Bad Wolf & It’s My Shout Productions
The Challenge
- To engage with individuals facing barriers to participation in underrepresented communities in order to enrich and strengthen the TV & Film Industry in Wales.
- To engage neurodivergent individuals in the creative industries.
- To develop a pathway into the TV & Film Industry for young creatives.
The Solution
The partnership between Bad Wolf and IMS entered its 4th year in 2022. The business’ support enabled the production of two blocks of industry standard short dramas. They were made in collaboration with communities in socially deprived areas of Wales, where individuals feel excluded from the process, due to the perception that creation of content is left to others from more privileged backgrounds. The resulting films were broadcast on BBC and S4C.
CultureStep supported the partnership by funding three outreach events and travel for participant, breaking down barriers to participation. This made opportunities more accessible to those in isolated / rural areas, as well as for those on the neurodivergent spectrum and in need of additional support.
The Results
The project reached 300 participants from across Wales, which included 30 neurodivergent individuals. 120 of the participants who would otherwise not have been able to engage with the opportunity, benefitted from free transportation.
Over a fifth of the participants have continued to work in the sector. In addition to this, many others are continuing to develop their skills through further education, higher education and independent learning, and will be welcome to upskill on future IMS productions.
The Endorsement
Bad Wolf has benefitted by association with the great outreach work of It’s My Shout via the screening programme, production of the films, their work with community partners and broadcast credits. We were also able to invite our staff to the screening events to investigate the new talent working on the films.
Hannah Raybould, Bad Wolf
IMS and Bad Wolf share the same ethos in creating opportunities for young/inexperienced people across Wales, irrespective of circumstances or adversity that stands in their way, therefore enriching the sector with stronger local engagement and talented new voices.
Our ability to reach, over 300 participants from across Wales, many of whom had no experience in this industry or perhaps had never considered a career within it, is regarded as one of our proudest achievements from 2022. Bad Wolf’s and the CultureStep support, has enabled IMS to maximize its potential as a training scheme and participants who have been impacted by this project have felt rewarded through future employment, viewing their work at community screenings/television/online and invited to our 2023 awards. This is something we certainly wish to continue.
Anna Arrieta, Project Manager, It’s My Shout Productions
Feedback from participants:
‘I had a brilliant few days as a script supervisor trainee for It’s My Shout productions. I learnt so much, met some great people and gained valuable experience on set.
I loved that the production was bilingual as well as some of the cast & crew! This gave me the opportunity to practice my Welsh with a desire to work on future Welsh language projects in the film/tv industry.’
This was my first-time training as a script supervisor and my mentor was fantastic! She taught me so much in just a couple of days and was professional and thorough. I feel confidently equipped with the knowledge to work in this role because of this. I would love to be involved with the IMS team again as the experience with them has been incredibly rewarding. It’s opened many doors and I’m excited for what the future brings in the world of screen.’
‘The experience is brilliant; I can’t fault it. Each film is different and gives a unique experience each time. Even the mix of Valley locations is beneficial as visiting interesting places is great. Makes you realise the great locations we have right on our doorsteps.’
‘I found that I learnt a lot more from my experience than I normally would in college. I felt that my confidence and skills were boosted and this experience had inspired me to pursue a career in the creative industry, specifically directing’
‘This was my first ever time working on a short film production, the crew were all welcoming and made me feel part of a team. I had the opportunity to work on the creative element, which allowed me to get fully creative.’