NFTS To Build 4K Digital Content Training Studio

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) has announced it is to build a new Digital Content Production Training Studio. It will have the ability to shoot, record and stream live content in 4K.

The School secured funding of £1.5m from Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) to build the facility, which is expected to open in early 2017 to coincide with the new student intake.

The studio will benefit students on a range of postgraduate courses including the new NFTS Production Technology MA, which has been introduced to tackle a shortage of broadcast engineers and fill a skills gap in the industry. Former BBC Scotland Head of Technology, John Maxwell Hobbs, has been appointed to lead the course.

The studio facility and hub will enable NFTS to train future generations of broadcast engineers, digital content producers, directors and craft professionals who are comfortable with the latest techniques, equipment and software that employers require. Students will be able to produce a range of digital content alongside high-end TV entertainment, sports and games programming and the studio will be integrated with post-production systems. Graphics workstations will also be linked to the studio.

Nik Powell, Director, NFTS, said: "We are incredibly grateful for the LEP's support and can't wait to get the new studio up and running. We are working with a range of partners to ensure that this project delivers key systems and tools so that our students start their careers with the skills and knowledge that broadcasters need and value. We have forged exceptional links with broadcasters thanks to the reputation and track record of the school and the graduates it produces."

Andrew M. Smith, Chairman of Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, added: "We are delighted to be working with the National Film and Television School and supporting such exciting new talent. We want to enhance the creative industries sector and put Bucks on the global map as we are doing with other high profile institutions in our county such as Pinewood Studios. Buckinghamshire is already at the forefront of the creative industries and has the highest proportion of employment in this sector in the UK with over 16,000 jobs across 3,800 businesses."

www.nfts.co.uk

(JP)