Programme Completed
StreetCast – Video Production
Current Position
Grierson-nominated director and editor
Outcome
Working across documentary, fiction, branded content and commercials.
Background
Riccardo Servini is an award-winning filmmaker, director and editor whose career has taken him across documentary filmmaking, television, film production and commercial media. His work has included projects for major broadcasters, production companies and international brands, with his documentaries receiving industry recognition and awards.
However, his journey into the film industry began many years earlier, when he was a teenager exploring an interest in filmmaking without knowing that it could become a professional career.
Through Futuretrend’s Streetcast training programmes, Riccardo was introduced to the practical skills involved in making films, gaining early experience and encouragement that would help shape his future direction.
What began as an opportunity to learn something new eventually developed into a career spanning more than 18 years, demonstrating how early access to creative education can open doors to opportunities that young people may not have previously considered.
The Challenge
For Riccardo, the initial challenge was not simply learning how to use filmmaking equipment. It was discovering how an interest in film could become a realistic career and gaining the confidence to pursue that ambition.
At the time, he faced several important starting points:
- Limited industry awareness: Understanding the different roles, skills and career opportunities available within filmmaking.
- Developing practical skills: Learning how to plan, film and produce creative projects.
- Building confidence: Recognising that filmmaking could be more than a personal interest and could become a professional career.
- Finding a pathway: Identifying opportunities to continue developing his skills through further education and industry experience.
The Learning Journey
Riccardo’s journey began with Futuretrend’s Streetcast programmes, where he completed two levels of filmmaking training. The programmes provided opportunities to explore film production, develop practical skills and experience the process of creating work for an audience.
As part of his learning experience, films produced through the programmes were screened at the Enfield Film Festival, giving Riccardo an early opportunity to see creative work presented publicly.
His progression included:
- First Streetcast programme: An introduction to filmmaking and the practical skills involved in developing and producing films.
- Second Streetcast programme: Further development of his filmmaking knowledge, creative confidence and practical experience.
- Enfield Film Festival: The opportunity to have films produced through the training programmes screened at a local film festival.
- Higher education: Progression to the University for the Creative Arts, studying for a BA (Hons) in Film Production and Cinematography.
These early experiences provided more than technical knowledge. They helped Riccardo recognise his potential, develop his creative interests and establish a direction for further education and a career in filmmaking.
Building Experience and Industry Knowledge
Following his early training and education, Riccardo began building his career within the film and television industry.
Like many people entering the sector, he started in an entry-level production role, working as a runner. This provided an opportunity to experience the working environment of professional productions and understand how different departments and creative teams operate.
From these early experiences, Riccardo developed his career through freelance editing, camera work and directing. Working across different projects allowed him to strengthen his technical abilities, develop relationships within the industry and gain experience of delivering work for professional clients.
His career included work on commercial productions, branded content, music videos and short films, alongside opportunities within established production companies and creative studios.
He also worked on the development of the interactive PlayStation film Erica, gaining experience in a production that brought together filmmaking, storytelling and interactive entertainment.
Over time, Riccardo’s experience expanded to include work associated with organisations and broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, Apple TV+, Sky, Sony and Channel 4.
This progression demonstrates the importance of building a career through practical experience, adaptability and a willingness to take on different creative and technical responsibilities.
Taking the Next Step – Moving into Directing
As Riccardo gained experience, his career increasingly developed beyond editing and production support into directing and leading his own creative projects.
His work with Salon Pictures, and subsequently Embankment Films, provided opportunities to become involved in larger documentary productions and take greater responsibility for developing and delivering films.
One significant milestone was A Space in Time, a feature documentary co-directed with Nick Taussig. The film follows a family’s experience of living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, exploring the personal and emotional realities of the condition.
Released in 2021, the documentary received a theatrical release and attracted industry attention, establishing Riccardo’s growing reputation as a documentary filmmaker.
He subsequently directed and edited Dwarf Story, a documentary exploring the experiences of people with achondroplasia, emerging medical treatments and the influence of media representation on public perceptions of disability.
Commissioned for ITV, the documentary marked another important stage in Riccardo’s development as a director, bringing his work to a national television audience.
Through these projects, Riccardo moved from contributing to productions as an editor and filmmaker to taking a leading creative role in developing stories and bringing them to audiences.
Awards and Achievements
Riccardo’s work has received recognition through documentary awards, film festivals and industry nominations.
A Space in Time was nominated for Best Single Documentary at the 2022 Grierson British Documentary Awards, one of the UK’s recognised documentary awards. The film also received the Best Director award at the Nottingham International Film Festival.
His documentary Dwarf Story went on to achieve considerable success on the international festival circuit. At the 2024 Little Venice Film Festival, the film received three awards: Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature and the Disability Experience Award.
The documentary subsequently received further recognition at festivals internationally, including awards for documentary filmmaking and editing.
Alongside his directing achievements, Riccardo has built an extensive editing portfolio. This includes work on Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and Me, an Apple TV+ documentary that received a BAFTA Cymru nomination.
These achievements reflect years of developing his craft, gaining professional experience and taking on increasingly ambitious creative projects.
Where He Is Today
Today, Riccardo is an established filmmaker working across documentary, fiction, commercial productions and branded content.
He continues to direct and edit his own projects while also working with production companies, broadcasters and commercial clients. His experience spans feature documentaries, television productions, short films and creative projects for internationally recognised organisations.
More recently, his work has included directing The Bag Lady, a short documentary exploring the world of one of the UK’s remaining high-street puppet shops, alongside further film and documentary projects in development.
He is also developing new long-form documentary work and has been involved in the development of a true-crime documentary series for the US market.
Riccardo’s journey demonstrates how a career can develop over time, from an initial introduction to creative skills through to professional experience, major productions and international recognition.
For Futuretrend, his story represents the longer-term impact that practical learning and early encouragement can have on an individual’s career. The training may have been the starting point, but it helped establish the belief and ambition that Riccardo carried forward throughout his professional journey.
Learner Reflection
“Martin and Futuretrend is the reason I have been working in the film industry for over 18 years. I was a teenager and had no idea I could do this for a living. Not only did Martin and Futuretrend teach me how to make films, he made me believe I could do it for a living and I wouldn’t be here without the early encouragement and teachings he gave. Thank you.”
Key Outcomes
- Early skills development: Completed two levels of Futuretrend's Streetcast filmmaking training.
- Practical creative experience: Had films produced through the programmes screened at the Enfield Film Festival.
- Progression into higher education: Studied Film Production and Cinematography at the University for the Creative Arts.
- Industry career development: Progressed from entry-level production work into professional editing, filmmaking and directing.
- Major production experience: Worked across film, television, documentaries and commercial productions for established industry organisations.
- Award-winning filmmaker: Achieved international festival recognition and industry award nominations for documentary work.
- Long-term career success: Built a professional career in filmmaking spanning more than 18 years, continuing to develop and direct new projects.