On-set workflow services company Toothfish is hosting a trio of workshops and masterclasses this month to help upskill WA film technicians ahead of Perth Film Studios’ opening next year.
The sessions start with The Things They Didn’t Teach You In Film School, in which veteran film technicians share how they got started and offer guidance on surviving in the competitive world of Hollywood filmmaking.
Next up is The Science of Digital Imaging, a deep-dive seminar covering the past, present, and future of imaging technology for digital filmmaking, followed by On-Set Workflow Masterclass: Technical Roles & Tools in Action, a 3-day Masterclass covering the roles of DIT, DUT, Video, Dailies, and more. Screenwest and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries have supported this series of workshops through the Industry Development – Workshops and Masterclasses Fund.
It comes after Toothfish recently established a WA branch in support of the new Perth Studios.
Founded in 2016, the company was founded by freelance workflow engineer Brendan Dee and Weta Digital video engineer Rohan Satyanand, following their work on the video department for Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy and Christian Rivers’ Mortal Engines.
Aimed at creating and supplying next-generation on-set recording and monitoring tools initially developed for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, Toothfish spearheaded advancements in 4K, High Dynamic Range (HDR), High Frame Rate (HFR), and stereoscopic playback on-set, along with augmented and mixed reality monitoring.
After production wrapped on Avatar: The Way of Water, the Toothfish team pivoted to refining these tools, making them accessible and scalable for productions with smaller budgets.
Dee told IF that the round of workshops was the first stage in a planned skills development program to ensure there are enough technicians ready for the opening of the Perth Studios.
“We created these workshops because Australia is currently experiencing a shortage of on-set workflow technicians,” he said.
“We are getting emails every few weeks from production managers looking for a digital imaging technician or a Qtake operator, and there simply aren’t enough skilled technicians to fill these positions. This shortage is partly due to the emergent nature of these roles and partly due to a lack of visibility. Many people entering the industry either don’t know that these roles exist or don’t recognise them as a viable career path in their own right.
“With the recently announced increase to the PDV incentive and the imminent completion of the Perth Studios, there has never been a better time for WA technicians to enter the exciting field of on-set workflow.”
Backlot Perth managing director Ian Hale said he was excited to host the “important” workshops for West Australian filmmakers.
Click here for more information about the workshops.