Category: Film

Scriptwriting for Film

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Scriptwriting for Film 

with Raisah Ahmed

Whether you’re just beginning your journey into scriptwriting or looking to sharpen your storytelling skills, this 2-hour workshop is the perfect way to develop your ideas with hands-on guidance.

Join us for an inspiring and interactive session designed to develop your screenwriting skills.

You’ll dive into the essential building blocks of compelling storytelling—how to create rich, believable characters, shape a strong story structure, and navigate the process of transforming a spark of an idea into a script.

When: 18 June, 5 – 7pm
Age: 16+
Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)

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Booking Deadline: 17 June

About Raisah

Raisah Ahmed is a screenwriter and director for film and TV and was named Screen International Rising Star Scotland 2024. Raisah is currently developing the feature Half-Moon Camp with Film4 and producer Zorana Piggott, and co-adapting Mahsuda Snaith’s The Things We Thought We Knew.

Her credits include directing for CBBC (Sparks, Princess Mirror-Belle, Molly & Mack), BBC3’s The Break, and writing for Control (BBC The Social) and WB Discovery’s Toad and Friends. Raisah also serves on the BAFTA Scotland Committee, the Scottish Youth Film Foundation Board, and chairs the Glasgow Film Festival Industry Advisory Group.

To be eligible:

You must be one or more of the following:

We also encourage applications from people living in SIMD20 postcode or SIMD40 postcode who meet one of the following criteria: 

  • Living rurally with poor transport links 
  • Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour 
  • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing 

Please note:

Fair Access prioritise places for young people aged 16 – 19, who live in an SIMD20 postcode or are care experienced. Depending on available places, we also consider college students and people who are not in education up to the age of 25 years. Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

How to Contact Us

If you have an queries or questions about this activity,
you can contact the team at: 📧 waci@rcs.ac.uk

Get Into: National Programme

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: 

 National Programme 

Do you have your sights set on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland?

Two young people in a drama room with exercise balls in the background.

Whether you are applying this academic year or planning a stepping-stone through college, this programme will support you with the next steps on your creative and educational journey. We want to hear from you if you are interested in any of the following artforms:

For performers, writers, musicians, dancers, storytellers, production artists or filmmakers exploring the arts in community contexts 🔗
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Directing, Editing, Cinematography, Screenwriting, Documentary Filmmaking and Creative Filmmaking Practice 🔗
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Music performance, Composition, Music Teaching and Facilitation 🔗
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Acting, Drama Facilitation and Devising 🔗
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Stage Management, Sound, Lighting, Rigging and Automation Programming 🔗
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Scenic Art, Scenic Construction, Prop Making, Costume Construction, Set, Lighting and Costume Design 🔗

Get Into: National is perfect if –

  • You are serious about applying to RCS in the near future
  • Can demonstrate experience and commitment in your chosen artform
  • You’re looking for support, guidance, and a creative community

What will you gain? 

  • Confidence and connection: meet like-minded people who share your passion and connect with artists working in/with communities near you
  • Creativity and skill: learn through hands-on, practical sessions tailored to your artform
  • Growth and reflection: develop as an artist and individual, ready to take on your next steps
  • Insider knowledge: learn more about applying to RCS and building a sustainable future in the arts

This is a supportive, structured, and exciting opportunity that requires commitment. Although Get Into: National is designed to be flexible, we expect successful applicants to engage fully in the programme. 

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To be eligible:

You must be one or more of the following:

and 

  • Living 2 hours or more from the RCS 
  • A determined and motivated student who is committed to applying to and auditioning/interviewing for a performing or production arts course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 

We also encourage applications from people living in SIMD20 postcode or SIMD40 postcode who meet one of the following criteria: 

  • Living rurally with poor transport links 
  • Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour 
  • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing 

Please note:

Fair Access prioritise places for young people aged 16 – 19, who live in an SIMD20 postcode or are care experienced. Depending on available places, we also consider college students and people who are not in education up to the age of 25 years. Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

How to Contact Us

If you have an queries or questions about this activity,
you can contact the team at: 📧 fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

 

Get Into: Performing and Production Arts

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 Get Into: 

 Performing and Production Arts 

Performance, Production, Singing and Arts with Community

For Young People 16+

Young person smiling trying on costume

Starting Autumn 2025

Would you like to Get Into: Performing and Production Arts but not sure where to begin? Our free Get Into courses could be the perfect answer. 

