"Görliwood" wants to make people fit for film professions

Movies are a total work of art. If you take the time to watch the credits of a movie, you get an impression of the effort involved in a production. For minutes on end, the names of the personnel involved in individual trades flicker across the screen. They range from set runners and set decorators to lighting, sound, make-up, costume, visual effects, casting and logistics, stunt coordinators, location scouts and the grip department, which is responsible for maintaining camera and motion equipment.

The work of the Saxon Film Academy revolves around all of this. Almost four years ago, the first clapperboard fell for an institution dedicated to the training and further education of the so-called set professions. Since 2024, it has been working within the structures of a limited company. The shareholders are the Association of German Producers - Film and Television, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Görlitz Economic Development Agency.

"Görliwood" - as the town on the Neisse has since been called - has also made a name for itself abroad as a film set for numerous Hollywood productions. Scenes for films such as "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Inglourious Basterds", "The Reader" and "The Monuments Men" were shot here. For the film "Around the World in 80 Days", Görlitz served as the backdrop for Paris, Berlin and London.

Courses meet with a good response

The Saxon Film Academy is responding to an urgent need in the film industry to counter the shortage of skilled workers in the film industry with new training courses, says Academy Director Grit Wißkirchen. "We are now offering courses for the second year and have already managed to get a lot of things off the ground," reports Wißkirchen, who worked as a producer in the film industry for over 20 years. The response to the offer has been very good. A master class for camera and lighting assistance is currently running. A workshop for working with AI tools for the props and equipment department and a course for the costume department will take place in the first quarter of 2026.

"There is no separate training for set professions," Wißkirchen clarifies. In five to ten years, around 40 percent of those currently employed here will retire. "We are looking at people who already have a profession or a degree and want to reorient themselves." Targeted training and further education can prepare people for working on a film set. "We offer basic courses. In addition to specialist topics, career changers also learn how the industry and etiquette work on set."

Film industry professionals are lecturers

In the future, four certified courses will be part of the Film Academy's offering, including a course for production assistants. Those who inquire about such a job at the employment agency have so far come away empty-handed. With its certification, the academy hopes that the employment offices will issue training vouchers for the courses and interested parties will no longer have to bear the costs themselves. As lecturers, experts from the film industry impart their knowledge and experience in a very practical way.

So far, women and men from a wide range of professions have enrolled on courses. "We've had dental technicians, a master hairdresser, people from cultural management and some who have studied something completely different. It's all over the vegetable garden here." The courses are linked to internships and offer a good insight into working on set. "Everyone can find out: Is this a good fit for me or not?"

Set etiquette needs to be learned

Wißkirchen reminds us that a film can only be created through the interaction of many actors, even if the director and actors are named first. "That's why it's important to learn set etiquette. Everyone must be aware that it is not their own voice that counts, but teamwork. It's about making a movie with the budget available and within the planned time frame. It's a challenging job and not comparable to a nine-to-five job."

That's why the Film Academy also focuses on mental health and occupational health and safety in its courses. Last but not least, it's about sensitivity. "A lot of sensitivity is required in the costume department in particular. The employees there get up close and personal with an actor, which creates very intimate moments when changing clothes. This requires basic knowledge, which we want to prepare them for." In order to make this as intensive and practical as possible, a course should not include more than a dozen participants.

The mayor of Görlitz, Octavian Ursu (CDU), sees the film academy as an advantage for the location. "We have noticed that productions that come to us in Görlitz have a great need in this direction." For a film studio in Los Angeles or Munich, it would be a great advantage if it could rely on local staff on set.

Filmbüro Görlitz wants to be a point of contact for productions

In order to attract even more international productions, Görlitz has founded a film office. "Anyone who comes to us will receive close support and have all their contacts at one table. Applications for filming permits should be dealt with unbureaucratically," says Ursu. They are also happy to help with finding regional partners.

Wißkirchen describes an industry in transition. Increasing digitalization is accompanied by a change in work processes. More and more AI tools are being used in production preparation. "At the moment, no one can say where this will ultimately lead." You still have to carry cables on set and adjust the light correctly. In post-production, however, the possibilities for digital editing of filmed material are already almost unlimited.

Artificial intelligence plays a role in the preparation of films

AI already plays a major role in preparation - for example, when it comes to pre-visualizations of the scenes described in the script or the look of the locations and props. What should the mood be like, what lighting is needed? What could the actors' costumes look like? According to Wißkirchen, it would make work much easier if AI could be used to create a virtual costume rehearsal.

Increasing cost pressure is leading to a learning process for everyone involved. "Preparation times are being shortened, funds are no longer as plentiful as they used to be. Therefore, attention is being paid to optimization. We have to prepare participants for the associated challenges in our training courses and give them the ability to deal with them positively. We at the Filmakademie are also learning every day."