The UK's NewProducers Alliance has launched new training schemes for directing and scriptdevelopment. The group already runs a similar "9 point" training programme for producers. Courses run from September to Juneeach monthly.

The first panel for producers will be about"The Role of The Producer" with Gayle Griffiths, Phil Hunt and M. Martell. Thefirst directing panel is "Development For Directors"with Ed Blum, Mark Anthony Galluzzo and Becky Knapp. Thescript programme's first panel is "The DevelopmentTeam" with Jeremy Brock, James Moran and Dan Shepard.

NPA CEO David Pope said: "The new trainingstrands have been developed to provide for the ever expanding constituencies ofindividual directors and screenwriters within our membership but also toprovide support to the teams of producers, directors and screenwriters that arealways forming within the NPA. This current expansion will lead to future NPAdevelopment initiatives to help the teams move their feature film projectsforward."

Pope will lead the director programme, while screenwriter and development consultantJosephine Rose will lead the script strand.