THUNDER BAY — Confederation College film production students were introduced to a film industry professional who has worked on several television shows and numerous films.
Tyler Emms, who has worked as a technician on television shows The Lake, Trickster, What We Do in the Shadows, Cardinal, and Letterkenny, as well as numerous films, including Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Night Hunter, and Indian Horse.
Emms was invited to the college by professor Andrew Simpson to participate in a filmed interview and discuss his experience with current students as well as alumni.
Simpson said that with the ever growing film industry in the region, it was important to connect his students with someone who was very successful and had a very prolific career and also who’s committed to training new industry professionals.
“I think it's integral, I think when I came here, the most important thing we need to do is we need to break down barriers and walls, I don't want any student to ever feel that this is too big for them or that they can't succeed here,” Simpson said.
“Every single person who graduates every single person who attends here, they leave with the tools to succeed, and all they need is to know where the doors are, and so my hope is if this continues to be successful, bringing people up and then eventually turning into our next initiative is that we will then be able to make Thunder Bay a place that no longer has a geographical barrier.”
Emms, who has worked primarily in the leading roll key over his ten-year-long career, said that making connections with people who are interested in working in film is of the utmost importance to supporting the industry in the region.
“Technicians are, especially where I'm from in northern Ontario, I'm from North Bay, northern Ontario, to find qualified, skilled people, is one of the hardest things to do in our industry, people that are willing to learn it too,” he said.
“And as far as the industry goes in Northern Ontario, we've only existed for about 14 years, so still baby in the eyes of, you know, and it's really hard to fill the roles and it's always nice to be able to fill it with young people who are keen, willing to learn and deal with the gruelling hours that can come with being on a film set.
The film students were ecstatic to meet with Emms, said second-year student Montana Van Zandbergen, adding that the chance to meet with people they would potentially work and train with after leaving college was exciting.
“It's nice to, you know, you hear, like all of the things that are going to happen when you leave the program,” she said. “But it's nice to actually talk to people in the industry.”
