Trauma-informed unscripted production: a one day in-person workshop

This session is part of the Connect & Inspire strand which offers a variety of sessions, from in-person networking and online roundtables to in-depth case studies, designed to promote the sharing of knowledge and the building of relationships across unscripted TV.

ScreenSkills and The Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma are offering this full-day, in-person training opportunity for freelancers working in Unscripted. The overall goal of the training is to reinforce the principles of trauma-informed production to enable a more responsible way of working with vulnerable contributors, prevent burn-out and vicarious trauma among production staff and help establish a trauma-informed production culture that anticipates and mitigates problems before they occur.

Who it's for

Participation in this day-long training is open to anyone from researcher to senior producer level who works in unscripted TV.  It will actively draw on the experience of the attendees.

Please note, this is an in-person opportunity in London. It is open to applicants across the UK with the right to live and work in the UK. You must be able to attend in-person. Travel bursaries are available to those based outside of London and the South East. Details will be shared with successful applicants but please contact USF@screenskills.com with any questions.

The majority of the USF online short course offering is for those at early career stage and above. As a result, we generally require applicants to have at least 3 credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com so we can assess if an exception should be made.

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible. Please email the above address if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

What it covers

Arrive at the venue no later than 09:30 for introductions ahead of four sessions that will take place throughout the day.

Session 1 - 09:45-11:45 - Working with vulnerable contributors: A brief introduction to trauma delivered with relevance to the documentary story-telling and production process including, responsible and ethical working practices with vulnerable contributors, trauma-aware interviewing techniques, and space to discuss ethical questions around informed consent.

Session 2 - 12:00-13:00 - Boundaries with contributors: How to better manage contributors’ expectations and production teams’ responsibilities to set and maintain healthy relationships, often a key source of anxiety and stress.

Session 3 - 14:00-16:00 - Managing exposure to traumatic stress and preventing burn-out: Understanding the impact of exposure to graphic content when working on stories that cover violence and tragedy.  Recognising early warning signs and learning concrete strategies that can be woven into daily workflows to enable a resilient team culture and self-care.

Session 4 - 16:15-17:30 - Supporting a colleague: Freelancing is a precarious business and freelancers often rely on information networks of mutual support. The final session explores what it takes to have a supportive conversation with a colleague with clear tips on what is helpful and how we sometimes overestimate what we have to give to make a difference.  

Trainer

Juliana Ruhfus is a multi-award winning filmmaker, on-screen presenter and executive producer specialised in investigative and current-affairs programming who has worked extensively for Al Jazeera, the BBC and Channel 4.  

She also works as a trainer for the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma, a project of Columbia Journalism School, NYC, that supports media organisations in print and TV with research-based trauma- awareness.  

Juliana’s involvement with the Dart Centre goes back to 2012 when she was selected as a Dart Centre Ochberg Fellow. A year later she received a scholarship for Harvard’s Global Trauma Programme and went on to join DCE’s European board of Directors before becoming Director of Dart Centre Europe in September 2022. She has trained in basic Narrative Exposure Therapy and you can find out more about her work in broadcast TV and journalism here.

How to apply

Click ‘apply now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role.
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address. A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you.

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the “decline ticket” function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This course is supported by ScreenSkills, by the Unscripted TV Skills Fund thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.

Judging information

Key dates:

• Application deadline: 9th May
• Inform applicants of outcome: 19th May