Screen Australia supported the Australian Cinematographer Association (ACS) and the Australian Screen Composer Guild (AGSC) to run the second round of the Credit Maker Scheme.
The initiative combines mid-career dop, composer and established industry mentors, and ultimately aims to increase the number of department heads.
Participating cinematographers will experience pre-production and will perform the director’s DOP when filming the series. After that, we film episodes of the series itself.
For participating composers, they may be brought to work with the director of the score, or to observe only specific work on production.
According to broad lens data from ACS’s 2022 Landmark Research A, some of Australia’s most well-known cinematographers are women such as Mandy Walker and Ari Wegner, but only made up of 9% of DOPs credited on television and 10% of films from 2011-19. The report also found that male DOPs have consistently advanced, technologically demanding, creatively authoritative roles, and have a significantly longer career and are paid than women in the same type of project. About 80% of the overall camera workforce is male.
According to the AGSC, the composition is similarly dominated by males, with only 12-15% of Australian female screen composers.
Credit Maker 2.0 supports four DOPs and four composers, as the second iteration is named.
Past participants in the Credit Maker Program include composer Luna Pan, coached by Mitch Stewart from the DA’s office while working on the animated series LEGO Monkey Kid.
“The experience not only gave me famous credits to add to my portfolio, but it also helped me grow creatively and professionally. It gave me the confidence and momentum to take the next big step in my career,” Pan said.
Other composers who participated include Mirasia (Swift Street), Rose Mackenzie-Peterson (Wolf Like Me), and Petra Salsjo (Love Me), and directors of cinematography include Alice Stephens (S2 of the Surviving Summer), Kate Cornish (Erotic Stories), Sarah Hadley (Fires S2) and Justine Kerrigan (S5).
ACS National President Erica Addis described the “world leading” scheme where credit makers “access to opportunities to deal with, demonstrate their capabilities and advance their careers” with the harsh reality of the challenges facing women and other minority groups.
“The feedback from the producers of the first ACS Credit Maker was really impressed with the results they delivered, so I was very encouraging and excited to make history. So I look forward to more positive results from ACS Credit Maker 2.0,” she said.
Similarly, AGSC executive director Kingston Anderson said the credit maker’s first round was a “big success” and that four women could advance their careers.
For more information about application methods and guidelines, please visit the AGSC or ASC website.
