GIVING BACK
VMI exists to support storytellers, and that support does not stop at the loading bay. Stories change what people see and care about, and the strongest thing a company like ours can do is put its time, kit and money behind causes and people who would not otherwise get their chance.
OPENING THE INDUSTRY
The route into camera departments used to run almost exclusively through university or luck. VMI thought that was wrong, so we led the creation of the UK’s first Camera Tech apprenticeship standard, persuading the Institute for Apprenticeships that the skills shortage was real and then working with ScreenSkills and ten fellow rental companies in the Trailblazer Group to design it. The first apprentices started in 2021, earning a formal qualification, a Living Wage salary and a full-time career in television. We continue to train apprentices at VMI today, and our technicians mentor every one of them.
BACKING YOUNG FILMMAKERS
We support the Roundhouse Young Creatives programme, run bootcamps for new entrants to the TV industry, sponsor the annual UK KIFF film festival including its Best Short Film award, and have donated professional camera and lighting kit to West London College and student training programmes, because the next generation of storytellers should learn on the real thing. In 2026 VMI supported, alongside London Film School and LAMDA, the largest 48 hour film competition ever attempted in the UK.
If you run a cause that our kit, facilities or people could help, tell us about it. The answer is yes more often than you might expect.