Improve the Workflow of any Business by Improving Organisation by Matt Rawlings

When you’re looking to take a business of any genre to the next level, the main stumbling block is quite often the level of organisation. It can be absolute chaos in some industries with paperwork here, there and everywhere, products being shipped all over the world, employees at various different company locations, the list could go on and on.

As a result, keeping your staff not only in order but in a positive mood to ensure that productivity is at its highest can be difficult; but nowhere near as difficult as keeping productivity and efficiency to the standards desired by those paying for your goods and services. This is where technology can come in handy.

Let’s look at an example that might not immediately spring to mind when you think of computerized organisation – the construction industry. You could have a head office on one side of the UK, in Newcastle for instance, and you could have a project in progress in Taunton, the complete opposite end of the country.

Communication between the two locations is simple – you can just ring from the site to the office – but paperwork needs to be signed off at the end of each stage of the process, and when it has to be mailed from one location to the other this can take days, even longer, slowing the whole construction process down, decreasing productivity.

If the company were to install some form of documentation controlling software, they could store all of the papers in one central location on a computer and provide access for all relevant parties, whether it’s those in the head office, those at the site, or the company they’re building for – allowing them to monitor progress and make sure that the deadline will be met.

As with any business, the more organised a company can be, the more efficient the essential processes can become, helping you to take your business to the next level in terms of productivity, customer service and also reducing the stress levels of those involved!

Matt Rawlings

Raindance and Staffordshire University Announce an Autumn 2012 Intake

– Postgraduate Training Programme with Distance Learning Option –
Raindance – a leading UK film industry network and training organisation – is pleased to announce that
applications for its September/October 2012 intake are now open.

The Postgraduate Film Degree Masters Programme, available in both MA and MSc versions, was launched
in 2011 and designed to meet the needs of emerging filmmakers. It is based on a proven formula that
includes Raindance courses, industry networking (including one-on-one tutorials) and self-directed study.

From October 2012, both MA and MSc are available as a distance learning option, making the course
available to anyone with internet access wherever they are based in the world.

Raindance’s groundbreaking postgraduate degree enables students to set their own individual career and
project objectives. This is made possible by an unrivalled collaboration between Raindance, the
Independent Film Trust as a charity established to advance the cause of independent filmmaking, and
innovative academics at Staffordshire University who introduced the UK’s first single honours degree in
Film, Television and Radio Studies in 1990. Graduates of the Raindance programme are awarded an M.A.
or M.Sc. degree that is academically validated by Staffordshire University.

Students manage their own schedule and modules which are developed in regular discussions with their
tutors in one-on-one tutorials. Depending on the student’s needs and interests, the investigations could lead to an M.A. in Directing Independent Films, an M.Sc. in Digital Cinematography, or highly specialised issues like Producing Films with Crowd Funding or Writing Fantasy Screenplays, that traditional institutions would not be able to offer.

Raindance founder, Elliot Grove, said: “I am delighted to be working with one of Britain’s most forward-looking universities to deliver a programme designed to respond to the changing filmmaking climate, and the constantly changing influences of digital filmmaking and distribution techniques.”

Veteran producer Carl Schoenfeld who has overseen Raindance’s educational strategy said: “Students are
empowered by skills that enable them to take responsibility for their own learning throughout the course and beyond. This is a great opportunity for filmmakers anywhere in the world keen on developing
themselves in an inspirational higher education environment. This course allows them to explore their own individual voice and trajectory into the film industry and culture around them.”

James Fair of Staffordshire University says: “We have always pursued a combination of relevance and
excellence at Staffordshire. We feel that the partnership with Raindance demonstrates our ability to provide flexible learning opportunities that correspond to the demands of the workplace. This will be where theory and practice meet, mirroring the complex realities of filmmaking.”

Since 1992 Raindance has developed and delivered pioneering industry-relevant filmmaking courses which
combine practical and theoretical training. Raindance trained filmmakers include such legends as Edgar
Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Oscar® winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park,
Downton Abbey), Guy Ritchie (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Sherlock Holmes), Matthew Vaughn
(Layer Cake, Kick-ass), and Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception).

Applicants starting the programme on 9 September (London) and 15 October (Distance Learning)