A job-sharing programme supported by the Film and High-end TV Skills Funds in partnership with ReelTime Media aims to provide increased flexibility to professionals working in production and in post. It enables pairs to share roles and responsibilities, promoting the retention of experienced talent and addressing areas of skills shortage within film and HETV.
Whilst allowing those returning to work or with caring responsibilities to navigate a way to maintain careers, it also provides an opportunity to redress the work-life balance and improve the mental health of crew members.
Crew are encouraged and supported to find pair with a partner who shares their role and are then funded to divide their time equally on set with a sixth day crossover, or by covering other costs such as kit or accommodation. Participants also receive bespoke one-to-one support and mentorship by ReelTime Media.
Jacqui Taunton-Fenton, Senior High-end TV Training Liaison Manager, ScreenSkills, said: “HETV are delighted to be supporting another iteration of the very successful job-sharing programme run by ReelTime Media. This programme has helped to address the retention of skilled workers within HETV Drama production by offering a flexible working option to experienced and talented crew who may have commitments outside of the workplace or just want to have a better work/life balance.”
This year represents the first time that the Film Skills Fund is supporting the initiative, partnering with the HETV Skills Fund to expand the opportunities to those working in film.
Emma Turner, Head of Film, Animation and Future Skills, ScreenSkills, said: “The Film Skills Fund and Council has long admired HETV’s job-sharing programme and are delighted to be able to co-fund this iteration of the programme. As we seek to retain and bring people back to work on film productions this will be a vital option for production and freelancers alike.”
Michelle Reynolds, co-director, ReelTime Media, said: “We have been thrilled to find that job-sharing benefits both productions and the job-sharers that work on them. It is a practical way for HoDs to retain valued people on their teams and to access double the creativity, problem solving capacity and energy that comes with a job-share pair. For the job-sharers, this flexible way of working is allowing them to have a sustainable career that works with whatever else is going on in their lives.
“We have seen job-sharing work brilliantly at all levels from runners to HODs and in so many departments from Hair and Makeup to Locations and ADs. Each iteration of the ScreenSkills programme has seen new roles being shared, and people benefitting from job-sharing for different reasons - the sky really is the limit!”
Since its launch in 2021 the initiative has provided 150 individuals job share placements on a range of Fund-contributing productions, including Passenger, The Gentlemen, Such Brave Girls, Blue Lights, Black Doves, Alma's Not Normal, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, The Responder, Department Q, Black Mirror and Doctor Who.
Duck Soup Film’s production Lost Boys & Fairies was one of those that welcomed job sharers, providing placements to pairs of different levels of experience across departments.
Shelley Rees, the show’s production manager, said: “A job-share is a fantastic way for people to maintain a work-life balance. I wholeheartedly support the idea of a job-share and would employ a job-share pair in the future.”
Manchester based production designer Katy Tuxford joined the initiative in 2021, securing a position on BBC drama Waterloo Road. She said: “It seemed impossible to continue to work full time on drama productions due to the long hours and be part of my young children’s lives at the same time without either suffering from my absence. Luckily my job share partner and I have found an understanding production company who are fully supportive and understand our time constraints and have stood by us, we have now been working together on Waterloo Road since Nov 2021.”