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Films, guides and free courses from people who do the job. No sign-up to watch or read.
Learning paths · 38 crafts
Free films, in the order you'd learn them on a set.
Start at lesson one, tick them off, test yourself, then come and do it for real with us.
The Academy · free online courses
Learn it online. Prove it on our unit.
Lessons with checks and a marked task, then a short check with us and a practical at Pinewood or 3 Mills.
Learn online, then a short check with us, then a practical on our unit, then the FIF Certificate. The certificate comes only from the practical.
The FIF Certificate comes only from the practical. How it works · Book a competency check
Where to start
Never been on setSix free lessons: where to stand, the calls, staying safe.
Know your departmentEighteen guides: the job, the ladder, the way in.
Want to practise a craftFree films in teaching order, with a self-test at the end.
Ready to trainStep 1 of the FIF route. Finish one to book a competency check.
Camera, 1187 filmsLighting, 252 films
Grip, 147 films
Sound, 214 films
Virtual production New, 118 films
AI tools New, 83 films
Art department, 149 films
Costume, 94 films
Hair and make-up, 54 films
Assistant directors, 54 films
Production, 654 films
Locations, 84 films
Script supervision, 108 films
Editorial and post, 469 films
VFX, 218 films
SFX, 20 films
Stunts, 32 films
Health and safety, 73 filmsFree films in teaching order. Each leads into an Academy course.
CameraCinematography (Director of Photography)Telling a story with images: exposure, lenses, composition and lighting, and how a DoP works with the director and crew.17 lessons · about 4 hours · freePrepares you for: Camera FoundationStart path 
Camera and lightingLighting (gaffer and sparks)Safety first: power, heat and the department. Then how light behaves, the units sparks use, and how to shape and motivate it on a UK set.18 lessons · about 3.5 hours · freePrepares you for: Lighting course (coming)Start path 
SoundProduction soundClean dialogue on set: boom operating, radio mics, recorder levels, timecode and the sound department's day.19 lessons · about 3 hours · freePrepares you for: Sound course (coming)Start path 
Post-productionEditing in DaVinci ResolveCut picture and sound in free DaVinci Resolve, import to export, and the craft that makes an edit work.18 lessons · about 7 hours · freePrepares you for: Editing course (coming)Start path 
Story and DevelopmentScreenwriting and storytellingWriting for the screen: logline and outline, scenes, dialogue, rewrites and a finished short script.17 lessons · about 6.5 hours · freePrepares you for: Story to Screen FoundationStart path 
ProductionProducing and developmentWhat producers do: developing and pitching, UK financing (BFI, tax relief, investors) and producing a short start to finish.10 lessons · about 7 hours · freePrepares you for: Story to Screen FoundationStart path 
Art departmentProduction design and the art departmentHow an art department turns a script into a world: design, drawings, set dressing, props, construction and scenic art.21 lessons · about 3 hours · freePrepares you for: Art department course (coming)Start path 
Craft and technologyAI tools in film and TV productionWhat AI is changing in UK film and TV now (November 2026), the main script, post, generative and voice tools, and where consent, copyright and the unions draw the lines.18 lessons · about 3 hours; refreshed monthly · freePrepares you for: AI FoundationStart path 
Post-productionVirtual productionHow LED-volume and in-camera VFX shoots work, who does what on a VP stage, and the Unreal Engine skills to start with.18 lessons · about 5.5 hours · freePrepares you for: VP FoundationStart path 
Shooting on filmSuper 8 and 8mmShoot, expose, process and scan Super 8 and 8mm, and why filmmakers still choose the smallest gauge.15 lessons · about 3 hours · freePrepares you for: Camera FoundationStart path 
Getting inYour first day on setEverything a new runner or trainee needs before a first UK shoot: who's who, how the day runs, radio and slate calls, call sheets, safety, wellbeing, and finding and keeping freelance work.19 lessons · about 3 hours · freePrepares you for: Day OneStart path Free. Start with Day One, then your department's Foundation course.
