Abigail Alexander on joining the Film Forward programme

Film Forward Step Up Role: Hair and make-up supervisor in film.

Abigail took a degree in events management at the University of West London and completed an FDA at Kingston University in media skills. She worked in the film industry when younger but had moved over to high-end beauty in fashion, music and advertising for some years before a contact – fellow make-up artist Kym Menzies-Foster – offered her work on The Kitchen, co-produced and directed by actor Daniel Kaluuya's. There was another colleague on set, Claire Anne William, who was key to Abigail’s development. “Claire has always encouraged me to pursue and championed me for the Film Forward programme”, she said. Between those words and her time on the production, Abigail realised the film industry was where she wanted to be, in a work environment that allows her to evolve creatively.

After The Kitchen, Abigail was immediately offered more work and, keen to brush up on her film skills, started taking refresher courses through ScreenSkills in, among other things, special effects and hairdressing. Always keen to add to her skillset, Abigail praises ScreenSkills for the opportunities it has given her. In addition, she is currently studying for an NVQ in barbering and is developing the technical skills her job requires in the digital age. As she says: “the more multifaceted you are, the greater the number of opportunities that become available to you”.

Abigail, who is of Caribbean heritage, says when she first started in the industry she was often the only person of colour on set and, although things are changing, “there's still a big deficit”.

She points to her experience working on Tyler Perry's Six Triple Eight, about an all-Black, all-female battalion in the Second World War. “This story was to a large extent our experience, or those of our parents and our grandparents. We know those stories, those are our people but it wasn't necessarily represented in the crew.” Abigail says. “I know in America, the crew would be majority-diverse. People need to look around the industry and ask why are white people telling Black people's stories.”

Abigail's cousin, who works in HETV and film, told her about the Film Forward programme and she applied, saying: “My make-up skills have always spoken for me but I also have good communication and organisational skills. I hope that Film Forward will help me showcase those skills to eventually become an HOD/make-up designer on a major production.”

The Film Forward initiative is “desperately needed”, she says, and wishes it had been in place when she was first starting out in the industry.

“The Film Forward initiative offers a leg-up for people who feel they're stagnating in their current position,” she says. “They know that they're able to achieve so much more but don't how best to navigate themselves to the next level.

“ScreenSkills and Film Forward are addressing the diversity issue within the screen industry. The concept of an organisation that is dedicated to support and push the under-represented as well as highlighting to those within the screen industry that there is a huge lack of diversity, is proof of the pudding.”

Abigail also believes that one of the strengths of Film Forward is that it recognises the value that those who have a background in other industries can bring to film. “Film Forward harnesses the strengths of people who have worked in other industries. We bring versatility and flexible thinking to the table - which can only be asset to the crew. It's very good that Film Forward recognises this bonus contribution.”