Brand new Media Production Diploma launching at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios in 2018

boomsatsuma are delighted to announce that in 2018 they are partnering with The Bottle Yard Studios to launch an exciting, brand new full-time Media Production Diploma that will be delivered at the Studios, the largest dedicated film and TV production facility in the West of England.

Applications are now open for the two-year Media Production Diploma course which will begin in September 2018. Open to young people aged 16-19, the course will be taught on site at The Bottle Yard Studios and will consist of real-world creative projects including filmmaking, TV production, photography, events management, animation graphic design, production design, sound design and more. Alongside these curriculum-facing projects will be a number of extra opportunities that will arise from the unique location of the course at a living and breathing TV and Film facility, including work placements on active productions, behind the scenes set tours and insights, use of facilities and runner positions.

“We’re building a unique experience for young people in collaboration with The Bottle Yard Studios, an organisation which already has a strong history of supporting young artistic talent”, says Elliot Lamb, Post-16 Programme Lead, boomsatsuma. “This course will offer unprecedented opportunities to get close to the action, rub shoulders with industry professionals and partake in projects often reserved for individuals much older than 16-19 years old. We’re expecting the course to be competitive and fill up fast, but we’re also especially keen to attract young people from the areas surrounding the studios in South Bristol to reflect the local community.”

Describing the course as “a milestone for the company”, Mark Curtis, Creative Director of boomsatsuma says; ‘We’re a company that prides ourselves in building specialist provision in the right contexts that can lead to positive progression for our young people. This exciting collaboration gives us a prime opportunity to blend a nationally significant location with a nationally recognised education provider. Projects of this style, opportunities of this magnitude and these levels of support are unique to boomsatsuma’s programmes.”

Fiona Francombe, Site Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, said “Bristol is well known for its strong crew base that successfully services the high levels of production we’re currently seeing in the region. But an industry is only as strong as its next generation of workers, and although we regularly team up with local and national partners to host training schemes and skills boot camps, we’ve been keen to offer a more permanent skills education programme at The Bottle Yard for some time.

“We’re therefore delighted to be hosting boomsatsuma’s exciting new Media Production Diploma course; this is a relevant, formal qualification for Bristol’s young people that will shed proper light on the different types of film & TV career available, removing the air of mystery that young people tell us surrounds the industry. A structured classroom learning experience delivered at a working Studio site, with hands-on experience and the chance to connect with people already working on productions – I can’t think of a better starting point for a young person looking to make well-informed choices about how to move into paid employment post education. We’re also pleased to confirm there will be a special drive to recruit students from the South Bristol area surrounding the Studios – a part of Bristol that is in particular need of positive skills initiatives to help its young people aspire to reach their future goals and ambitions.”

Councillor Anna Keen, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “Bristol’s film sector is booming and makes a significant contribution to the local economy by providing jobs, generating much needed revenue for local firms and bringing visitors to the city. Bristol’s recent success in being named a UNESCO City of Film is testament to a thriving industry which The Bottle Yard Studios play a key role in developing.

“To support the continued success of this sector and ensure the benefits are shared across the city there needs to be a focus on talent and skills development. The recent UNESCO announcement recognised Bristol as a centre for industry skills and we are keen to build on that success through this new diploma. Along with partners in the industry and our own skills development programmes we will continue to identify and promote opportunities and secure a sustainable future for Bristol’s film sector.”

The OCR Cambridge Technicals Extended Diploma in Media is a nationally recognised qualification equivalent to 3 A Levels and worth up to 168 UCAS tariff points. Paired with a broad experience of varied real-world projects, teamwork, industry insight and potentially even newly garnered professional relationships, the course will equip young people with a range of skills and experience to enable them to choose a career progression route that suits them, whether that be university, an apprenticeship, further training, employment or freelancing.

Applications are invited now, with 20 spaces available on the course. For more information and how to apply, visit http://www.boomsatsuma.education/bottleyard.

For more information about the Media Production Diploma at The Bottle Yard Studios, contact Elliot Lamb, Post-16 Programme Lead, boomsatsuma education  – [email protected] / 07895204774

The Media Production Diploma at The Bottle Yard Studios is delivered in collaboration with Bristol, UNESCO City of Film.