Here are The Brothers Lynch (below) on their Elevator journey so far:

The scheme has been incredible for us and we’ve got to spend time with some real industry pros, including producer Ivana MacKinnon, and formulate a bespoke career development plan

Firstly we got to sit down with Director Gillies MacKinnon (Hideous Kinky, Regeneration, The Escapist, ITV’s The Village) and discuss his career for a few hours. Gillies is a great guy and was really generous with his time. It was a very inspirational and honest chat, and we came out feeling very excited about making the jump to feature film making.

Next we got to spend a day at ARRI Media in Uxbridge with Cinematographer Sean Bobbit (Hunger, Shame, The Place Beyond the Pines) which was just incredible. Sean is a genius and anyone who has seen his work will know that but he’s also a fantastic teacher. We spent the first part of the day discussing his processes, how he preps, how he works on set, then moved onto more technical teaching working with an Alexa and top of the range ARRI lights and Cooke Prime lenses. It was a brilliant day and we feel it’s really helped us step up a gear when it comes to collaborating with a cinematographer.

For the next couple of days we were at RADA on a Working With Actors course taught by Sue Dunderdale. This was a really interesting day as it gave us insight into how they are taught at Drama schools like RADA, which is something we’ve never had access to before. It really gives you even more respect for the incredible job actors do when you see the prep they put into even the smallest of scenes. We also got to workshop a scene from our short film script Old Habits… and work with seasoned TV actor Richard Albrecht and Alan Ford (Brick Top in Snatch!) which was great fun. Richard came with some great classical music suggestions for our short and Alan even brought his own gun props with him! It was great that they came to the workshop with such enthusiasm and charm, and the scene played really well.

Next up was a day with our mentor, Director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, Pushing Tin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Prince of Persia, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Mike is a real diamond guy with such a wealth of experience. He was so candid about his career and his advice I’m sure will prove to be invaluable. He’s had such a varied career from intimate indie to Hollywood blockbuster, it was incredible to be able to learn from him. We have another couple of days with Mike coming up, one focusing on the translation of script to screen with some of his films and then a further day on his rehearsal techniques.

Finally we should be spending a day on the set of BBC Drama’s Silk in the next coming weeks which should give us valuable insight into TV production.

Overall the Elevator scheme has been a real dream scenario that we couldn’t have predicted. Truly inspirational and has boosted our confidence and knowledge ten fold as we move towards feature film making. We’d highly recommend this scheme to anyone who is looking to do the same.

The UK is in danger of losing out again by failing to acknowledge its intellectual and artistic assets.

How is it that the UK, an island a quarter the size of France, which rates below Estonia in the global quality of life index and ranking 41st in the world happiness index, manages to belt out a stream of international creative brands and products that dominate the world?

John Logie Baird with part of the first working television

Firstly, its inventors think the unthinkable. From the brains of John Logie Baird to Tim Berners-Lee, the UK has an impressive history of initially barmy but quickly profitable inventions. The second is our ability to commercialise – from the early days of our craftspeople, we has understood that creative legacy is determined by ensuring products and ideas reach an audience and, ultimately, a buyer.

And finally, we have a commitment to protecting intellectual property. We understand that one of the central tenants of creativity is to ensure that people receive just reward for their ideas and investment.

Analyse some of the UK’s most successful brands, from the Harry Potter and Bond franchises of books, films and video games, through to the success of London’s theatreland – the largest commercial theatre operation in the world with ticket revenues of £535m and 40 million visitors a year – and what do you find? The answer is writers, artists, makers and performers.

Successful UK exports

At the heart of much of the UK’s creative output is something quite simple: an environment that provides an opportunity for experimentation and failure, which invests in science and technology research and that supports and respects talent. It is this delicate ecosystem – the interplay between science, technology and the arts; the convergence of subsidised and private investment – that allows talent to flourish.

Creative businesses are small, fragmented, under-capitalised and in need of constant reinvention. They face substantial problems accessing finance, and remain a place of mystery and intrigue as far as banks and many venture capitalists are concerned. They often lack basic business skills, have a poor understanding of the finance world and are reluctant exporters. Despite their global capacity, they are often very locally focused.

But while the UK continues to dominate the creation of goods, products and services, it remains a bystander when it comes to distribution technologies and the development of new platforms and devices. The UK is in danger, once again, of doing what it did with many of its inventions: losing out because we fail to capitalise fully on exploiting and distributing our IP-generated assets.

The arts are the research and development laboratories of some of our most exportable products and brands. Yet, while

UK invests £240 million per year in the European Space Agency

the UK is publicly very proud of our investment in research for science and innovation, we are petrified of being seen to be too indulgent with creatives and the arts. It is also conundrum to me that investing in the creative industries continues to be seen as an inherent risk. Governments will throw millions into the development of space technology, the financial sector prides itself on investing in high risk derivative schemes, yet great creative ideas are still too “risky”.

