SPAA Log 1

SPAA is the acronym for 'Screen Producers Association of Australia'.

So it turns out not only am I supposed to make a note of all my industry involvement and networking but I need to keep track of my given topic (Which is the SPAA, or more narrowly their website and all about them). After a quick brows of the front page I instantly moved to what industry events they hold, primarily to see whether or not I could attend any of them. Seems things are a little more Sydney based though for the Screen Producers Association of Australia.

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Anyway, the event which grabbed my attention and what I ended up spending a good 2 or so hours reading up on was the SPAA Fringe. It's what appealed to me the most as the Fringe is specifically designed to help out beginners in the screen industry; not student animators like me but more someone who's between me and someone who might have a full studio setup persay. Regardless, it'd rock to attend, airfares would put a dent in my wallet though.

Attending the Fringe lets you witness speakers at the top of their field in the industry. This falls into: Producing, Writing, Directing, Editing, Animation, Gaming, Design and probably breaks down even further for those interested in a particular branch of work in Animation, etc. Last year (2008) 400 delegates attended the Fringe, apparently; I'm assuming 'delegate' is the emerging artist so it's not a very open function. Couldn't find a price tag for the ticket anywhere but I'm guessing it'd be pretty expensive.

Essentially you're there to learn from the best, some of last years keynote speakers were: Rick McCallum, Producer, Star Wars; Ben Batstone-Cunningham, Creator, Secondlife; Andrew Mason, Producer, The Matrix; Amy Hobby, Producer, Secretary, 2008 SPAA Fringe.

Among hearing what each person in the industry has to say about their experience and expertise there are plenty of other functions setup for people to attend. Obligatory opening and closing night drinks, Workshops, Interactive Activities, access to Industry top Producers (Not sure what SPAA means by this yet; I mean, you have access to Industry top everything you could dream of), Roundtable Discussions with up to 40 participants, Industry professionals share information on the organisation of their company.

This next one is the largest part of the Fringe in my opinion. 50 one on one conversations are hosted which allow the candidates to talk candidly for 30 minutes with a senior industry player about their project, career, and funding opportunities; that would potentially be the best jot down of notes you would ever be given the opportunity to jot down!

I searched a little further to see whether or not there were any communities I could join freely, but forums seemed oblivion to the Fringe and the 2008 Fringe Facebook communities haven't been active since November last year.

Oh well, I enjoyed getting caught up in reading it regardless; leaves a slight hole in my heart that something like this doesn't function in Western Australia...either that or I haven't heard of one that big yet. One can dream.