Development is where films begin: the office where scripts are read, rights are optioned and money is found. The BFI counts about 15,550 film and video production companies in the UK, from two people in a room to companies working across features, high-end TV, documentary and commercials, and placements in those offices are how most development assistants started. At Stage 1 you have never had a paid job in the industry, so do not apply for jobs yet: learn how a film gets from script to screen, practise coverage, and get the office skills straight. Stage 2 is placements, a reference, a reading log and contacts. Stage 3 is a paid assistant job. Tick what you have done, work on the rest, and take the gaps to an MFJF mentor. The Foundations course for this role covers the Stage 1 knowledge and teaches coverage properly.
Read the career guide for what the job involves day to day.
Stage 1: Before your first job
27 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 8
- Apply for work experience positions during the holidays; do not leave it until the first day of the holiday to look.
- If you have finished studying, look for paid internships; if you are still studying, find out whether your university offers placements as part of the course.
- Look for voluntary roles at film festivals or events; the BFI takes volunteers for the London Film Festival and BFI Flare (18 and over, travel and food covered).
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Skills 8
- Further your knowledge of Excel in Microsoft 365, and of Google Sheets; the submissions tracker lives there.
- Take any IT short courses to add to your CV.
- Can you write a logline, a one-page synopsis and a verdict a producer can act on?
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Knowledge 11
- Read The Screenplay Business by Peter Bloore.
- Read The Producer's Business Handbook by John J. Lee Jr. and Anne Marie Gillen, 5th edition.
- Read Into the Woods by John Yorke for the structural vocabulary your comments section needs.
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Stage 2: Experience and contacts
26 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 11
- Do you have a reference from a work experience or intern placement to add to your CV?
- Do you have work experience or intern placements on your CV?
- If the answer is no, refer back to Stage 1.
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Skills 7
- Practise your interview technique with friends and relatives; interviews are only nerve-racking when you have not had many.
- Continue to develop your office skills.
- Are you able to sum up a script in one line?
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Knowledge 8
- Research the company before each interview and keep re-reading the job description.
- If you are receiving no response, go back to your CV and work out what is missing; do you need more experience?
- Read widely; it will help you when you are asked to write coverage.
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Stage 3: Paid work
18 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 6
- Do you have a CV with relevant placements?
- Can you operate Excel?
- Can you demonstrate admin experience?
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Skills 5
- Can you demonstrate experience of reading and writing coverage for scripts?
- Are you able to collate data from the industry trades, and do you know where to look for box office statistics: The Numbers, Box Office Mojo and the BFI weekend figures?
- Can you cut a casting reel or a sizzle reel?
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Knowledge 7
- Have you decided which area of the production company you wish to pursue: development, or producer's assistant?
- Do you know how the industry uses the trades?
- Do you know the best way to fit into the office environment?
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Ways in for a development intern
Real schemes, checked on the organiser’s own page. A shut one is still here with when it comes back, because half the big schemes are closed at any one time and that is worth knowing.
- Trainee FinderScreenSkillsPeople over 18 who live in the UK and have less than 12 months of paid production experience in their chosen department. No on-set experience is needed, and there is no upper age limit.Final deadline 28 October 2026
- Yorkshire's Screen Diversity ProgrammeScreen YorkshirePeople aged 19 or over who live in York and North Yorkshire and have not done a Skills Bootcamp in the last 12 months. No screen experience or qualifications are needed, and graduates and career changers are welcome. Screen Yorkshire particularly encourages applicants from groups under-represented in film and television.Final deadline 2 November 2026
- Sara Putt Associates Trainee SchemeSara Putt AssociatesTwo professional credits but under three years' cumulative experience, in Camera, Sound, Edit, Production Office, Art, Costume, AD, Script Supervisor, Locations, or Hair and Make-Up.Final deadline 24 January 2027
Sources and References
This is MFJF’s own three-stage career plan for a development intern, written up from the career plan and the careers guide on our site. Open any of them yourself.
- MFJF career plan: Development Intern (PDF) the original plan this page was written up from
- MFJF careers guide: Development Intern what the job involves day to day
- The Three Career Stages the framework all three stages follow
Every link checked 19 September 2026. The plan itself was last revised September 2026.
