Our mission

We are dedicated to putting mental health and wellbeing centre-stage in our industry. Let’s redefine our working culture, one production at a time. Let’s reset.

Woman doing paperwork on a TV or film production

Change inspired by research 

Our 2019 Looking Glass Report revealed that our industry is in a mental health crisis. It found that 9 in 10 people working behind the scenes have experienced a mental health problem, and half have considered taking their own lives. It looked at the ways these experiences vary across the industry, concluding that “those working in Production and Development appeared to face acute risk factors for their mental wellbeing at work, including extreme working hours, high levels of bullying and high incidence of sexual harassment compared with averages across the survey.’’  

It’s time to put mental health and wellbeing centre-stage and build a happier, healthier industry to be part of. If we are to attract and retain the best and most diverse talent, create compelling award-winning content, and be a leading player in the global moving image industry, we must address the root causes in our working practices.  

Many individuals, companies and industry bodies want to make these changes, but don’t know where to start. More and more productions have approached us for guidance.  

Best practice to put into action

 The Toolkit is one of the ways we are helping to meet this need. It gives you clear, concise resources, free templates, examples of industry ‘best practice’, and expert advice, to help you embed wellbeing at every stage of a production.  

Discover more about the mental health research underpinning our work on The Film and TV Charity website

Created by people within the industry 

The Toolkit has been co-produced with practitioners from across the industry on multiple productions of varying size and scale, bringing together freelancers, industry workers with lived experience, those living with mental health conditions, as well as a diverse range of people from groups who are under-represented and face additional barriers in the sector. 

Like our other resources developed for the industry and its workers, including our Support Line, Freelancer Wellbeing Hub and our Bullying Advice Service, it builds on what we’ve learned in practice, and on brilliant work from other organisations. You will find practical advice on how to make mentally healthy productions – whether you’re working on set, in an edit, in an office planning or researching, bringing contributors together or working in post-production 

The Change Makers

The charity brought together a coalition of industry Changemakers – leaders and trailblazing individuals who worked closely with the charity on developing and trialling The Whole Picture Toolkit and who see action to support mentally healthy productions as being representative of real, positive change.

Discover what they have to say about the toolkit in the video here. 

It’s time to make a change. #LetsReset

 

Ready to get started?

What stage is your production in

pre-production

Pre-production is a great time to assess your production’s mental health and wellbeing needs up front, and work with your senior team to put support in place. This section helps you plan, set values and expectations, and make sure yours is a mentally healthy production.

Pre-production Mini Guides

production

Production is busy, but mental health and wellbeing should still be a priority.  This section helps you support your team, identify, and mitigate risks and stresses, and demonstrate your commitment to their wellbeing.

Production Mini Guides

post-production

Post-production is a great time to monitor how your mental health and wellbeing plans have worked and introduce new ideas specifically relevant to post. This section helps you assess what you’ve learned and support those starting on the project now.

Post-production Mini Guides

Need help with anything else?

If you’re not currently working on a production but you’re thinking about how you can make your productions a mentally healthier place to work, find out more here.

Find out how we can help you

Brought to you by

This toolkit is created by people within the industry to help you place mental health at the heart of your production, whatever size it is or stage you’re at.