We’re running four separate programmes starting this Autumn:

  • Performance (acting, devising and movement)
  • Production for Stage and Screen (sound, lighting and production arts)
  • Singing Together (singing chorally in many styles and vocal leadership)
  • Arts with Community (exploring multi-artform community projects)

These free weekly part-time sessions will be a great opportunity for you to:

  • Build your confidence
  • Develop your skills in your chosen field
  • Meet others who love the same thing as you

Text: Apply Now

Please note: Fair Access will prioritise places for young people aged 16 – 19. To be eligible, you must meet one or more of the following criteria: 

  • live in an SIMD20 Postcode 
  • are care experienced or estranged from, and receive no support from, family or carers
  • live in an SIMD20 Postcode or SIMD40 Postcode and belong to one of the following groups:
    – living rurally with poor transport links
    – Black, Indigenous or People of Colour 
    – D/deaf or Hard of Hearing

Depending on available places, we will also consider college students up to the age of 25 years.

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Get In Touch 

If you have any questions or queries, email: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Reflections in Film: Filmmaking Project for Young People

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 Reflections in Film: Telling Your Story 

A chance to explore your identity through the media of film

 What is the project? 

Reflections in Film is a project run by Mal Fraser that invites young people to creatively express themselves by experimenting with different filmmaking techniques to capture their unique perspective on who they are and how they see the world.

Over 12 weeks, you’ll dive into various aspects of filmmaking, from storytelling and camera work to editing and sound design. Each week offers a new opportunity to develop your skills and explore a different creative process in a way that feels authentic to you. By the end of the project, you’ll have the chance to create your own short film.

This project is about discovering new ways to tell your story and gaining filmmaking skills along the way. If you’re ready to get started, sign up and join a group of like-minded young creators ready to explore their voices through film.

Check out Mal’s work here:

 Where will this take place? 

This is an online project therefore all you’ll need is a device that can access Microsoft Teams and an internet connection – therefore you can attend from anywhere in Scotland.

If you require any support in accessing a device with internet connection, then let us know when you sign up and we’ll do are best to support you and navigate this barrier.

Where: Online
Times: Tuesdays at 7pm – 9pm
When: 
  • 25 March
  • 1 April
  • 22 April
  • 29 April
  • 6 May
  • 13 May
  • 20 May
  • 27 May
  • 3 June
  • 10 June
  • 24 June
Whilst we do expect participants to try and commit to all these dates, we also appearciate that things like school commitments, exams and life in general make not make that possible. We just ask that you let us know when you can’t attend!

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 *Booking Deadline Extended*

New Deadline: Wednesday 19 March 4pm
Spaces are limited. Completing the booking form doesn’t automatically guarantee your place.
We will notify successful candidates.

 Who is it for? 

Young people aged 16+ with an interest in visual expression, film, sound, storytelling, writing and getting to meet likeminded people.

Participants must meet one or more of the following criteria:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions or queries or would like to know how to get involved with WACI, please email: waci@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Conversations in the Classroom

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Careers Talks Across Scotland 

With Accompanying Teacher Resources

Are you, or the young people you teach, interested in applying to study in the performing and production arts? Are you not sure where to start or what careers there may be? Fair Access have produced a suite of films and resources that can help making those decisions.

What is ‘Creative Conversations in the Classroom’?

Creative Conversations is a series of short films and accompanying teachers’ resources. The aim is to give young people an insight into what it’s really like to work in the creative industries.

​Each film features three professionals who work in a specific area of the performing or production arts in conversation with each other, and with an audience of secondary school pupils. At the end of each film, young people from the audience describe the impact this conversation has had on them. The Teachers’ Resources provide questions to get your own conversations in the classroom started after watching the film. ​

The Creative Conversations series includes artists working in:

All the films can be viewed at home, on your mobile devices or as a group in your classrooms or community spaces. You can also access them via our Toolkits page.

Contact Us

We’d love to hear about how you use these resources in your classroom or if you’re a young person that has found them useful in learning more about career options. You can say hello on our social media or if you have any questions about these resources, please get in touch at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Conversations Live at RCS

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Creative Conversations 

Live and in person at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Fair Access here at RCS are excited to be running a new series of Creative Conversations focused on Community Arts in Scotland. Sessions are open to all and will take place in the Renfrew Street Building in Glasgow. Come along to one, or to the whole series to find out more about Community Arts in Scotland:

Working in Prisons

Bigg Taj and Isla Callister will be joining us to speak about their work in prisons

Date: Wednesday 15 January
Time: 5pm – 6pm

Book your space on our booking form
. . .
Play Therapy

Featuring Izzy Joss. Whether you have no knowledge on the subject or are well-versed, this conversation promises to be engaging, informative, and creatively enriching

Date: Thursday 30 January
Time: 5pm – 6pm

Book your space on our booking form
. . .
Documentary Filmmaking

Filmmaker Bircan Birol will be talking about finding your own way, style, and voice in the world of non-fiction filmmaking and the importance of self-representation and working ethically with diverse communities

Date: Tuesday 4 February
Time: 5pm – 6pm

Book your space on our booking form
. . .
Community as Abundance

In this session, Tawona Sithole will explore how a positive approach in seeing the value in people allows for an abundance in creativity, sharing and positive community spirit.

