EDUCATION Georgia Film Academy Plays its Most Important Supporting Role to Date By Ca ro l Bada r acco Padge t t
The multi-billion-dollar Georgia film industry is reopening with the help of a Georgia Film Academy-produced COVID Compliance Course— designed for anyone who works on a film set in the Peach State
T he Georgia Film Academy (GFA) was created in 2015 to train Georgians to work in the film, television, and entertainment arts industries. One of the academy’s shining strengths has been its flexible programming that gives Georgians real-world experience in and around the art of filmmaking—experience that students can attain in a relatively short period of time and at a cost that’s affordable for many. In 2016 the academy, in a collaboration with the University System of Georgia and its Technical College System, launched a pilot program with nearly 200 students from three universities in the state, and it quickly took off. “Today, GFA has expanded to thousands of students of all ages enrolled in campuses and training facilities within 22 institutions throughout the state,” says GFA Executive Director Jeffrey Stepakoff. “The program can be used as part of a baccalaureate degree, associate degree, incorporated into a new nexus degree, or to simply get the GFA certification and go right to work.” An especially sought-after component of the GFA’s offerings is its emphasis on helping students obtain important apprenticeships and jobs. “Each student who completes the first two courses has the opportunity to be placed in an on-set production internship, which enables him or her to make connections to secure jobs in the state’s film industry,” Stepakoff describes. GFA students have directly trained on union- covered productions such as Antman , Thor , Spiderman , The Walking Dead , Insatiable , Ozark , and more than 100 other feature films and TV productions in Georgia.
In 2020, the GFA’s focus on get- ting students ready to join the film industry is matched with an-
other critical objective: to help the industry reopen and resume production during the coronavirus pandemic. To that end, the academy’s veteran film instructors have pro- duced a virtual COVID Compliance Course (CCC) that teaches safe production practices and sanitation measures to help the state get back on track with film production. The free course is open for all film and television work- ers, casts, and crew working in the Georgia film industry. “It’s a tool that will help reopen our state’s $10-billion film industry safely ,” Stepakoff emphasizes. In that vein, he notes, “The CCC training program will address industry concerns with policies and procedures that ensure Georgia leads the nation in how to safely reopen and operate the film industry,” adding, “This is another way we can ensure a bright future for our students.” The two-part course can be presented entirely online for employees and on-site for producers, showrunners, and key personnel. Comprised of instructional videos, part one addresses basic safety and sanitation procedures for working on-set, while part two is made up of a series of shorter, craft-specific videos. Graduates receive certificates of completion from GFA and a handbook of recommended protocols and procedures. The timely CCC training is based on information from top resources in the film industry, such as the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the International
Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Teamsters’ “Safe Way Forward” program. It also details preventative practices approved by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH). In addition, the GFA developed the course in careful consultation with a variety of seasoned industry professionals, such as Mike Tyson, rigging gaffer; Whit Norris, location sound mixer; Kevin Amick, Local 479 safety officer; Jeane Champion, a craft service professional; Deaundru Metzger, hair stylist; Mandy McCowan, production supervisor; Jolly Dale, line producer; John Latenser, location manager; Jessica Baker, art department coordinator; and Clyde Bryan, first assistant camera. Along with the important task of helping the Georgia film industry reopen and operate safely, GFA leadership is looking ahead to its next industry-supporting role that revolves around its primary focus: Georgia students. As Stepakoff notes, “The GFA is rolling out new professional graduate programs for Georgia filmmakers and content creators, starting with a UGA-GFA-Pinewood Atlanta Studios MFA program this fall.”
www.georgiaf ilmacademy.online | @georgiaf ilmacademy
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