Film school opens in Saskatoon

Chelsea Martin, one of those eight students, said without this program she likely would have left the province.

“I probably would have applied for the film school in Vancouver,” she said.

Now, Martin is able to get her schooling in Saskatoon, which includes her current project of a TV commercial for a local film festival.

“I was behind the camera. I wrote the script. I booked the location and called the actors. I thought of the concept,” she said.

Metcalfe said students in the program learn all aspects of filmmaking and at the end of the semester create their own film.

“You’ll walk out of here with a bunch of skills and actually something to show the world what you can do,” he said.

Sean Pion, the director of RAIS, said although the film tax credit no longer exists in Saskatchewan, the film industry isn’t dead.

“We are allowed to foster and keep our creative, young people here and potentially grow something out of the ashes that were left after the tax credit,” Pion said, adding they have adjusted their curriculum to teach students how to make films with smaller budgets and crews.

Pion said there are plenty of job opportunities once these young people graduate.

“We’re already getting calls from production companies asking for names of students as they come out,” Pion said.

Metcalfe believes there will always be an interest in the film industry, even without a tax credit.

“People are going to go to film school no matter what. Whatever industry conditions are upon us, you’re still going to find a group of people who want to go to film school,” Metcalfe said.

For students like Martin, she wants to enter that industry once this program finishes in July.

“I would want to get a job on film crews here or there and stay in the industry while still making my own stuff,” she said.

Metcalfe said there is also a growing arts scene in Saskatoon that his students will help shape.

“I think we’re seeing a lot more of a need or a want for culture in our city. Saskatoon has sort of become a real city in the last little while, so people like the idea of staying here and building on the arts,” Metcalfe said.

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tburdeniuk@rawlco.com

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by paNOW

Film school opens in Saskatoon

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