Step 1 · Learn online · All departmentsDay OneSix lessons, from never having been on a set to knowing where to stand, what the calls mean, how to read a call sheet and how to keep yourself and others safe.Open in the pilotabout 3 to 4 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · CameraCamera FoundationEight lessons in the order a camera trainee meets the job: safety, who's who, prep, kit care, slates and camera reports, media, lenses and marks.Open in the pilotabout 6 to 8 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · Virtual productionVP Day OneSix lessons on LED volumes and in-camera VFX: the words, who's who on the stage, how a VP day runs, safety at the wall, and UK stages and routes in.Open in the pilotabout 2.5 to 3 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · Virtual productionVP FoundationSix lessons in the order a VP crew meets the work: planning, plates and worlds, camera and tracking, colour and light on LED, Unreal for film-makers, and the roles. Each has a practice task.Open in the pilotabout 6 to 8 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · AI toolsAI Day OneSix lessons on AI in production: what the tools are and aren't, the words you'll hear, where AI sits on a unit, consent for face, voice and body, copyright and labelling, and confidential data.Open in the pilotabout 2.5 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · AI toolsAI FoundationRules before tools, then AI in pre-production, the edit, VFX and clean-up, sound, generative video, and rights and disclosure. Optional practice task: one real clip through transcript search, clean-up and a mask, logged and labelled.Open in the pilotabout 6 to 8 hours · freeStart the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · Production and assistant directorsProduction and AD FoundationHow a production runs from office to floor: call sheets and schedules, breakdowns, paperwork and releases, locations, risk assessments and insurance in a UK frame, and floor running on the radio.Coming: register interestabout 6 to 8 hours · freeSee the course 
Step 1 · Learn online · Writing and developmentStory to Screen FoundationThe story track for the Story to Screen Lab, with Screen Sisters CIC: idea, logline, one-page treatment, pitch, and the producing basics that get a short made.Coming: register interestabout 6 to 8 hours · freeSee the course Reference
Making your own filmMake your own short, properly.Festivals that qualify for BAFTA, BIFA and the Oscars, short-film money, the business side and shooting safely. It rarely pays at first. It builds your reel.Open the guides Toolkit
Free paperworkCall sheet, timesheet, invoice, CV, budget and more.
One pageWalkies, calls, where to stand, what to bring.
Before you buyWhat your grade needs, and what not to buy.
Cards and coursesSafety passport, first aid, IPAF, PASMA, licence, DBS, drones.
Schemes, courses and funds sorted by closing date, then what opens next. Each one checked on its own page on 13 Nov 2026.
Paid apprenticeship
Open now. Closes 24 Nov 2026.
16+, no degree needed. Production, journalism, engineering and business roles. The general window closes 24 November; each vacancy shows its own date.
Official page for BBC apprenticeships 2026 roundChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BBC apprenticeships 2026 round
Film fund
Open now. Closes 16 Dec 2026.
First or second feature teams. Closes 5pm. The shoot must start at least 20 weeks after the close.
Official page for BFI Discovery feature funding, round 3Checked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Discovery feature funding, round 3
Free residential, 18 to 22
Open now. Closes 8 Jan 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. Stop-motion, 4 to 11 March 2027, South West. 30 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: AnimationChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Animation
Free residential, 18 to 22
Open now. Closes 8 Jan 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 22 to 28 February 2027, North of England. 30 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Film Curation and ArchivingChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Film Curation and Archiving
Free residential, 18 to 22
Open now. Closes 10 Jan 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 14 to 20 February 2027, South West. 25 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Sustainability and LocationsChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Sustainability and Locations
Free residential, 18 to 22
Opens 18 Nov 2026. Closes 6 Jan 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 7 days in Wales, 20 to 26 March 2027. 30 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Set Decoration and PropsChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Set Decoration and Props
Free residential, 18 to 22
Opens 4 Jan 2027. Closes 1 Mar 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 31 March to 6 April 2027, London. 25 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Hair, Make-up and ProstheticsChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics
Free residential, 18 to 22
Opens 18 Jan 2027. Closes 21 Feb 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 3 to 9 April 2027, Scotland. 30 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Production ManagementChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Production Management
Free residential, 18 to 22
Opens 8 Feb 2027. Closes 21 Mar 2027.
18 to 22, not in higher education. 10 days, 7 to 16 July 2027, Yorkshire. 30 places.
Official page for BFI Film Academy: Camera and LightingChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy: Camera and Lighting
Money for kit, travel, training
Open all year.
Screen workers and new entrants where cost is the barrier. Rolling, while funds last.
Official page for ScreenSkills bursariesChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for ScreenSkills bursaries
Free, 16 to 25
Open all year.
16 to 25. Local hubs across the UK. Intakes through the year: find your nearest hub.
Official page for BFI Film Academy short coursesChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI Film Academy short courses
Doc commission route
Open all year.
Emerging documentary directors. Send a CV and a two-page treatment any time.
Official page for Sky Documentaries Emerging DirectorsChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for Sky Documentaries Emerging Directors
Paid placements
Not open now.
18+, out of full-time education, under 12 months' paid experience in your department. The 2026/27 intake closed on 29 October 2025. Next call not announced.
Official page for ScreenSkills Trainee FinderChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for ScreenSkills Trainee Finder
Talent programme
Not open now.
Emerging talent with a first credit. The 2026 call ran 30 April to 19 June. Expect spring 2027.
Official page for BAFTA BreakthroughChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BAFTA Breakthrough
Short film fund
Not open now.
Producer and director teams in England. Next round spring 2027.
Official page for BFI NETWORK England Short Film FundingChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for BFI NETWORK England Short Film Funding
Camera trainee scheme
Not open now.
New camera trainees. On hold until further notice. Register interest with the Guild.
Official page for GBCT Camera Trainee ProgrammeChecked 13 Nov 2026: source for GBCT Camera Trainee Programme
Links go to each organisation's own page. Nobody listed has paid to be here.
Where the free material stops
Online is study. Practice is a working unit, a schedule that doesn't wait, and a head of department who stops you the moment it's wrong.
