IOSH’s Thames Valley Branch returned this year to present an award for exemplary health and safety during the National Film and Television School’s (NFTS) annual Graduation Showcase.
The NFTS Graduate Showcase, supported by Netflix, is an annual celebration of the past 12 months of graduate productions. It is an unmissable opportunity to showcase the resulting work to an industry keen to meet the newest crop of talent emerging from the NFTS.
This year the Graduation Showcase took place over three days of screenings and industry meet and greets at Picturehouse Central in London, culminating in a graduation ceremony at Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square on Thursday 27 February.
Graduation films, brand new television formats, animations and games played to full houses of leading industry representatives looking for the next wave of film, television and games creators.
Students chosen by key NFTS industry partners – IOSH, Sargent-Disc, Avid, Christie and Panalux – received awards at the graduation ceremony for high levels of achievement in production.
The ‘Health and Safety Management in Film Production’ award was presented by Chris Stops from IOSH’s Thames Valley Branch.
As part of this category, prizes were awarded to three students: Madelaine Patricia Westwood took home £500 for Science and Natural History film Secrets of the Salamander while Producing MA student James Bowsher and Production Manager Lára Theódóra Kristjánsdóttir were awarded £250 each for fiction film Stratum Deep.
Chris Stops, a member of the IOSH Thames Valley committee and award judge, said: “Good health and safety management is key to the successful planning of any film because of the way, if ignored, it can go on to impact so many aspects of a film, from its budget and viability through its logistics and creativity.
“I am honoured to be able to work with and influence NFTS students at such an early and influential stage in their film making career. The quality of their work and skill is always very evident and can be seen in the national and international film industry awards and accolades many of them go on receive later in their working lives.”
Annalise Davis, Head of Production at NFTS said: “This year we were delighted to open out the award across more departments: Fiction, Science and Natural History; Television Entertainment and Directing Documentary.
“The panel were so impressed by two films that they chose to split the award between Secrets of the Salamander and Stratum Deep with a commendation to Television Entertainment project Wild Cooks.
Good health and safety management is key to creating a successful film“The IOSH selection process gives our students a vital external perspective of Health and Safety in the workplace. Our thanks to IOSH for so generously continuing to give our training programme this support.”
IOSH