Estonia's Ida-Viru County trains technical crew for future IDA Hub film projects
The newly opened IDA Hub film complex in Jõhvi will need not only creative staff but also technical specialists. A training programme for film industry jobs is already running in the region.
The IDA Hub film complex was officially opened last Thursday in Jõhvi, a town in Ida-Viru County in north-eastern Estonia. Its operators hope to attract large productions, but building a film industry in the region will require trained specialists as well as modern facilities. The topic was covered on Saturday, 17 October, by the programme "Narva Studio. What Matters to People" on the Estonian public broadcaster's ETV+ channel.
What the complex offers
IDA Hub has two large studios, of 1,200 and 2,000 square metres, as well as rooms for video editing and sound processing and other film production infrastructure. One of the studios can also host large events, not just shoots.
Marketing manager Maris Toomel says interest in the venues is already coming from within Estonia. The complex currently has two large projects under way, one for television and one feature project. Toomel cannot yet give details because the documents have not been signed.
To attract foreign producers, the IDA Hub team points to the option of getting part of production costs refunded, support from Viru Filmifond, filming locations in Ida-Viru County and the region's experience with film projects.
Training the crew
One focus of the complex's development is workforce training. Together with the Ida-Viru Vocational Education Centre Cosmos, a study programme for future film industry workers has been launched. Timo Steiner, who leads visual arts projects at Cosmos, says large productions need not only directors and other creative staff but also technical specialists, such as lighting technicians, editors and others who keep the shooting process running.
The programme currently has 18 students, who have come from Ida-Viru County and from other parts of Estonia.
Steiner says representatives of the PÖFF film festival have pointed out that a large film complex could lead to a shortage of technicians able to support large-scale shoots. IDA Hub's further development will therefore depend not only on attracting producers but also on having the staff needed for major projects.