Steve Jobs was fond of saying that Apple’s success was due to the fact that rather than employing geeks, they hired, in his words, “poets, musicians and artists who are interested in technology”. We may have protected our science and technology budgets in the UK but we haven’t protected our theatres. We may be seeing an increase in students of maths, physics, chemistry and engineering, but we are also seeing our art schools squeezed out by new funding arrangements.

Too often we convene a debate about the creative economy as a struggle between the pipes and the poetry, each side arguing for the supremacy of its favourite son. The trick, however, is surely to see the two as aligned, each a function of the other. Unfortunately we have a traditional public discourse which is combative and binary. Sometimes this is useful, for example in holding politicians to account, sometimes not so good, as in the case of the art versus technology debate.

Innovation isn’t just technological – without ideas and content it won’t create value. We absolutely need to be more digitally literate, but not at the expense of surrendering creativity and artistic endeavour.

This is an edited version of Carolines speech at the Apeldoorn British-Dutch Dialogue Conference

This is a great opportunity for all writers to discover and develop their aptitude for writing for the screen.

Initially 12 writers will be selected to work on initial script development, and six will be ‘hot-housed’ to completion of their script.

Eventually, three will have their work presented to industry professionals and filmmakers.

The application deadline is Friday, August 2 at 5.30pm.

All the information you need to apply is here and you can also download an information document here.

Applications are being sought from all kinds of writers, even if you have not written for the screen before.

Email info@write2screen.org.uk for further information.

Creative England’s Anna Seifert-Speck at a previous write2screen event

iFeatures – Meet the Directors on June 24 provides the chance to meet the three directors whose films have been greenlit for production through Creative England’s innovative low budget feature film initiative. This session will also provide an opportunity for delegates to hear more about the next iteration of iFeatures which will be launching in early 2014.

Creative England Head of Talent Chris Moll also joins the panel for the BFI’s Meet the Funders event which focuses on new funding opportunities, schemes and support for filmmakers.

Five filmmakers have been supported by Creative England to attend the talent development programme at this year’s festival. EIFF Talent Lab provides opportunities for up-and-coming filmmakers to learn from the world’s key film industry players.

As part of EIFF Talent Lab, Caroline is delivering an interactive session, The greatest movies never made – or how to get over it and get on with it on June 23.

Caroline will also join David Pope on the panel for the Advance Films Pitch First Feature event on June 24. The session will give filmmakers tips and skills to build confidence, intuition and their ability to individually tailor their pitch for their audience.

Creative England provides development and production funding to projects with strong audience potential and creative ambition. We back talented individuals at every stage of their careers and in conjunction with its partners, provides opportunities for grassroots regional talent to develop both their creative potential and their industry connections.

To register, sign up here.

We are assembling a starry range of 10 top business experts to provide wise counsel to South West entrepreneurs looking to make a step change in their businesses.

Over the day you’ll have a series of one-to-one 30 minute meetings to ask exactly what you want, from people who have successfully done it all before.

For a creative company, there’s nothing like getting guidance from someone who’s already been through the business growth you’re going through now, or has extensive knowledge of specific areas you need to master – such as marketing, business development, company finance etc. Our business leaders have been selected from across the creative industries and cover a wide range of creative specialisms.

You’ll have a chance to select five experts to talk to. You’ll have a chance to discuss topics as diverse as:

• Understanding and overcoming the obstacles your business faces
• How you prepare for growth without taking your eye off the ball
• Deciding where do you need to be in a year – and how are you going to get there
• How you take a new product or service to market and make it profitable
• How do you market and sell your products or generate new business
• Understanding gaps in skills, knowledge and experience and what to do about it
• How do you get new business
• Developing and executing a realistic, long-term business plan

Click here for more information.

To register, sign up here.

GigOwl helps small venues get bands and use social media to encourage repeat visits and build an audience for new talent.

GigOwl was only founded earlier this year. Anthony Bliss and Chris Mead now work out of the Electric Works in Sheffield as part of the dotforge accelerator programme, which combines investment capital with an intensive mentorship and execution programme to accelerate the growth of ambitious lean start-ups that have global potential.

“When we’re not working, you’ll find us following musicians to gigs, geeking-out with new ideas and online technologies to bring to GigOwl, and checking out the UK start-up scene,” say Anthony and Chris.

“There are plenty of direct to fan products in the market designed to increase exposure of musicians and their music, but there are fewer products that deal with creating opportunities for playing live gigs.”

Visit www.gigowl.co.uk to find out more.

Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit develop-learn-share-create space dedicated to supporting Bristol’s vibrant and growing games development community.

This is the dawn of a new golden age of games,” said Livingstone, founder of Games Workshop and life president of Eidos.

“It no longer takes two years to create a game. Innovation is happening constantly and that’s where you guys come in.

“I’m proud to be opening Bristol Games Hub. You are the future. You will carry on this great legacy we have in this country and sell games to a global audience.”

The launch of the hub comes in advance of the launch of GamesLab, a new project from Creative England which will support game development start-ups and game degree postgraduates in the South West with matched grant investments, business support workshops and industry masterclasses.

Keep your eyes on the Creative England website for more news in the run-up to the launch of GamesLab.

Kaye Elliott, Creative England’s Head of Production Services: “This flagship long-running series has really helped to attract a critical mass of drama in the North West and contributed towards the healthy growth of a strong network of creative people in the region. Greater Manchester has a long standing heritage as a key base for film and TV but Shameless has really helped to improve the industry landscape, increasing the demand for filming in the region significantly over the last decade.”

Shameless in numbers

Creative England estimates that in the last 10 years, Shameless has generated in the region of £15 million of inward investment into the Greater Manchester economy as well as putting Manchester on the map for filming. An average crew on Shameless involved around 70 people, 90% of which were from the North West region, where the majority of the production budget was also spent.

Series 9 shooting in Wythenshawe

Over the years, Shameless has employed thousands of people ranging from cast and crew, to chaperones, writers, set builders, painters and those involved in design, production, security and transport. In addition to the economic impact, Shameless has also been crucial to the careers of many British screen stars including: James McAvoy, Anne-Marie Duff and Maxine Peake, not to mention a talented team of now high profile writers and directors.

Committed to providing industry-focused support to encourage inward investment, and aiming to be a ‘one stop shop’ for productions, Creative England assists in helping them find everything from suitable locations for filming to freelance crew and facilities companies.

Jack Suckling, Location Manager for Shameless (Company Pictures) said: “While working as Location Manager on Shameless, the production liaison service provided by Creative England was an invaluable resource for me. Their relationships with officials from local councils, Police, and Highways, along with their advice and local contacts made shooting in the North West a fantastic experience.”

Greater Manchester highlighted its commitment to TV and film production in the area by signing Creative England’s Charter, back in November 2011 officially designating the county as ‘filming friendly.’ By signing the charter, the 10 local authorities promise to nurture a positive environment for filming by designating employees as a first point of call for film crews working in the area.

Filming highlights in Greater Manchester last year include Last Tango in Halifax, Mount Pleasant, Scott & Bailey, Accused, Fresh Meat, Utopia, Blackout, Homefront, Prisoner’s Wives, Skins Redux and Citizen Kane.  Large numbers of filming days generate millions of pounds of inward investment into the local economy.

Where is Shameless filmed?

Created by award-winning writer Paul Abbott and starring David Threlfall at its heart playing the feckless anti-hero Frank Gallagher, the first four series of Shameless were shot on location in Gorton, Manchester with their then studio facility based at an empty warehouse in Salford. For the start of series 5, the whole Chatsworth estate was recreated on the back lot of their new studio facility in Wythenshawe.

David Threlfall said: “We’ve had a terrific run and it was always going to feel like the start of the end of an era for us all. It is a very close knit community on the set of Shameless with production and cast working so closely for so long.

Shameless has so many stories to tell and I was happy to stay with Frank and the production until it was time to leave the world according to the Chatsworth. Now it means that for the first time in 10 years I will be able to shave and have haircut.”

Targeted workshops and mentoring will nurture a new generation of comedy film makers and create a unique comedy talent network.

Creative England is financing the COFILMIC Comedy Lab as part of our commitment to developing new voices for comedy feature films.

Those with the strongest ideas will be tracked, with the possibility of further funding to take your ideas to the next level as part of the upcoming Talent Centres in Autumn 2013.

The Comedy Lab takes place in Manchester over a period of two months, with an additional pitch, networking and live comedy event with invited industry guests.

More information, including details on how to apply, is available here.

If you are a writer with no previous evidenced work, you can apply here.

The deadline for applications is May 28, 2013. Successful applicants will be notified by June 3.

In collaboration with the Creative Skills For Life programme, Creative England now invites applications for its Creative Skills For Life competition fund totalling £100,000, which aims to develop prototypes that leverage digital technologies and media to enhance the quality of life for young people with long-term life-threatening and life-limiting conditions.

This fund is targeted at creative businesses who wish to bring innovative concepts or prototype to success in the market place in support of the Creative Skills For Life programme.

Creative Skills For Life introduces participants to creative disciplines, such as music/film making, photography and design; with a view to equipping them with the confidence, skills and motivation to address the challenges they face and boost the recovery process during and post treatment.

This initiative is funded by Creative England via the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, and managed by Creative England in collaboration with Creative Skills For Life and NHS England.

The deadline is 5 July 2013.

Visit www.creativeengland.co.uk/index.php/portfolio/funding/#creative_skills_for_life for more information.

Creative England has secured £5million from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to stimulate new jobs and growth in the digital and creative industries in areas of high unemployment.