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Emerging crew to receive boost as Master/Apprentice Mentorship Program returns
20 March 2024
Applications are open now until 5 April, 2024 for emerging to mid-career crew members wanting to be Mentees in the latest round of the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC)’s Master/Apprentice Mentorship Program.
The Master/Apprentice Mentorship Program pairs experienced South Australian Heads of Department (HODs) – the Masters of their craft – with South Australian crew members at early to mid-career stage to provide professional mentoring across various areas of screen production including camera, art department, Assistant Director, locations and more.
Growth of the below-the-line crew base is essential to the ongoing advancement of the screen industry in South Australia. The SAFC has created the Master/Apprentice program as part of its commitment to providing training and development opportunities for people working in the South Australian screen industry.
The first two rounds of the program have seen the majority of graduates go on to progress their careers with paid crew work on productions including feature films Talk To Me, The Survival of Kindness, The Royal Hotel, Gold and the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, as well as series The Tourist and Beep and Mort.
Following a callout in January for experienced Heads of Department (HODs) to be Mentors for the program, applications are now invited from early to mid-career crew to be Mentees in the following screen production departments:
- Art Department
- Assistant Directing
- Camera Department
- Location Department
- Production Accounting
- Production Office
- Script Supervision
The SAFC will match successful Mentee applicants with industry leading HOD Mentors, who will work together to develop a training program through one-on-one meetings conducted at their own pace over a two to 12 month period, commencing 17 April, 2024. The program does not include on-set training.
Master/Apprentice round two graduate Simon Koehn said that taking part in the program helped to kickstart his career in film sound. Since finishing his Mentee-ship under Location Sound Mentor James Currie, Simon has worked as a sound recordist and editor on major projects including horror feature The Moogai, documentary Rewards for the Tribe, sci-fi thriller Foe, and feel-good rom-com My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.
“The opportunity to meet and learn from someone of vast experience set me on a path toward working on films that I never imagined I could be a part of. Almost everything I’ve worked on since can be traced back to meeting with my Master/Apprentice Mentor, and I’ll always be grateful for that opportunity,” he said.
Round two Mentor, Locations Manager Tess O’Flaherty, says the program is a rewarding experience.
“For Mentees, it’s a vital step toward gaining knowledge, confidence, skills, and the networks necessary for navigating busy shoots. I hope that through this experience I’ve made a small contribution to improving the future of the entertainment industry in Australia, nurturing talent and fostering a culture of growth and excellence,” she said.
The SAFC is committed to supporting increased participation of people from groups underrepresented in the South Australian screen industry including; First Nations practitioners, female identifying writers and directors, practitioners from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, Deaf or disabled practitioners, practitioners from LGBTQIA+ communities and practitioners from regional and remote areas of South Australia. Applications from Mentees from under-represented groups are encouraged.
Applications are open now until Friday, 5 April 2024. To find out more about the program, download the guidelines and apply, go to safilm.com.au/industry-and-skills#masterapprentice