and Hiive, the Mama Youth Project and of course the TriForce Creative Network. Tickets for the festival are now available via tfsff.com
SCREENINGS, SEMINARS & EXPO – COME TO TFSFF 2015 TO DEVELOP YOUR CAREER
We’ve a packed programme starting at 11.00am on Saturday 5th December. We’re taking over BAFTA with 4 screenings showing our 16 shortlisted films in the Princess Anne Theatre, all paired with a pre-screening seminar each with a fantastic industry panel.You can check out the full itinerary on the film festival website – tfsff.com
In keeping with TriForce’s ethos of enabling access for all, we’ve kept ticket prices as low as possible, with tickets starting at just £10 for the Microshorts screening and pre-screening seminar, which also gives access to the Industry Expo in BAFTA’s David Lean Room.
Our best value ticket is an all access Day Pass, allowing entry to all 4 screenings, all 4 seminars and the industry expo. For just £35 you can bag one of these, giving you the opportunity to hang out all day at BAFTA and watch the best in short film talent!
Check out the full itinerary here, including seminars, speakers and screenings.
INDUSTRY JUDGES AND RED CARPET AWARDS CEREMONY
We’re very pleased to confirm our judging panel for the festival – including Carter Pilcher (CEO Shots International), Isaac Densu (Commissioning Editor, All 4Shorts), Marianne Jean Baptiste (Actor), Noel Clarke (Producer, Director, Writer, Actor), Natalie Teming-Amoako (Executive Producer, The Disney Channel), Destiny Ekaragha (Director), and Alexander Gardiner (MD, Shiver).These judges will be selecting the 16 shortlisted films and the 4 finalists, before choosing the top film which will be awarded the Best of the Fest Award, supported by Channel 4. We will also be awarding an Audience Choice Award and a Documentary Award (supported by Shiver). The awards will be presented at a glittering reception and screening at BAFTA on the evening of Saturday 5th December, followed by an exclusive after party. There are very limited tickets available for the Gala, which can also be booked through tfsff.com
DON’T MISS OUT! BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW
It’s our biggest event of the year, don’t miss out on the chance to see fantastic new film-making talent, network with the industry and hear from the experts on how to develop your career – whether you’re a camera operator, editor, make-up artist, or director. If you’re interested in working in film or TV, or moving to the next level in your field, this is the place to be.Book your tickets online now: tfsff.com
TFSFF 2015 Partners include: Channel 4, The Mama Youth Project, Creative Skillset, BFI Network, National Film & Television School, Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund, Shiver TV, Duchess St Productions, M.A.C Cosmetics, BAFTA Guru and 4Talent.
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Get Ready for a Career Behind the Lens!
TriForce Creative Network and Creative Skillset present: Get A Grip – Get Ready for a Career Behind the Lens!
Are you interested in working behind the camera on TV projects such as Poldark, This is England ’90, Peaky Blinders or Mr Selfridge?
Getting your foot in the door can be hard, right?
The TCN have teamed up with Creative Skillset to support emerging talent from under-represented backgrounds getting into training placements in TV. Trainee Finder covers all areas behind the camera, from sound, to VFX to hair and make-up.
Through the Trainee Finder programme production companies across the UK get the chance to hire the best trainees in the business. Which could be you.
Trainee Finder is closed to general applications right now, but by coming through the TCN programme you can still apply.
We’re holding open evenings in Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and London for people to find out more about this fantastic opportunity and how to apply. The open evenings are open to ALL and free to attend. Come along and we’ll tell you all about how Trainee Finder works and how to apply.
So what are you waiting for? There’s nothing to lose, so come along and find out how to get your career in television off to a flying start.Check out the events calendar for details of each event. Our first will be in Manchester on Saturday 17th October. You can book a free ticket here.
You can find out more about Trainee Finder on Hiive, the professional network for creative people. https://app.hiive.co.uk/traineefinder/
This programme is funded by Creative Skillset’s Skills Investment Fund.
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TriForce at the Edinburgh TV Fest!
For those of you who weren’t in Edinburgh this year, our CEO Fraser Ayres was speaking on a panel at Ed TV Fest at the issue of encouraging more diverse voices writing for TV.
You can now watch the full seminar online, check it out below!
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WriterSlam Tips from Pete Thornton
To help all of you entering WriterSlam, we asked Pete Thornton, Head of Comedy for Tiger Aspect, to give you some insider knowledge on what he’s looking for from WriterSlam entries…
Why did you decide to get involved with WriterSlam?
