Action!
Welcome to Action!
Liverpool Film Office’s new skills development programme
Over three years, Liverpool Film Office is aiming to support 1,000 people into the industry by delivering an innovative, free-to-access skills programme to build a stronger, diverse screen sector in the Liverpool City Region.
Action! has been made possible through £2.3m of BFI National Lottery funding which was awarded to Screen Alliance North, a new skills cluster partnership delivered by Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire.
The partnership aims to make the screen sector more accessible and representative and to build a thriving and skilled workforce across the North of England.
Action! will offer a range of free-to-all courses and career development training that will include:
- Career surgeries
- Basic training
- Workshops
- Industry bootcamps
- Access to additional employability assets
- Masterclasses
The opportunities are available to anyone who meets the following criteria:
- Aged 18 & over (there is no upper age limit)
- You must have the right to work in the UK
- You must live in the Liverpool City Region
- You cannot be in further or higher education
- You must have less than 3 broadcast standard credits
To gain access to these opportunities you need to register on the Liverpool Film Office Crew Database as a new entrant in the department that most interests you.
Please note that this initiative is not designed for acting roles but for those interested in behind the scenes/crew roles.
FAQs
How do I join Action! ?
To join Action! you need to register on the Liverpool Film Office crew database here.
You will then be added to the distribution list for all Action! training and events. As and when we are running courses, you will be sent information by email about how to apply.
All registrations are subject to approval by the Crew Development Manager. Once approved, you will receive an email to say you have been approved and then a welcome email to the Action! programme.
Will I be able to see my profile on the database?
If you are completely new to the industry and don’t yet have any industry related credits, your profile will only be visible to the Liverpool Film Office team.
Once you have completed training or undertaken a paid work placement you will then be added to the main crew database as a new entrant in the department you have chosen to pursue.
Production companies and senior crew will then be able to find you on the database when looking for a trainee. The Liverpool Film Office database is publicly searchable.
If you already have one or two credits but have joined Action! your profile will show on the Liverpool Film Office database.
It is generally understood that you need three ‘broadcast standard’ credits to become a full crew member. Our goal through Action! is to help you achieve full crew status.
How do I get on an introductory course?
Due to the high volume of interest in each course, you will need to fill in an application form.
These forms will ask specific questions to ensure that the eligibility criteria for our funding is met. There will also be questions that provide you a chance to tell us a bit more about you and why you want to pursue a career in the film and TV industry.
There are no right or wrong answers, these forms just allow those reviewing the applications to ensure you’re taking the right course for your interest.
Our funding allows us to support each person on one introductory course.
This means that once you have undertaken an introductory course, you cannot attend another.
What happens after I apply?
All applications are assessed by our Crew Development Manager and an industry colleague from the department related to the course you have applied for.
Once assessment of all applications has taken place, you will be informed of the outcome.
Due to the high demand for these free-to-access courses, if you are not successful, please do not give up, there are plenty of other opportunities that are planned over the next few years.
What happens after I complete training?
Once you have completed an introductory course you become a full Action! member.
These introductory courses are designed to prepare trainees for a career in film and TV while providing an insight into your chosen department.
Once you have completed an introductory course, our focus moves onto finding you a paid work placement on film and TV productions coming to the Liverpool City Region.
There will be additional workshops, masterclasses and events over the year which will help you to specialise in certain areas tailored to you. The Crew Development Manager will then email you further opportunities that are most appropriate to you.
How will I graduate from Action! ?
The aim of Action! is for trainees to secure paid work and achieve at least three broadcast credits, meaning you will become a full crew member on the Liverpool Film Office database.
From the time Action! members undertook their first course, the team have allowed an 18-month period to support them into paid work.
Some members may graduate sooner than 18 months because they already have some industry credits or managed to build on the training and work placements.
For anyone who does not achieve three full credits, there will be an opportunity to have a one-to-one session with the Crew Development Manager to discuss next steps.
I have worked on set and have one or two credits, do I need this training?
