Yes, we’re entering the season of film festivals across the UK. The 21st Keswick Film Festival gets underway on Thursday 27th February and will run until March 1. This year’s programme offers movie fans the chance to experience the best offerings in cinema, from Oscar-winning titles such as Parasite to innovative projects such as The Kingmaker and So Long My Son. 

Meanwhile, one of Britain’s most acclaimed film directors, Ken Loach, is making an exclusive appearance at the Harrogate Film Festival on Monday, March 9. 

These celluloid celebrations come in the wake of the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Oscars, all of which provided showbiz and sparkle.  

Their popularity also reflects the fact the lure of the silver screen is as strong as ever for job seekers across the UK. 

While many would love to land a starring role in a big-budget blockbuster or indie-flick, becoming the next Joaquin Phoenix or Renée Zellweger is no mean feat. The good news, however, is there are many behind-the-scenes roles and rewarding positions linked with the industry. 

If fashion is a passion and you’re handy with a sewing machine or needle and thread, working as a costume designer or maker could be for you. Costumes are a crucial element of every film and TV series. Where would Superman be without his iconic pants and cape and would the residents of Downton Abbey really feel dressed without their elaborate frocks and dandified tweed suits?  

In this line of work, creativity is essential. It’s not only being able to put together an outfit; costume designers must have a vision for garments that will resonate with the storyline and characters, as well as enhance every scene’s visual effect.  

Period dramas, where the fashion must be contemporary and accurate to the button, demand impeccable attention to detail.  

Working as part of a large production team, beyond the technical skills and imagination, costume designers and makers should be communicative and able to meet deadlines. 

Another professional whose work is integral to the success of many modern movies is that of the stunt person and coordinator – though not perhaps as recently portrayed by Oscar-winning Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. 

Today’s daredevils are consummate professionals, responsible for orchestrating the dramatic action scenes that have audiences on the edge of their seats.  

As well as featuring in movies themselves, stunt workers work behind the scenes, liaising with the director, actors and crew members to ensure stunts go safely and smoothly. They typically have expertise in fields such as martial arts, pyrotechnics or driving, and often win plaudits as performers in their own right – there’s even an Emmy award for stunt work. 

Looking for something a little less risky? Why not consider working in film production? There are various roles, from line and executive producer to production assistant and runner.  

In general, production pros are responsible for bringing a project to fruition. Often this is no easy mission as it involves securing funding, finding the right talent and crew to get on board, arranging budgets, programming shooting schedules, overseeing the actual shooting, coordinating post-production and setting up marketing and PR for the finished product . . .  

Because producers do a little bit of everything, they often come from other professions, such as finance, accountancy, marketing, PR and media. 

Sometimes they start from the bottom rung of the career ladder as a runner and work their way up. Consider this as the personal assistant of the movie world. Among the many tasks are copying and sharing paperwork, such as call sheets, scripts and safety notices. Then there are meal and drink orders for the crew and running errands to different departments, such as costume and make-up. 

It’s hard work but a fantastic grounding and potential career launchpad – Guy Ritchie started off as a runner, making tea for renowned director Peter Levelle. 

The movie world is also a natural – and sometimes entirely artificial – medium for the tech geek. As the number of new digital companies in the UK continues to grow, IT, computer science and software development experts are increasingly in demand.  

This is just as true when it comes to making movies. Whether it’s working on embedded software in cameras and sound equipment or innovating software for video editing, augmented reality or 3D modelling, local and international companies are hiring the best and brightest.  

Away from the cameras and the glitz and glamour, even Hollywood superstars have to eat and there’s an army of professionals in hospitality, catering and events management who make sure A-listers are happy – as well as the production teams who travel with them to locations all over the world. 

On-location hospitality depends upon a wide variety of jobs, ranging from front-line staff such as chefs and cooks to hotel receptionists and managers and waiting and bar staff. 

While not every starting role is directly associated with the movies, learning skills and gaining experience is one step closer to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  

If you’d like to find a rewarding job that one day could see you move into movies, why not audition for the latest starring roles on x1jobs?