I’ve been aware of TriForce and the work they do for many years. When they approached me about WriterSlam it struck me as a very clear, simple and hopefully effective initiative. It’s relatively easy to position yourselves as promoters of diverse talent, but some schemes struggle to then really connect with the industry through overly complicated or slightly muddy proposals. WriterSlam immediately struck me as a properly thought through idea from people who know how the industry works, warts and all, and have the skills and drive to change the elements that need changing and make a real, concrete difference.
Why is finding diverse voices important to you and Tiger Aspect?
Quite simply, if the programming coming out of the TV industry isn’t properly reflecting the make up of it’s audience then it’s missing it’s main purpose and flirting with becoming irrelevant. We are here to hopefully delight and surprise audiences, but also to serve them. If there are whole segments of the country who look through the programme guide and feel that there’s nothing there tailor-made for them, then obviously we aren’t doing our job. We’ve tried making programming for diverse audiences in the past without using diverse writers, and those projects have more often than not proven (perhaps unsurprisingly) to be catastrophic failures. When predominantly middle class, middle aged, white TV producers and execs try to second guess what young, urban, diverse, working class viewers want, then obviously you’re asking for trouble. This is why we so clearly need the route and branch overhaul of the industry that’s finally gathering momentum.
It’s not that TV producers have read fantastic diverse scripts and deliberately turned their back on them, that would be insane – everyone loves a great piece of writing no matter where it comes from. Likewise no-one would intentionally suppress the career of a promising BAME producer or director, TV isn’t an institutionally racist industry – we don’t stop and search young black people in corridors looking for concealed stationary – but the issue is that there just aren’t enough people from diverse backgrounds who feel they’re qualified, or suitable, or just plain welcome to try a career in telly, and that’s completely unacceptable.
The situation in terms of crews and talent behind the camera is being looked at through other initiatives now up and running with most of the major broadcasters. What I’m interested in is in getting a message out to anyone from a diverse background who ever thought of writing for comedy that the door is very much open – yes especially at Tiger, but I’m sure also at other Indies across the country.
Writing for comedy is not easy, and of course not everyone will succeed, but it’s our job, working alongside the team at Triforce to spot talent and give it the assistance, training and encouragement that it needs to grow and flourish.
A development commission is an amazing prize! What can the winner expect to happen?
We always pay proper fees to writers if they’re undertaking significant development work with us so the first thing we would do is to commission a treatment from the winning writer. This may seem like a retrograde step if a segment of script already exists, but a well written, clear, precise and hopefully entertaining document setting out the main building blocks of the show really helps to make sure everyone is on the same page. Primarily this should be about character – as all comedy comes from great characters – why they’re funny individually, why they’re funny in different combinations, what their ambitions are, what their general attitudes to life are and so on. Whilst there are other elements to a treatment (premise/setting/episode outlines/sample dialogue etc.), great character descriptions featuring clearly interesting, fun and original people are the most important pieces in the jigsaw, unlike drama, which is much more about compelling story. I only mention this in detail here as actually it’s really worth anyone thinking of submitting work to this initiative to spend proper time thinking about their characters before they put pen to paper.
Whilst we’re working together on this selling document we’ll be thinking about the best possible home for the idea from the various broadcast platforms on offer. Normally one or two obvious channels emerge and we’ll work with the writer to shape the treatment, and re-write the script sample s/he originally came up with until it feels properly bespoke for them. We’ll also help with preparation for any meetings that might be required. If the idea appeals to the broadcaster in question then they’ll have a chance to input creatively themselves at this stage and then if we’re all happy they’ll commission a script. The team at Tiger will remain on hand to help wherever we can in terms of script editing and general advice for as long as it takes. We’ve obviously been through the process before so hopefully can offer proper, intelligent support as we appreciate how hard it is to put pen to paper, let alone to do so to some sort of timetable and incorporating notes and suggestions from others involved in the creative process. Lots of support and encouragement will be provided.
Do you have any tips about what sort of projects you’re looking for?
Ones with brilliant jokes would be nice! It’s not easy to write great storylines featuring both believable dialogue and fantastic jokes, but this is (unfortunately) the job in hand. Often it’s the jokes that fall by the wayside. The old maxim of ‘write what you know’ holds true I think. As I said earlier, focus on character above all else. We get sent a lot of ideas which are largely concerned with the premise of the show. For me the premise is less important, you really just want a believable, understandable and familiar world that will form a great backdrop for lots of stories to play out over (hopefully) many episodes. So, don’t get hung up on highly original settings or unusual situations. Audiences want to spend time with people they can relate to (people like them or friends/relatives that they know) in situations they’ve experienced themselves and feel comfortable with. This is why a lot of successful comedies have quite dull or apparently unexciting situations – a school, an office, a family, a suburb of London. It’s also why shows set in fantastical settings such as space, or post apocalyptic worlds, or the future, are really hard to pull off.
