Foundation Education
Mark Milsome Trainee
We are proud to announce that the first Mark Milsome Foundation Scholarship has taken place via a collaboration with the Guild of British Camera Technicians.
The Foundation approached the Guild because it has developed a training and mentorship programme respected throughout the industry which is considered to be one of the finest technical training programmes in the world. The two-year programme produces technicians who are educated and trained to the highest standards. Alongside an extensive network of industry contacts, patrons, sponsors and members, the GBCT supports its trainees throughout the programme, from attending an intensive trainee course through to paid work on feature films, television dramas and commercials, continuing to provide advice once they have completed their time as trainees and moved on to the next stage of their careers.
Mark worked his way up through the camera department from ‘tea to DP’ and the members of his Foundation wanted to support and join forces with a training programme that they believe he would have been proud to be associated with.
The GBCT training programme invites applicants from the whole of the UK to apply to their programme and Mark would have applauded the inclusion of applicants nationwide. We believe he would also support a programme accessible to young people based on talent rather than the strength of their industry contacts or traditional academic qualifications. As a Foundation, we recognise that some of the most talented technicians do not have a history of academic excellence and only discover their true potential after they leave full time education and are given an opportunity to work in a creative industry.
In the autumn of 2018, after a rigorous process of elimination from five hundred applicants, seventy were invited to be interviewed by a panel of Senior Guild Members. A group of sixteen finalists were then invited to attend a self-funded, 6-day practical course, where they were assessed for their potential. The Mark Milsome Foundation members joined the GBCT members in the final week of the assessment workshop. Over the six days, the Foundation member observed and assessed the potential candidates to decide who, in their opinion, best represents the qualities that Mark Milsome embodied during his thirty-year career in the camera department.
Nine trainees were then selected from an original five hundred applicants and one of those, Thomas Ellacott from Newcastle was announced as the Mark Milsome Trainee.
In association with BAFTA Thomas will also be granted free access to BAFTA events, In London and around the UK for the duration of his course.
The programme takes place every two years with the next trainee recruitment programme starting summer 2020.
MMF ‘Foot in the Door’–Graduate Mentorship programme
The Mark Milsome Foundation have launched their second educational programme and approached all CILECT Film and Television schools in the UK who offer BA programmes. The schools have been invited to nominate two graduating students (one male – one female) who have a genuine and passionate interest in the camera department to be considered for a one-year mentorship programme that will help bridge the gap between full time education and employment in the film and television industry.
This is not an easy pass or fast track, it is an opportunity for students to access work experience and mentorship after their course ends to prove they have the character, determination and focus needed to thrive in the industry.
Two undergraduate students who have excelled in their student camera departments and wish to pursue a career in this area will be chosen by their lecturer/s to be considered for an interview to take place in the London area during April 2019. A short list of applicants will then be interviewed by members of the Mark Milsome Foundation with one male and one female chosen to receive advice, support and mentorship for the year following their graduation.
MMF ‘Foot in door’ timeline:
Application submission deadline – 29th March 2019
MMF panel consideration – April 2019
Foot in door candidate interviews – Week of 20th May 2019
Foot in door chosen mentorship students announcement – June 2019
MMF foot in door mentorship programme – August 2019 – August 2020