The open day from both Screen Training Ireland and the Irish Film Board took place last Saturday, October 17th as part of the overall drive to encourage engagement with film and TV production in the region.
The new studios in Castleroy, Co. Limerick were opened to the public with a line-up of talent and industry speakers to create awareness of job opportunities in the area, while also giving insights into production.
The event was directed at school leavers, job seekers, new entrants to the labour market, graduates and those seeking information on the industry.
A keynote address from Director Peter Foott (The Young Offenders) was followed by talks from heads of departments in production, accounts, camera and lighting, sound, art department, costume, make-up and hair, set craft/construction, props and continuity.
Other speakers included multi award-winning Costume Designer Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh, (Love & Friendship), Line Producer Noëlette Buckley (Disco Pigs), Production Designer and Art Designer Conor Dennison (Vikings).
Accountant Rebecca Daly (Room), Assistant Director Hanna Quinn (Maze), Gaffer James Maguire (Brooklyn) and many others were also in attendance.
Skillsets in various departments were showcased with a demonstration area. These covered VFX, Costume Construction, Costume Design: Distressing and Ageing, Modelmaking with Fab Lab Limerick; Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Camera and Lighting to name a few.
James Hickey, Irish Film Board Chief Executive:
“We are delighted to see such a high turnout and interest in this event. With the development of TROY Studios in Limerick, we believe there is a major opportunity to grow film and television production activity across the Mid-West region. As part of the IFB’s strategy announced early this year, job creation is at the core of our policy of growth for the audio-visual sector and training is a key element of this. This event has been organised with the aim of mapping current levels of skills across the region, in order to gauge the necessary training courses needed to allow people interested in working in the film and television sector to train and pick up additional skillsets.”
“We are working closely with Innovate Limerick and the Education Training Boards in the region to build strong foundations for growth. Of central importance is the ability for individuals to acquire the necessary skills in order to develop freelance careers within the film and television sector, which can offer a long-term continuum of employment.”