Creative Sask. tells Greg Morgan now is a good time to get into film industry

Lights, camera, action!

Saskatchewan residents with a creative side may want to consider a career in film and television. Megan Folden, manager of marketing and communications at Creative Saskatchewan, told the Greg Morgan Morning Show it’s a good time to get into the industry.

“If you are interested in special effects, makeup, editing, animation, set design, lighting, whatever you like, you should definitely connect with the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association,” she said.

“They’re doing a ton of training with some really fantastic industry professionals, and it’s really very affordable to sign up on their website.”

Folden said many new productions are coming down the pipeline, so Creative Saskatchewan wants to make sure enough people are trained to be able to handle the anticipated demand.

“It’s a viable career opportunity now that the industry is thriving and booming,” she added. “We just want as many Saskatchewan folks as possible to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

From a technical standpoint, Folden said she believes the province is keeping up with what’s needed for great film and TV production.

“It’s a digital age. The way that we consume content has changed so much in the last five to 10 years. It’s great to see activity happening here and opportunities for folks to learn the new technology,” she said.

Creative Saskatchewan offers grants to support the industry and help people break into it.

Folden said increased funding from the provincial government allowed Creative Saskatchewan to expand the Feature Film Production Grant, and two more streams of funding will be coming later this month.

Folden pointed anyone who’s already making videos using social media apps, such as TikTok, towards the new Filmmaker’s Grant.

“It supports emerging Saskatchewan filmmakers. It pairs them with a mentor and production fund to produce content under 10 minutes, and it’s designed to help build their portfolio,” she explained.

“Everyone has to start somewhere, and we’re here to support the next wave of entrepreneurs in that sector.”

According to Folden, TikTok video production was the topic of one of the panel discussions at this year’s Yorkton Film Festival.

Folden said people can begin applying for the Filmmaker’s Grant on Sept. 20.