Directors’Viewfinder:anotefromDirectorsUKChairSteveSmith

On Saturday 21 October we welcomed members to the Royal College of Physicians in London for Directors’ Viewfinder, previously known as the Directors UK Conference. Following a successful day of discussion, our Chair Steve Smith has the following message for members:    

I want to say a big thank you everyone who came along to the Directors’ Viewfinder on Saturday. It was a really productive day of debate and discussion for us to share ideas and experiences, find our focus and support each other.

I’m also grateful to the Viva La PD group for joining us and for the valuable contribution your members made to the discussion, particularly on pay and working conditions - including some worrying examples of routine abuses of health and safety in factual production. I’d like to congratulate all Viva La PD members on engaging with each other over recent months via Facebook and for engaging with us at Directors UK.

On Saturday we were able to give directors from all genres a platform to talk openly and candidly about a range of issues. We brainstormed solutions and identified a number of ways to move forward to help tackle some of your concerns which we as a Board will explore further with the management team. There was a particular focus on a number of issues members have identified are happening in the factual directing area and Directors UK is making it a priority to work with you to offer support where we can. 

All of this will only be possible if those of you who have come together to open up the conversation and identify a common ground and purpose, continue to work with us to be a force for change for you. The more our members engage with us and with each other, the more we can empower you as directors. As our strap-line says: there may be only one of you, but together there are many of us. 

By coming to these meetings, answering our surveys and using Directors UK to improve your working lives you will be empowering not only yourself, but the profession as a whole.

So, if you didn’t manage to get to the Directors’ Viewfinder on Saturday this is what you missed:

• We explored how to improve pay rates, sharing insight from our recent pay negotiation successes.
• We discussed health and safety issues and working conditions and how to improve the situation.
• We ran a session on navigating life as a freelancer and how to make the most of it.
• And in light of recent disturbing revelations about sexual harassment, abuse and bullying within the film industry, we invited members to share their experiences and talk about solutions to the problem. At the end of the discussion we agreed on issuing a statement making it clear that Directors UK condemn any form of sexual assault, harassment, abuse and bullying within the film and television industry. You can read our statement here. 

When we as directors come together, to share ideas and focus in on what really matters, that’s when we have the biggest impact. By working together, energising and inspiring each other we can improve the picture for all directors.