Other than that we don’t want to be too prescriptive on what sorts of projects we’re after. There’s a fashion for quite bright, fast paced, upbeat comedy at the moment, so that’s worth bearing in mind – that and remembering to include the jokes of course.
Will you accept sketch shows?
Yes. Sketch shows have been out of favour for a while but the appetite for them is coming back. That said, not all broadcasters feel this way (C4, for instance, have said that they’re not in the running for one), so bear in mind that if you take one on then you’re narrowing your choices in terms of potential buyers. Also it’s really important to try to give any sketch show a sense of cohesion. Lots of disparate ideas thrown together are not going to make the grade. Sketch shows need themes, or a strong look, or some sort of hook that’s going to make the whole thing feel like a well loved and properly shaped half hour. Think about what elements your sketch show will need to make it feel really fresh and original, in a genre that many people have tried over the years (believing, mistakenly, that it’s easier to write than half hour narrative). Easier said than done!
Good Luck!
Pete
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The TCN & David Oyelowo in the Radio Times
After last night’s fantastic MonologueSlam LA Edition, we’re very excited to be in the Radio Times this morning, in an article by our wonderful patron David Oyelowo!
Whilst looking at the exodus of diverse talent to the US, David talks about the importance of organisations who work to promote inclusivity.
“The work of organisations like TriForce Creative Network, of which I am now a patron, is invaluable. TriForce gives people from diverse backgrounds a place and forum to grow, builds solidarity and a platform to be heard, and this is crucial.”
You can read the full article here.
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TriForce Short Film Festival Submissions Open!
We are pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the TriForce Short Film Festival 2015!
The TriForce Short Film Festival was set up to support the careers of film directors, producers, below the line talent and screenwriters working in the short independent film sector and to increase diversity and collaboration in short film production. Its aim is to find and acknowledge innovative storytelling and connect filmmakers and industry professionals.
In keeping with TriForce’s ethos of enabling access for all, submission fees have been reduced this year! We are pleased to announce that we are bringing back the Microshorts category this year for films under 5 minutes, still free for filmmakers to submit. And for films between 5 and 20 minutes, submission fees start from as low as 25 Euros for Early Bird entries.
The TriForce Short Film Festival 2015 will again be held at the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in London on 5 December 2015. Filmmakers can submit films via the dedicated film festival website; tfsff.com. Finalists will be chosen from the submissions, 16 shortlisted films will be screened on the day of the festival and the four finalists at a red carpet gala event on Saturday 5 December. The festival will also include a diverse programme of seminars, focusing on areas of career development for film makers and below the line talent, provided by leading industry panels. Tickets for the festival will be available viatfsff.com in the coming weeks.
Confirmed judges for 2015 include:Marianne Jean Baptiste – Actor/Producer
Lindsey Bender – Television Executive for Creative Artists Agency
Carter Pilcher – CEO Shorts International
Noel Clarke – Actor/Writer/Producer/DirectorWe offer two awards for TFSFF 2015, Best of the Fest and the Audience Choice Award. Both awards have a cash prize and a career development opportunity attached. 2014’s winners were awarded shadowing opportunities with Red Planet Pictures and MAMA Youth Project’s Sky 1 show “What’s Up”.
We are using the online platform FestHome.com for submissions this year. The site lists film festivals all over the UK and Europe, so once you’ve registered and uploaded your film, you can enter not only the TriForce Short Film Festival, but also a variety of other festivals, increasing the exposure for your project.
TFSFF accepts films of ALL genres, including documentaries. Films must be between 5 and 20 minutes, including credits. If your film is under 5 minutes, please submit it to the Microshorts section.
FestHome charges an administration fee to submit your film into festivals. For TFSFF 2015, the administration fee is €1.50. We have reduced our submission prices to absorb this fee where possible. Please note that all fees are in Euros.
Submission Fees:
Microshorts (films under 5 minutes including credits)
FestHome Admin Fee: €1.50
TFSFF Fee: Free
Total: €1.50General Submissions: (films between 5 and 20 minutes including credits)
Until 14th August
FestHome Admin Fee: €1.50
TFSFF Fee: €23.50
Total: €2515th August – 11th September
FestHome Admin Fee: €1.50
TFSFF Fee: €28.50
Total: €3012th September – 18th September
FestHome Admin Fee: €1.50
TFSFF Fee: €33.50
Total: €35For further information please go to our dedicated website – tfsff.com
