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Recipients of Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Professional Development Placement Program. L-R Kyra Bellamy, Giuseppe Cassin, Katie Dahlenburg, John Wang and Oska Zervoudakis.
Screen Queensland has selected five up-and-coming screen practitioners to receive a major career boost in Queensland’s booming post-production sector.
Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Professional Development Placement Program is a partnership between the state screen agency and five of Queensland’s leading post-production houses – , , , and – to create full-time, paid placement opportunities for emerging practitioners.
Screen Queensland is funding a $50,000 contribution per placement to support these new, year-long positions across sound editing and design, 3D modelling, animation, visual effects, virtual production and producing. Recipients Hanyue (John) Wang, Giuseppe Cassin, Katie Dahlenburg, Oska Zervoudakis and Kyra Bellamy have been offered placements at Alt.VFX, Chop Shop Post, Fika Entertainment, Folklore Sound and The Post Lounge respectively.
The news follows last month’s announcement made by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland supported an unprecedented number of PDV projects in the 2021-22 financial year, injecting an estimated $38.5 million to the state economy.
Screen Queensland CEO Courtney Gibson said the program provides vital on-the-job upskilling for the next generation of screen practitioners, ensuring the local PDV sector keeps pace with the rapid growth of this current post-production boom period and beyond.
“Last year, Screen Queensland increased our PDV incentive to 15 per cent and lowered the threshold to $250,000, significantly enhancing the global competitiveness of Queensland PDV facilities, and I’m delighted to say that the amount of PDV work coming in is at an all-time high.
“The new placement program bolsters the capacity of our Queensland PDV facilities to take advantage of the increased volume of Australian and international productions coming to local facilities. We are working closely with industry to provide a pipeline of exciting new talent to support local screen businesses,” Gibson said.
The program is one of many statewide talent development opportunities run by Screen Queensland with a focus on mentorships and workplace training. In 2021-22, the flagship Attachment Program created 74 roles for emerging practitioners on Screen Queensland-supported films and series. Further industry partnerships include the Specialist Factual Placement with WildBear Entertainment, Network 10 First Nations Skills Placement and Mentorship, and two year-long internships at Brisbane-based games developer Gameloft with both participants continuing to work for the company.
“Alumni of our career development initiatives have gathered the skills and experience to secure on-going employment across numerous areas of the screen industry, so we look forward to tracking this outstanding new cohort on their progress and achievements throughout the year and into the future,” added Gibson.
As part of the recent slate of Screen Queensland-supported PDV projects, Fika Entertainment secured Teletubbies Let’s Go, Mattel American Girl: Designer House and one untitled project – Folklore Sound have also been selected to provide audio services on two of these projects. Alt.VFX secured See-Saw Films’ sci-fi drama movie Foe, The Post Lounge is working across three Bronte Pictures feature films Kane, The Cost and The Greatest Surf Movie in The Universe, and Chop Shop Post are servicing Helium Pictures’ anticipated Paramount+ series Last King of the Cross.
All full-time salaries for the placement program will be in accordance with MEAA industry awards.
