By Simon de Bruyn
Frame, Set & Match managing director Steve Dunn has confirmed that there were no staff cuts in the company’s recent restructure which also saw the post house rebranded as FSM.
Dunn told INSIDEFILM that the upshot of the restructure is that the company’s specializations have been divided into five distinct units, or boutiques, under the FSM umbrella: FSM Colour, FSM Design, FSM VFX, FSM Cut and FSM Features.
He confirmed two new positions have been created but were filled by existing staff.
Former senior designer Emile Rademeyer has been appointed creative director of the new FSM Design team, while former editor Ben Broad is now in charge of emerging technologies and is the company’s workflow specialist.
“The staffing numbers haven’t changed as such; we haven’t cut or added anyone, but we have made some new positions. Ben will work on set with our clients; whether they use the Red or Phantom [cameras], we will be able to make sure that we get the right material we need,” he said.
“Each department is standing on its own two feet now, and we wanted to clearly say we have a VFX department, an editing department, and our own feature film department.”
The restructure seems designed to promote the company’s services during what is becoming a tough period for post production companies, rather than overhaul internal structures. Dunn confirmed business had declined after a few strong months.
“I think everyone is rationalizing at the moment, and looking at what they can cut. It’s been pretty tough, but last month was a big month, almost the busiest we’ve ever been. We don’t have a feature film in at the moment so we are looking to change that,” he said.
FSM recently completed work on Jane Campion’s Bright Star and, before that, worked on Baz Luhrmann’s Australia.
FSM’s restructure follows recent news from Cutting Edge that it has retrenched 12 service staff and reallocated office space in its Brisbane headquarters.