Filmmaking Resources ★ London Filmmakers

Resources for creatives affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

As the Coronavirus pandemic is developing and we are working in uncertain times,
we’re pulling together filmmaking resources to help you find relevant information for the arts, culture, and heritage sector.

This list is specifically designed to serve freelance artists, and those interested in supporting the independent artist community. This includes, but is not limited to, actors, designers, producers, technicians, stage managers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, craft artists, teaching artists, dancers, writers & playwrights, photographers, etc.

Feel free to share this with anyone who needs support. When we all help each other, we make the world a better place.

If you have suggestions to add to this list, please fill out this form.

Advice and guidance on the outbreak

NHS Inform
UK Government’s Coronavirus Action Plan
Coronavirus Support: Register for support if you are a vulnerable person.
Arts Council: Updated emergency measures.
Independent Cinema Office: A list of resources for cinemas, film festivals and venues with a film program including tasks to think about during this period.
Free COVID-19 symptom tracker App: Designed by researchers from Kings College Hospital, London.
Quarantine App: Free, worldwide App connecting isolated people – chat on the phone with others who are isolated at home.

Financial support & benefits:

Employment & Support Allowance: You have to have paid NI contributions over the last 2-3 years).
Universal Credit: They are suspending the minimum income floor restriction and you won’t have to go to a Jobcentre.
Complete ban on evictions and extra protection for renters
Support for those affected by COVID-19 on gov.uk
Acting for Others: offers emotional and financial support to theatre workers.
The Actors Children Trust: ACT gives money and advice to actor-parents and their children.
Dance Professionals Fund: Financial grants to dance professionals of all ages.
Industry-Specific Benevolent Funds
Smallwood Trust: It provides support to women on low incomes.

Online learning filmmaking resources

ARRI Masterclasses: ARRI has made two of their Masterclasses available for free; Karl Walter LindenLaub Masterclass and James Laxton Masterclass. Karl Walter LindenLaub’s (Independence Day, Stargate, and The Jackal) class focuses on high dynamic range. James Laxton’s class focuses on large format cinematography. Both are a five-part series.
Linkedin: has made 16 Learning courses available for free, including tips on how to stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools, and balance family and work in a healthy way.
Fundamentals of Animation: Master animator Aaron Blaise has made his “Fundamentals of Animation” course completely FREE.
MOMA: Aside from the collection, the Museum of Modern Art has photography, abstract painting, fashion design, and more free online courses.
Shane Hulburt Illumination Workshop: Shane Hulburt has made his Illumination Workshop (usually $499) free! This will be a great resource for any cinematographer.
Udemy: 150+ Free courses to help people face new challenges and opportunities.

Movies/Film

HODTV: The horror streaming platform HODTV offers extended 30 days of free trial while people are stuck home.
Kanopy: Stream thousands of films for free, thanks to the generous support of your public library or university (Requires a local library membership).
MUBI: Bristol indie cinema Watershed has done a deal with MUBI to offer 90 days of free streaming. You’ll need to enter your credit card but they won’t take payment, and you can cancel at any time before 90 days is up. Film/ art students can sign up for free using their .ac.uk email address.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN: Legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki opens the doors to his studio in NHK’s exclusive 4-part documentary “10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki”.
Open Culture: 1,150 Free movies to watch online

Art, music, and culture

J P Brewer: View classic paintings online
Google Arts and Culture: Learn something new every day!
Exploration of the day: Artistic website connecting people from around the world.
NIN: Nine Inch Nails have surprise-released a new album available as a free download from their website.
Sofa King Fest: A directory of streaming performances by tons of artists.

Literature online

ManyBooks: 50,000 free eBooks
Open Library: Open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
Project Gutenberg: Download free books, e.g. Shakespear, Edgar Allen Poe, Frankenstein, etc.

Marketing tools

HOOTSUITE: This social media management platform is offering free access to its professional plan through July 1.
MOZ: This SEO software company, is offering free access to more than a dozen of its Moz Academy SEO courses through May 31, covering everything from keyword research to backlink basics and more.
SHOPIFY: The e-commerce platform, is offering an extended 90-day trial for new customers. For those of you currently on a 14-day trial, you can extend it at no charge to 90 days.

Homeworking

Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy: AFP is now offering a free daily Power Hour of consultation to support arts organizations needing help with income generation, fundraising strategy or donor management.
Accusonus: This audio software company, has released a free weather SFX pack in conjunction with their upcoming SFX Cellar service. You can get the free pack by signing up for their newsletter (bottom of the page).
Affinity: You can now use this creative design app free for three months.
Anchor: Podcast-making app Anchor, has released a new feature called Record With Friends 2.0. The feature allows people (up to five at once) to record a podcast from their browser, even if they don’t have an account with Anchor.
Capture One: If you are a photographer using Capture One, you may be able to get 2 months for free if you contact their customer support about pausing subscriptions.
Creative Skills: This is a new online marketplace for creative freelancers to share their skills – it’s free for people to sign up and create a profile, and they are taking zero commission on bookings through the site.
eBay: No business joining eBay UK will have to pay any fees to list or sell until 31 May 2020. The offer will apply to 250 product listings each month.
Logic Pro X: For the first time ever, Apple is offering its music production software Logic Pro X as a free 90-day trial, for a limited time only.
Motion Array: This company is offering three months of free access to its Premiere Pro plugins, Video Review, and Video Portfolio software. The best part about the promo is that there is no credit card needed to sign up, nor will there be any charges after the trial.
PosterMyWall: Handy resource that can help you design your own movie/documentary posters, flyers, and other materials. This tool can be used completely free.

Team videoconferencing

Cisco Webex: Cisco, the multinational tech giant whose Webex product hosts video conferencing, online meetings, screen share, and webinars, is offering free 90-day licenses with unlimited usage.
Zoho Remotely: Zoho has opened up its complete suite of web and mobile apps for free to small-business owners through July 1, to help remote teams communicate, collaborate, and be productive.
Zoom: The video-conferencing software is lifting its 40-minute meeting limit on its free Basic accounts for schools.

Virtual tours

Explore London’s top museums at home
Explore London’s top art galleries at home
Edinburgh Zoo – Live streams: Panda Cam / Tiger Cam / Penguin Cam / Rock Hopper Penguin Cam / Koala Cam
Future Learn: Explore the architecture and history of Rome, walking around a 3D digital model of the ancient city, with this free online course.

Wellness

Dealing with Coronavirus Anxiety (Anna Mathur, Psychotherapist)
Living life to the full – Free online course to change your life for the better
Creative Quarantine: Nonsuch has launched a daily email of creative activities for all ages to do at home.
DoYogaWithMe: If yoga is more your speed, DoYogaWithMe is offering two months of free access to its premium content.
Headspace: The app is offering a variety of guided meditations and exercises (including new ones) for free to all businesses and their employees.

Other kinds of support

ArtsMinds: Support the industry
Film & TV Helpline: 0800 054 0000
Donate to help self-employed workers during the outbreak.

We plan to update this post with new filmmaking resources as soon as we find them.
If you know of any that we have missed, please let us know.

Wishing you safety, health, and resilience.

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