Announcements
- Bectu
- May 27
- 2 min read
End long hours culture in film & TV
“I cried at work from pure exhaustion, it was humiliating. I never see my family, I neglect most of my personal life to be able to keep up with the hours.”Anonymous
Behind the glitzy image of film and TV is a workforce pushed to the limit. Workers are routinely asked to "break turnaround".
A worker is considered to have ‘broken turnaround’ when they are required by their employer to return to work within less than 11 consecutive hours in each 24-hour period. This is in breach of workplace rights.
Freelancers across the industry are routinely working 14-16 hour days, often with little rest, few breaks, and no meaningful increase in pay. Long hours culture is the norm.
Bectu's Broken Turnaround survey revealed widespread breaches of basic turnaround times, alongside testimonies that expose a culture putting workers at risk.
Despite years of promises, the industry has failed to act.Talk of work life balance means nothing without real change. Enough is enough.
We are calling on the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) and the wider industry to:
Enforce safe working hours and proper rest periods
Guarantee regular, protected breaks
Make overtime voluntary, not expected
Apply premium penalty rates to minimise its use
Commit to collective agreements that protect crew
Sign this petition to demand safer, fairer working lives for everyone behind the camera.
Why is this important?
Long hours are dangerous. Fatigue leads to accidents, harms mental and physical health, and puts lives at risk on set. Enough is enough.
SIGN THIS PETITION to demand safer, fairer working lives for everyone behind the camera.
Why is this important?
Long hours are dangerous. Fatigue leads to accidents, harms mental and physical health, and puts lives at risk on set. Enough is enough.
- the GBCT
- May 6
- 1 min read
The forthcoming Script Supervisor workshop is designed as a 2 day introduction, which will equip attendees with sufficient knowledge to enter the industry as a trainee.
Number of attendees: 20 max
Equipment you’ll need
· Stopwatch or mobile phone stopwatch
· Notebook or laptop
· Pens/pencils
You will be shown what it is to be a script supervisor.
Tutor's bio
Sarah Hayward is an experienced Film and HETV Script Supervisor, who has worked in the UK and abroad, most recently on a D.C. Comics feature to be released later this year.
She has run courses in Script Supervising for CMS, the GBCT, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, LAMDA, the London Film School, UCA Farnham and the NFTS. She is a trained Assessor for the Level 4 UAL Diploma in Script Supervision.
Start time of course: 9:30am for a 10am start until 5pm each day
Venue: Panavision UK, Bristol Road, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 8GD
Course fees: £350 for 2 days
Date: 23-24 June 2026
Register your Interest under the Training page for this course and send your CV to info@gbct.org.
If selected, you'll be contacted for payment
Deadline to register: 8 June
This course is open to those interested in script supervision including from other departments, who have worked in production who wish to better understand the role.
Please bring your own lunch.
Bursaries:If you are unable to pay the full cost of the course, you may qualify for a bursary c/o ScreenSkills