Local crew urged to use free training

As part of its efforts to increase the availability of specialised production crew in the UAE, Dubai-based rental house Filmquip Media has been offering informal training to technically skilled people looking to upgrade their skills or learn how to use new equipment.

However, there have been few takers for the offer that is free of charge and almost all who took it up are expatriates.

“This is our way of giving back to the community and it’s the most important thing we have done as a rental company,” commented Anthony Smythe, MD of Filmquip Media and a well-known cameraman and director of photography (DoP).

“We bring a lot of new equipment to the region thanks to our partnership with Arri Media. Our doors are open to people in the industry who want to upgrade their skills. However, it is only intended for technical crew who want learn how to use some of our newer equipment or upgrade their existing skills.”

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Smythe agrees it is done in an informal environment and on an ad hoc basis. Already, more than half of the lighting and grips team that are working on the UAE’s first multi-lingual film City of Life have been trained by Filmquip, Smythe claimed.

“This kind of training not only helps the community but protects us as well,” commented Smythe. “If people know how to use the equipment we are renting out to them, they also use it properly and take care of it.”