Our introductory courses are aimed at people who do not have any previous experience and are designed to prepare new entrants for their first few days at work, giving an overview of how production works.
If you have already completed a few days working on a set, you are probably already familiar with a lot of the information given on the introductory courses.
Every new entrant on our database has their profile assessed by Liverpool Film Office. If you already have some credits then you will automatically become a full Action! member.
Full Action! members will still receive information about events and career development training but will not receive information about the introductory courses.
Once you have completed an introductory course, our focus moves onto finding you a paid work placement on film and TV productions coming to the Liverpool City Region.
How do I join Action! ?
To join Action! you need to register on the Liverpool Film Office crew database here.
You will then be added to the distribution list for all Action! training and events. As and when we are running courses, you will be sent information by email about how to apply.
All registrations are subject to approval by the Crew Development Manager. Once approved, you will receive an email to say you have been approved and then a welcome email to the Action! programme.
Will I be able to see my profile on the database?
If you are completely new to the industry and don’t yet have any industry related credits, your profile will only be visible to the Liverpool Film Office team.
Once you have completed training or undertaken a paid work placement you will then be added to the main crew database as a new entrant in the department you have chosen to pursue.
Production companies and senior crew will then be able to find you on the database when looking for a trainee. The Liverpool Film Office database is publicly searchable.
If you already have one or two credits but have joined Action! your profile will show on the Liverpool Film Office database.
It is generally understood that you need three ‘broadcast standard’ credits to become a full crew member. Our goal through Action! is to help you achieve full crew status.
How do I get on an introductory course?
Due to the high volume of interest in each course, you will need to fill in an application form.
These forms will ask specific questions to ensure that the eligibility criteria for our funding is met. There will also be questions that provide you a chance to tell us a bit more about you and why you want to pursue a career in the film and TV industry.
There are no right or wrong answers, these forms just allow those reviewing the applications to ensure you’re taking the right course for your interest.
Our funding allows us to support each person on one introductory course.
This means that once you have undertaken an introductory course, you cannot attend another.
What happens after I apply?
All applications are assessed by our Crew Development Manager and an industry colleague from the department related to the course you have applied for.
Once assessment of all applications has taken place, you will be informed of the outcome.
Due to the high demand for these free-to-access courses, if you are not successful, please do not give up, there are plenty of other opportunities that are planned over the next few years.
What happens after I complete training?
Once you have completed an introductory course you become a full Action! member.
These introductory courses are designed to prepare trainees for a career in film and TV while providing an insight into your chosen department.
Once you have completed an introductory course, our focus moves onto finding you a paid work placement on film and TV productions coming to the Liverpool City Region.
There will be additional workshops, masterclasses and events over the year which will help you to specialise in certain areas tailored to you. The Crew Development Manager will then email you further opportunities that are most appropriate to you.
How will I graduate from Action! ?
The aim of Action! is for trainees to secure paid work and achieve at least three broadcast credits, meaning you will become a full crew member on the Liverpool Film Office database.
From the time Action! members undertook their first course, the team have allowed an 18-month period to support them into paid work.
Some members may graduate sooner than 18 months because they already have some industry credits or managed to build on the training and work placements.
For anyone who does not achieve three full credits, there will be an opportunity to have a one-to-one session with the Crew Development Manager to discuss next steps.
I have worked on set and have one or two credits, do I need this training?
Our introductory courses are aimed at people who do not have any previous experience and are designed to prepare new entrants for their first few days at work, giving an overview of how production works.
If you have already completed a few days working on a set, you are probably already familiar with a lot of the information given on the introductory courses.
Every new entrant on our database has their profile assessed by Liverpool Film Office. If you already have some credits then you will automatically become a full Action! member.
Full Action! members will still receive information about events and career development training but will not receive information about the introductory courses.
Once you have completed an introductory course, our focus moves onto finding you a paid work placement on film and TV productions coming to the Liverpool City Region.
If you have any questions, please email crew@liverpool.gov.uk