The West Virginia Film Office will host a two-day workforce training Film Production Accounting 101 workshop March 25-26 at West Virginia State University’s Economic Development Center (WVSU EDC) in Charleston. This hands-on skills training will be provided by film industry veteran John Gaskin, a Chicago-based film production accountant-auditor, who will focus on the skill sets needed to become a production accounting assistant. In addition to the two-day session, participants will also have access to six prerecorded webinars that further explain managing film budgets and cost reports.
“This workshop is another key component for building upon the state’s film industry labor pool,” Lisa Wells, Industry Relations Coordinator for the West Virginia Film Office, said. “Through hands-on instruction and interactive accounting exercises and activities, participants will learn the fundamentals of film accounting. This particular skill set represents a much sought-after position for hiring local, as requested by many of our business prospects planning to film in the state.”
Once the financing for a film or television project has been approved, the production accountant is constantly estimating the costs of production and highlighting any trouble areas for the producers and financiers. The production accounting team captures and rapidly verifies costs using standard film accounting practices and terminology. The primary film accounting tools prepared by the production accountant represents the standard “cost report,” the standard film budget, the cash flow schedules, tax credit estimations, etc. Every production, regardless of size, requires the production accounting function.
“Over the past several years, we have worked to organize and provide workforce training programs to more than 300 of our state’s residents,” said Pam Haynes, Director of the West Virginia Film Office. “By offering trainings, like these, we are giving West Virginians the opportunity to learn from industry experts and gain both knowledge and skills necessary for available jobs in West Virginia’s film industry.”
For the past 35 years, John Gaskin has been managing film production budgets for some of the industry’s top professionals, including Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Walter Salles. He is one of the most sought after film production accountants-auditors, having managed over 40 major films all over the world totaling nearly a billion dollars in combined production budgets. He has been training others in his field for the past six years to rave reviews.
All participants are required to bring a PC laptop. The accounting general ledger software used in the workshop is made for PCs only, not MACs. Due to the limited number of seats available, and the prep time needed for each person to receive the necessary materials and software links prior to the workshop, advance registration is required by March 21. No registrations will be accepted after March 21, and no walk-ins will be permitted. Your seat is not reserved until payment is received.
If you are not a current member of the Film Office’s online Crew and Vendor Directory, pay $95. Current members of the Film Office’s online Crew and Vendor Directory pay $75. Current high school and college students can take advantage of the workshop for $55. For more details, contact Lisa Wells at wvfilm@wv.gov or call 304-957-9366.
The West Virginia Film Office is a section of the West Virginia Department of Commerce, Tourism Division. Follow the Film Office on Facebook.com/wvfilm or Twitter @wvfilm.
