She Shoots participants at AFTRS.
She Shoots, a NSW-based initiative to address the gender disparity in commercial unscripted television camera and sound departments, has kicked off with a two-week workshop at AFTRS.
The program, a partnership between Screen NSW, AFTRS, Women NSW, Foxtel, VA Digital Hire and the Executive Women’s Television Group, intends to give training and professional development opportunities for female industry practitioners in camera and sound for reality TV.
The eight participants, made up of six camera and two sound recordists, were selected from 57 applicants. They include Tamara Penniket, Charu Menon, Lara Del Arte, Alison Plasto, Gemma Thornton, Kaye Harrison, Aimee Mullins and Claudia Pickering.
Over the two weeks, the participants will learn from industry experts including senior producer Alenka Henry (My Kitchen Rules, Gogglebox and Recipe 2 Riches 2), sound recordist Jeremy Ireland (Audio Director/Supervisor on Survivor CBS), director of photography Tim Hawkins (seven seasons of My Kitchen Rules, The Bachelor S4, Sixty Minutes, Sunday Night and House Rules S2), and director Kate Douglas-Walker (Celebrity Apprentice, Strictly Come Dancing UK).
Students will benefit from access to AFTRS facilities and equipment, plus cameras donated FOC by VA Digital Hire.
Course facilitator Janos Jersch has been a lighting cameraman and a shooter/producer in the documentary and commercial production sector for 15 years and has extensive knowledge in all film and digital formats. He is a regular tutor at AFTRS and runs the School’s popular TV Shooter Producer course.
During the course, participants will visit the sets of Australia’s Next Top Model and The Voice and will spend time in post-production on Channel Seven’s new production Zumbo’s Just Desserts.
Foxtel has also confirmed it will contribute up to $20,000 for two six-week attachments on its programs, with other industry partners including Matchbox Pictures to also host attachments.
Foxtel’s head of production and development Josie Mason-Campbell said Foxtel was thrilled to be part of a gender equality initiative in the television production sector.
“We work with a range of industry bodies to support programs which sustain actors, directors, writers, producers and the next generation of students. Finding the best talent to work on our Australian productions is a priority for us, and nurturing that up and coming talent to learn more and be creatively inspired through this AFTRS program is very exciting for the future of our industry,” she said.
Women NSW will also offer support to graduates through its partnership with the support network SALT – Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen.