Daniel Bull used a turn in fortunes to realise his career ambitions when he successfully applied for a ScreenSkills bursary. Working as a wedding video editor in Wolverhampton when the pandemic hit, Daniel’s work stopped, his income became impacted, and he was forced to re-assess. He had been trying to start a career in visual effects in film and television, freelancing on small projects in VFX and as an indie filmmaker, and saw the imposed break as a time to upskill, but a lack of income and change in circumstances appeared to impact his chances of doing so. It was then that he applied for a ScreenSkills bursary.
“I thought I'd use the downtime to reskill and really go for a career change, but money was tight, as I fell through all of the support holes – not being entitled to things like furlough, benefits and the income support scheme – so I ended up selling some of my kit to help us get by.”
Daniel had secured a place on a visual effects course, delivered by award-winning compositor Victor Perez, that relied on specialist compositing software he was unable to access without a computer. When he was granted the ScreenSkills bursary for a laptop to further his career, he instantly recognised how key this funding had been. “Having the laptop enabled me to finish the course and get a showreel together so I could start approaching companies. I set up a showreel when I finished which led to two interviews about possible work.”
Highlighting how the bursary proved more than just a financial benefit, he continued, “It wasn't just about skills, it was about confidence. It enabled me to do what I'd been wanting to do and I now have a fighting chance of getting into compositing. ScreenSkills and the other people in the course group made me feel that the industry is confident in me, confident enough to invest in me. So that gave me motivation and inspiration. It all feeds in. It's not just the practical validation that you get from doing the course, and the bursary money itself. It feels like being acknowledged, being part of something.”
Daniel identified further ScreenSkills support measures that proved vital during the pandemic, singling out virtual courses that allowed him to feel connected to the industry regardless of his location. “What ScreenSkills provided during the pandemic was invaluable – not just the bursary, but all the online webinars I joined. You can feel cut-off, geographically and in this kind of work where you're at a screen all day. Having that access to the industry has been eye-opening, encouraging and enabling. I belong to such a supportive group now. I have people to bounce things off and I’m taken seriously by them. There isn't that kind of network local to me – like-minded people in the same business.”
When asked about the impact the bursary had on his career progression, he added, “I didn’t immediately get a job, but I got two interviews. That was more than I'd done in nearly 10 years beforehand. To have had interviews with significant companies within a matter of weeks of getting my showreel done to such a level was quite a step forward. I'd been trying for a long time – it felt so nebulous, so far away in terms of location and achievement.”
Following a three-month position at Lola Post VFX, Daniel has worked on a number of indie projects and now works at Bigtooth Studios, working as a 3D generalist and compositor.
Bursaries are supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funds as well as industry contributions from the Film, High-end TV, Children’s TV and Animation Skills Funds.