AFTRS Transforming Futures

Staff at AFTRS are highly skilled and experienced people who are committed to the students and industry.

Teaching Staff

The teaching staff within AFTRS are drawn from industry and are experienced, credited professionals within their fields. They have the opportunity to teach and mentor students on an almost one-on-one basis and to offer those in the industry information on new trends and technology. Most teaching staff only remain at the School for a fixed number of years and then return to industry. Their most common reason for coming here is to give back to the industry. In general they believe the most exciting part of their work is the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and experience to the students and to learn from them.

Departmental Administrators

Teaching departments have administrative staff who are responsible for the administrative support of the department and the coordination of projects such as short courses. Quite often Administrators are also directly involved in aspects of the student productions. These positions suit people with strong administrative skills and an interest in the industry.

Production Support

AFTRS provides the infrastructure necessary for student productions under the leadership of the Production Executive and various heads of teaching specialisations.

This support includes facilities, props and staging, grip, gaffer and a Production Accountant. These positions support the high quality of productions and most of these staff say they enjoy the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and experience to the students and get ‘refreshed’ by student vision. While many of these positions require extensive industry experience, some require experience in other trades. All of these positions support the creative expression of the students.

Technical Positions

AFTRS has some of the best technology available to students of film schools anywhere in the world. This requires a high level of technical expertise to use and maintain.

The technical staff within the School are located both in teaching departments and solely technical departments. They cover areas including editing, design, digital media, engineering, information technology, and web site development. The technical staff share an interest in emerging technology and a commitment to being innovators.

Library

The Jerzy Toeplitz Library is one of the best film libraries in Australia. Staff are specialist and highly committed both to their internal clients (staff and students) and their external clients (industry and the general public). The library staff also take their role as educators seriously, often accepting attachments for Librarians in training.

Support Staff

There are a number of support areas within AFTRS including marketing, property services, finance, human resources, and student services. Staff within these areas are highly skilled and experienced but don't necessarily come from a film, television or radio background. All show a commitment to innovation and make every effort to support the core functions of the School. These positions are particularly good for talented administrative people with an interest in the industry.

Interstate Offices

Although AFTRS’ main campus is in Sydney we also have staff in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. These staff are responsible for the delivery of a national short course program targeting industry professionals as well as supporting the School’s award students based in that state. As such most have a background in the industry or other areas of the arts and all have a client service focus.

Volunteers

While not actually employed by AFTRS, the School would have difficulty functioning effectively without the many volunteers who assist, particularly with student productions. The skills and experience of volunteers encompasses everything from industry professionals to people with an interest in learning about the industry and production. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with the School please visit the volunteer section.