Call for Participants For Cinemagic Digital Film Academy

Individuals aged 18+, who are interested in careers in the creative and digital industries, are set to benefit from the launch of the 2025 Digital Film Academy delivered by Cinemagic in partnership with North West Regional College (NWRC) and South Eastern Regional College (SERC), supported by Department for the Economy Skill Up Programme.

Cinemagic is calling individuals from all over Northern Ireland to apply to be considered for a place on the Academy which will run from January to May 2025, offering 30 trainees invaluable skills development opportunities in a range of creative disciplines including film production.

Pre-production masterclasses with industry professionals will take place online and the programme will culminate with participants having the opportunity to work on a Cinemagic short film in Derry/Londonderry and Bangor in partnership with North West Regional College (NWRC) and South Eastern Regional College (SERC) respectively. Additionally, participants will be offered an accreditation towards two units in the L3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Creative Digital Media Production- U4 Pre-Production and U21 Film Editing.

The initiative brings the creative industries together with the Further Education and career sectors, to showcase how partnerships focused on digital skills development can create pipeline to employment and support local economy growth.

Cinemagic CEO, Joan Burney Keatings MBE commented: "We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our partners with North West Regional College and South Eastern Regional College with support from Department for the Economy, to assist individuals to develop new skills, explore opportunities and give them the confidence to thrive in a career in the creative and digital sector."

Economy Minister, Conor Murphy said: "Our local creative and digital sector is thriving and there is clear demand for people with skills in this field. I am delighted that my Department is supporting these courses in North West Regional College and South Eastern Regional College through our Skill Up programme so that more people can avail of training and be in a strong position to gain employment. I encourage anyone who is interested and eligible to apply."

Leo Murphy, Principal and Chief Executive of North West Regional College, said the Digital Film Academy will give participants a unique opportunity to learns skills in an industry that continues to grow in the region.

He added: "The further education sector is committed to creating courses and qualifications that give people the opportunity to study locally.

"This Creative Media and Digital skills academy has been designed following consultation with local industry and will give students the opportunity work on real film projects. I look forward to seeing the results and watching the participants flourish."


To apply for the project, which is free of charge, 18+ year olds from Northern Ireland are asked to submit an application form by 6th January 2025.

No prior qualifications or experience in the creative industries is required. The project is looking for individuals from all backgrounds that are interested in creative and digital technologies, and who wish to further their skills and work on a practical filmmaking project.

It is essential, before applying, individuals can ensure they can fulfil the criteria below:

Essential:
• You must be over 18 years of age
• Eligible to work in Northern Ireland
• 'Settled' in Northern Ireland and been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least three years; or is a person who has indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK

Dates of Masterclasses (delivered online) are 6.00pm -7.30pm on:

Tuesday 21st January 2025

Tuesday 28th January 2025

Tuesday 4th February 2025

Tuesday 11th February 2025

Tuesday 25th February 2025

Tuesday 4th March 2025

There are 4 pre-production meetings to follow (times and dates tbc)

Dates of Film Production (Individuals will be allocated Film 1 or Film 2 based on allocated geographical locations)

Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th May 2025 - Film 1 Shoot Dates

Friday 23rd May and Saturday 24th May 2025 Film 2 Shoot Dates

Dates for OCN Accreditation tbc.

Participants will be required to fully commit to the Cinemagic and Colleges' dates.