Date: Wednesday 12 February
Time: 5pm – 6pm

Book your space on our booking form
. . .
The School of Plural Thought

Led by Emmie McLuskey who is a Glasgow based artist who will be speaking about a project she leads called The School of Plural Futures

Date: Thursday 6 March
Time: 5pm – 6pm

Book your space on our booking form

New Course at RCS for 2025

Did you know we will be launching a brand new degree course to help you become a community arts practitioner. Come and study BA Arts with Communities with us in September 2025.
Find out more on the RCS website. 

Who We Work With

Fair Access is funded to support young people who face barriers in accessing the arts, such as those who are:

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Audition and Interview Prep

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Audition and Interview Prep 

For those applying to study the performing or production arts

WACI are delighted to be offering a suite of Audition and Interview Prep sessions. These sessions will help you prepare for your interviews and auditions, help build confidence and offer tips and advice specific to your discipline.

These workshops are for those who are thinking about applying to study at a college, university or conservatoire in one of the following areas:

Acting or Musical Theatre
(Monologue Prep, 1:1 Sessions)
When: Dates between 29 October – 14 November
Times: 6pm or 7:15pm
Where: Online

Deadline to apply: Tuesday 22 October

Music Teaching
(BEd, Bachelor of Education in Music)
When: 5 & 7 November, 6:30pm – 8pm
Where: Online

Deadline to apply: 4 November

Filmmaking & TV
When: 12 & 14 November, 5pm – 7pm
Where: Online

Deadline to apply: 11 November

Production Arts or Technology
When: 19 & 21 November, 5pm – 7pm
Where: Online

Deadline to apply: 18 November

 Who Can Take Part 

WACI prioritise those facing barriers in accessing the arts such as those who are:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: waci@rcs.ac.uk

National Schools Workshops

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 National Schools Workshops 

School workshops in the performing and production arts

WACI are delighted to be offering a new programme of National Schools Workshops. Aimed at S5-6 classes and delivered within schools across Scotland. The workshops in performing and production arts are interactive, high-quality and delivered by industry experts.

Places are strictly limited and can be requested via the information pages for each workshop and subsequent signup forms:

All workshops will: 

  • Require two periods or equivalent 
  • Be targeted toward S5-6 
  • Be offered on a first come first served basis 
  • Provide students with an insight into the fully funded access programmes at RCS, further and high education pathways and potential career options 
  • Serve as talking point on their personal statement 
  • Provide them with transferable skills for their SQA assessments 

To be an eligible school you must be listed on our wider schools list 

 How to Contact Us 

If you have an queries or questions about this activity, you can contact the team at: 📧waci@rcs.ac.uk

Focus on Applications: DDPF

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Focus on Applications: DDPF 

24 and 26 September, 5 – 7pm, Online

Young person designing an artwork in a classroom

Want to discover more about applying to and studying dance, drama, filmmaking or production? Then our Focus on Applications for Dance, Drama, Filmmaking and Production (DDPF) sessions are for you.

These two free sessions will be a great chance to:

  • Learn about studying music at a college, university or conservatoire in one of the following:
  • Gain an understanding of the application process
  • Get top tips on how to write your personal statement
  • These sessions focus on applying via UCAS and UCAS Conservatoires, as well as applying for a creative course at any college and/or university

When: 24 and 26 September, 5 – 7pm
Where: Online

*Bookings now closed*

Please note: WACI prioritise those facing barriers in accessing the arts such as those who are:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 How to Contact Us 

If you have an queries or questions about this activity, you can contact the team at: 📧waci@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Communities in Uist and Lewis

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Creative Communities in Uist and Lewis 

Fair Access in the Outer Hebrides

A girl holding an illustration to animate for cameras

Last week Becca Skeoch (WACI Coordinator) and Jesse Paul (Head of Fair Access) paid a visit to creative communities in Uist and Lewis.

On Benbecula, they visited Lionacleit School where S1 pupils were working on a Fair Access project all about Gaelic Culture. This project was a collaboration between Fair Access, the school and Uist Film which gave the students an introduction to animation and storytelling skills.

To get a sense of other creative work on the island, Becca and Jesse were joined by Andy Mackinnon at Taigh Chearsabhagh. They were so excited to witness work in progress from fine art students and to get a sense of place by visiting Hut of the Shadows – a Camera Obscura and of course a walk on the beach before their ferry.

On Lewis, we visited arts education workers at An Lanntair in Stornoway. They were so inspired by the range, depth and extent of the in-house and outreach arts programme they offer. Fair Access are hoping to work on a collaborative interdisciplinary performance project with them in the near future.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions or queries or would like to know how to get involved with WACI, please email: waci@rcs.ac.uk