Dreamscreen Australia and Media Mentors Australia have opened applications for a paid traineeship program that will support three virtual production studio hands.
The three traineeships are inspired by the apprenticeship model, and combine classroom education, workplace learning, skills development and work experience.
It includes a placement at VA Hire, grip and equipment training with Robbie Hansford from R&J Gripping, first aid certification, and manual lifting certification. Following this general education, trainees will then spend three weeks of dedicated learning on virtual production. They will shadow each department at Dreamscreen, before undergoing a weeklong studio hand course. Each trainee will receive an apprenticeship level wage for three months.
Throughout the traineeship participants will also receive pastoral support and scaffolding from Media Mentors Australia.
At the end of the 12 weeks, there may be the option of ongoing work at Dreamscreen. Trainees will also work with Media Mentors Australia to create a work ready CV, and learn networking and job-hunting skills.
The program has been put together by Esther Coleman-Hawkins from Media Mentors and the team from Dreamscreen, and is funded via Screen Australia’s Production Crew Skills Training Fund. No prior experience in the screen industry is necessary, and there will be a focus on applications from people who bring transferrable skills from other industries.
As virtual production is still in its infancy, there are still skills gaps in certain areas as the industry become more au fait with the tech and how it best serve creative.
Dreamscreen production manager Bridget McNamara tells IF they looked to a paid apprenticeship model as they thought it would bring in a wider pool of people and give them a hands-on level of training that they could then take forward in their careers.
“The ability to have a paid position inside a commercial studio is really beneficial not only to them, but to wherever they decide to take their job aspirations further down the track,” she says.
McNamara adds that the rigging and camera experience that trainees will gain are vital in understanding how best support a virtual production stage.
“Having that broad knowledge base, the trainees are able to embrace the whole process because they’ve got an idea of how the camera interacts with the wall and interacts with the rigging. It’s not a one-stop-shop coming to a VP studio or [a case of] just pointing a camera at the wall, so making sure that all of these different parts of the workflow all integrate is so important to us.”
At Dreamscreen, trainees will shadow people such as technical director Ahren Morris, who will give insight how projects come to the studio and explain technical parameters necessary, and CEO Clayton Jacobson, who will give a holistic insight into the production process and how creatives can embrace the technology. The idea is trainees can finish the program and be employable on any virtual production stage in the world.
“Because we’re a small team here and we bring through so many diverse projects, they’ll be able to get a really great understanding of the different types of jobs that there are,” McNamara says.
Applications are open now and close Friday 6. The traineeship will commence late October.