KEVIN MORALES
staff reporter
collegian.editor@tccd.edu
TCC presents an easy and quick four to five-month program that allows individuals to fast-track their way into the film industry.
They are in collaboration with the Fort Worth Film Commission and 101 Studios to launch the Film Workforce Program otherwise known as the Fort Worth Film Collaborative.
They’ve already launched the introduction course for the Workforce Program and courses began Oct. 16. The program is divided into three certifications, depending on which of the different certifications the student chooses from will depend on whether it be held in the South or NE Campus.
“We are trying to design a pathway for people that have started in the Continuing Education Workforce Program to give them credit for the classes that they’ve taken to apply to an associate’s degree if they’d like,” says Chad Jones, the department coordinator for the RTVF program.
The Fort Worth Film Collaborative was designed to fill in the gap of necessary crew members that local productions don’t currently have, Jones said. He said he believed that by having the Collaborative, it will benefit the film industry in supply and talent.
“Say you want to maybe change careers. This is a good way to get training fairly quickly, to be able to get a job as quickly as possible on a film set,” Jones said. “So it’s an opportunity for someone that doesn’t have the time to invest two years to go back and get a complete degree.”
Offering certifications in hair and makeup, light commercial construction and gaffer and grip. Students will learn about film operations, safety practices, electrical and mechanical principles, hair and makeup, and lighting and set construction.
The courses only take about a month to complete, designed so that students can either go one course at a time or double up on the courses and finish the program in four to five months.
The current prices for the program are $200 per course. Jones can’t confirm if prices will change in the future, but financial aid is also available for students. He said that other courses will be added in the future.
Though the Workforce Program is a more fast-paced and fast-track way to get into the film industry, it does demand a little more physicality compared to the traditional associate’s degree.
“A film set typically requires a lot of bending, lifting, standing on your feet for long periods of time. You know, just physical demands of the job,” Jones said. “Of course, we wouldn’t rule anyone out and not accept them into the program because of a limitation like that, but they may find it difficult to obtain work if they’re not able to actually do the job on set.”
NE student Jack Fredrick has gone through some of the Workforce Program. He says that the program has gone by quickly and described it like a crash course for understanding film production in the industry.
Since starting, he said he felt comfortable with the pace of the class, even though each course for the certification only lasts one month.
“I’m able to digest it, I feel relatively good,” he said. “But I don’t think I’ll know if the course is going, you know, like at a good pace until I’m on set.”
Some students are open to the idea of the new program whereas others are concerned as to what might be covered in the program.
NE RTVF program student Lauren Harper said she is concerned about the quality of the education, but sees benefits for those who already know what they want to do in the film industry.
“Those who are already established within an industry or maybe have a nine to five or have 40-hour weeks in which they can’t fit two years into their schedule,” Harper said. “Or those who need a job to pay bills, need to pay rent, or pay for their children or provide for families.”
Still, Harper prefers the long term in getting her associate’s degree over the shorter-term program even with the benefits it has. She likes the fact that she can try a bit of everything before heading into the film industry, though doesn’t discourage the idea of having the program available for others who might need a different route for their education.
“It allows customization for the circumstance of the individual. I think that’s always been a benefit of community college, especially when it comes to the more affordable pricing, the flexibility and classes,” Harper said.
