Post graduate bursaries

by SWS on 14-May-09 10:44

South West Screen launches its new round of Post Graduate Bursaries as a former student lands a new job on ‘Skins’.

South West Screen is bringing forward the launch date of its Post Graduate Bursary this year to allow more students the chance to apply.

The scheme gives three talented students awards of £3,000 each to take up post graduate study allowing them a foot in the door in the competitive world of film and tv.

Chris Hill was awarded a bursary in 2005. Swindon-born Chris had graduated from Warwick University that year with a degree in maths. Writing since he was seventeen, and with 2001’s Best Young Screenwriter Award under his belt, the Post Graduate Bursary enabled him to take up a place on an MA at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).

Chris Hill accepts his MA certificate from NFTS chairman, Sir Richard Attenborough

25 year old Chris graduated from NFTS in 2007 and in April of this year was invited to be a part of the BAFTA Award-winning ‘Skins’ writing team. He says things would have been very different without financial support:

‘To be honest, I couldn't have gone to the NFTS without the help of the bursary and scholarships from the film school; my parents had already put me through university and I was out on my own. When I applied I didn't even think about the cost and I think that's how it should be. Now with the recession, the scholarships on offer have dramatically diminished at the NFTS and so bursaries like the one provided by South West Screen are a godsend’

South West Screen is keen for more students to follow in Chris’s footsteps and has opened the scheme for applications one month earlier than usual this year to allow more students the opportunity to apply.

Melissa Blackburn from South West Screen says:

‘Entry into the world of film and tv is very competitive and we want to support students who’ve got the talent and drive but may lack the funds to get that vital qualification. Any student we support will be on a course that is either Skillset accredited or has industry approval so we know it will give them a head start in this competitive world.’

Tagged:Skins, Chris Hill, post graduate bursaries, NFTS, SWS Press Release