Following the success of the 2023 FOCAL regional event at BBC Studios in Salford, FOCAL hosted an event on October 2024 to bring the footage archive community and production together for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and networking opportunities. The event was held at Origin Workspace, Bristol, a fitting venue for this important gathering of archive professionals.

Attendees had the chance to participate in three interactive panel sessions:

Panel 1: Natural History - Ant-Zebra of Acquiring Rights

Ben Clarke (BBC Natural History Unit), Donna Sayyed (Getty Images), Nicole Wilkinson (Getty Images), Tim Aldred (Nature Picture Library) & Tim Harris (Nature Picture Library)

We showcase highlights and share details of BBC NHU and Nature Picture Library’s collections, how this started and why, the type of content that is available and not for licensing, how to find and search material, what rights are available, and the process for end-to-end content delivery.

With progressively more broadcasters and streaming platforms promising net zero by 2030, what has this done for the footage libraries? Has there been an impact on sales and content availability? Cutting down on travel is one way to be more sustainable, but are production companies/archive producers still looking for archive footage?

Panel 2: Natural History - Open Planet & Wildscreen ARK

Charlie Whittaker (Wildscreen ARK) & Emily Renshaw-Smith (Open Planet)

An exclusive opportunity to hear how Open Planet was founded, its mission and vision, and its unique and interesting business model. As a global library for creating positive change, content can be used for free for educational, environmental and impact storytelling. But how do you license their content for commercial usage?

Wildscreen is a conservation charity with a global impact. We connect creatives within the wildlife film, television and photography industry with conservationists to raise awareness about the environmental crisis and inspire positive change.

Wildscreen envisions a world where natural world storytelling is inclusive, accessible and impactful and where nature is protected and thriving. Our mission is to connect people with nature through storytelling, and democratise the creation of and access to nature's stories.

Panel 3: From South West to the North, How to Find the Right Content?

Amy Gardener (BBC News Library) & Sophia Gorton (ITV)

Regional news agencies offer a huge source of original and compelling stories, the story before it becomes national news, but how do you tap into and access this content? With the growth of financial and true crime stories, can you source the right material from a local news outlet that tells in-depth first-hand accounts to give your productions the fuller picture? How have UGC and AI had an impact on local news? We hear from representatives about how the archive is used and the richness of what BBC and ITV have gathered over the past 60 years.