Who is Credit Maker for?
Credit Maker supports 12 females (4 screen composers) to be placed in a production setting to work alongside a mentor in the same craft area. For placee Composers, the mentor supports their development and learning as composer, co-composer or additional composer for a minimum of 1 episode in a broadcast series or equivalent work in a long-form production, to attain a credit.
This is not an emerging or early career initiative. Credit Maker is for those practitioners who hold some existing credits in their given craft area. Please check with the relevant Guild/Society regarding what level of existing credit is considered competitive for this program in your given craft area.
Credit Maker will be delivered by partners the Australian Directors Guild, the Australian Cinematographers Society and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.
Eligible Screen Composers can register their interest for this program below.
What is Credit Maker?
Credit Maker is a high calibre new initiative that will support 12 female practitioners across directing, cinematography and composing to attain a career defining credit on a scripted production; to elevate their career trajectory; and, to bring change in female Head of Department (HoD) representation in the sector.
Credit Maker is supported by Screen Australia’s Gender Matters umbrella in partnership with the Australian Directors Guild, the Australian Cinematographers Society and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.
Gender Matters is the umbrella name of Screen Australia’s efforts to address the under-utilisation of female talent in key creative roles in the Australian screen industry.
Female practitioners are under-utilised in HoD roles in the screen sector. Career pathways and trajectories, relationships, hiring practices, access to opportunities, carer support, and economic security are all factors that impact on females seeking to be hired for HoD roles in television series or in senior credited roles in scripted formats. This can impact on female credit attainment, the ability to convert credit to the next employment opportunity, and to build a career pathway.
Who is Eligible for the Program?
To be eligible for the program, you are:
- a resident or citizen of Australia;
- a female director, or cinematographer, or composer;
- a practitioner who holds some screen scripted and/or unscripted credits in the given craft area you are registering your interest for and you have a level of experience that would enable successful participation in the program, if selected.
This is not an emerging or early career initiative. Credit Maker is for those practitioners who hold some existing credits in their given craft area. Please check with the relevant Guild/Society regarding what level of existing credit is considered competitive for this program in your given craft area.
A composer may put forward an argument to be included on the Register if main credits have not been released theatrically or achieved distribution or been selected for major film festivals.
How will Credit Maker work?
The program is designed to create a register of eligible applicants and follows these steps:
- – after registration of interest, each Guild will undertake a process of application and assessment to arrive at selection of Placees;
- – registrees do not have to be a Guild/Society member to register your interest or apply. The program will offer to cover the cost of membership to those selected;
- – each Guild will negotiate the period, location, production and structure of the program with the Placee, production, and mentor. The length of the placement will be dependent on the given production, the availability of the mentor, but will be between minimum 6 (six) and maximum 12 (twelve) weeks;
- – once the above is confirmed, the Placee with Guild, will complete a short Screen Australia application, in order to finalise the approval of the Placee;
- – the Placee will enter into an agreement with the Guild and production for the placement to be activated. The agreement will cover core contractual areas including payment and other areas in template form;
- – the Placee will be remunerated at the applicable industry award or accepted industry rates for their craft area, and fringes and superannuation will be paid. Carer costs can be covered up to a set amount, and where applicable, some relocation costs supported, pending location of Placee and production;
- – the remuneration to the Placee will be paid as PAYG (with required fringes) via the SPV or production company/entity;
- – the mentor and production company/entity or music production company employing the placee will be paid a modest fee for hosting the Placee;
- – the Placee undertakes the program in a production setting, where they are mentored by an agreed mentor, then the Placee is the lead, and the mentor and Placee work together in the production setting, resulting in the Placee receiving a production credit in their craft area in their HoD role;
- – after the production placement, the Placee will work with their Guild to acquit and report on the program to the Guild and Screen Australia, and engage in post debrief and career progression discussion and scaffolding.
What happens if I’m selected for the program?
- If you are selected for the program, you will:
- work with your Guild to establish the placement and supervisor, with a suitable production;
- be paid at a standard industry rate for the length of the placement;
- work with a mentoring supervisor;
- work in a production setting to attain your credit;
- attain a credit in your given craft area for that production;
- undertake required reporting and debriefing for your program activity.
We are pleased to announce the recipients of Credit Maker Round 1: Petra Salsjo, who was placed on the second season of “Love Me” for the Foxtel network, and Rose Mackenzie Peterson, who was placed on the second series of “Wolf Like Me” for STAN. It is great to see these two series getting a second run which has enabled these placements to occur. Many thanks to the producers on both shows and their respective networks.
Read on below to find out more about the two placements!
Placement 1
Petra Salsjo
Project Name
‘Love Me’ Season 2
Supervising Composer
Cornel Wilczek (Composer), Warner Bros Television Production Australia
Negotiated Credit
Co-Composer (Complete Season 2)
Release Platform/Network
FOXTEL/Binge April 2023
Placement 2
Rose Mackenzie-Peterson
Project Name
‘Wolf Like Me’ Season 2
Supervising Composer
Piers Burbrook de Vere
Negotiated Credit
Additional Composer (Complete Season 2)
Release Platform/Network
Stan (Australia) & Peacock (US)
About Petra Salsjo
Petra specialises in creating scores that blend acoustic and electronic instruments. She’s scored BaftaLA recipient ‘The Telegram Man’ (SBS) and 25 short/screen projects including documentary, feature and a pilot for a TV Series.
Petra’s website: http://www.petrasalsjo.com/
About Rose Mackenzie-Peterson
More content coming soon…
The third successful applicant of the Credit Maker program is Mirasia who was placed on the Magpie Pictures ‘Swift Street’ drama production for SBS with composers Maria Alfonsine and Damian de Boos-Smith.
‘It is great that producers like Lois and Ivy have stepped up to support new talent to help grow the pool of female composers in Australia. We are also really excited by the support of experienced composers like Maria Alfonsine and Damian de Boos-Smith for the next generation of female screen composers.” – Kingston Anderson, Executive Officer of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.
Placement 3
Mirasia
Project Name
Swift Street
Supervising Composers
Maria Alfonsine and Damian de Boos-Smith
Release Platform/Network
SBS
“Screen Australia’s Credit Maker Program is a great opportunity to elevate diverse female talent into lead creative roles our industry. We are excited to work with AGSC to bring Mirasia’s music to the unique world of Swift Street led by our wonderful music composers
Maria Alfonsine and Damian de Boos-Smith” commented Lois Randall and Ivy Mak, producers of Swift Street.
Mirasia said, on hearing she had been successful in gaining the Credit Maker placement, “They say it takes 10 years for an overnight success, and it was a decade ago I graduated uni, moved across the country and have been working in music to be now given an
opportunity to work as a screen composer on a series. I am both grateful and excited to make my mark, further my skills, and to both represent and honour the sounds of the oceanic underground in relation to what best serves this meaningful and captivating story”.
“We love the way the Credit Maker program helps promote diverse voices in our industry and we are thrilled to be supporting it through the production of Swift Street,” said Maria Alfonsine and Damian de Boos-Smith the supervising composers on the series.