Saskatchewan filmmakers were recently invited to a training program, the National Screen Institute’s Crew Training For The TV + Film Industry, being presented by Creative Canada.
The training focused on giving those filmmakers an idea of how productions usually run in other provinces on larger sets, over the course of six days.
Curtis McGillivray, a filmmaker who's currently headquartered in Regina but is originally from the southeast, says the experience was quite useful.
It gave him insight into production processes that don't come up in Saskatchewan as often.
"It was really a dive into giving people more of a dive into giving people more information on what it's like to be a part of these larger productions," said McGillivray, "Where the crews are over a hundred people big and there's a lot of moving pieces and you're not necessarily wearing a lot of hats but you're just a piece of this big, moving machine."
McGillivray says that he normally works on 10-15 person sets, so a bigger production is quite the change.
The new training comes after the Saskatchewan government boosted its grant program for TV and film by $8 million, hoping to attract more companies.
With the new training, there'd be more local filmmakers who'd be ready to work with larger companies.
"Basically what the program was, it's just to get filmmakers in Saskatchewan ready and prepared," said McGillivray, "So that when these bigger productions do move in - being pretty optimistic about it - there is a sense of people who can fill those roles locally here in our own province."
Saskatchewan will likely still be running the smaller productions at the same time as any new bigger production moves in.
McGillivray says that those provide unique experiences that are excellent for the development of a filmmaker.
"Because we're smaller we may not have as many funds as the other provinces but it really gives somebody who's just starting and wants to make their own stuff a nice place. You might not get the opportunity to direct and write and act in your own production in another province, but in Saskatchewan, it was welcomed with open arms."