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A documentary that delves into the creation of the world’s first moving chocolate sculpture.
In the documentary, we not only witness the awe-inspiring chocolate sculptures come to life but also gain insight into the backgrounds and expertise of Gibson and Pryer. Through interviews with both artists, we learn about their individual journeys in their respective fields and witness their unwavering passion for their craft.
One of the most remarkable aspects of these films is the level of respect and admiration Gibson and Pryer have for each other’s skills. Their collaboration extends beyond the creation of these sculptures, as they generously share their knowledge and expertise with students and fellow artisans. This emphasis on mentorship and community adds an inspiring layer to the narrative, highlighting the importance of passing on skills and fostering a sense of camaraderie within the creative industries.
Williams’ direction shines through in the beautifully crafted cinematography and impeccable sound design, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the world of chocolate sculpting. The films are a testament to the power of visual storytelling, leaving audiences fascinated and intrigued by the artistry and innovation on display. The docu-short is not just an intriguing visual spectacle, but also a celebration of passion, collaboration, and the pursuit of creative excellence.
What is Skills for Trades?
The content creative team known as Fivespice Creative, Shane Williams, (videographer/photographer) and Vanessa Anton (graphic designer) teamed up in 2017 with Dean Gibson (Australian pastry chef/chocolatier) and Jon Pryer (Australian industrial designer) to start a sweet collaborative team to create the world's first chocolate sculpture that moved called "Boneshaker" and the second one in 2020 "The Raven's Voyage". Dean and Jon used this collaboration to pass on skills and knowledge not only to students but to fellow tradespeople.
In 2022, Jian Yao from Continental Patisserie and co-founder of Team Pastry Australia along with Josh Nickl from Gumnut Patisserie joined the team for the latest project called "Iron Shark". With help from major sponsors IRCA Chocolate, Lamond catering equipment, Anest Iwata and Inteliprint the team took things to the next level. Not only to create a world record in making a moving chocolate sculpture but an amazing training opportunity for young tradespeople to learn skills not currently available in any classroom.
With the decline of skilled tradespeople in the industry and witnessing the closure of many great businesses due to the lack of staff, The team decided to create "Skills for Trades" as a way to showcase opportunities through collaborative projects like Iron Shark. This was to help raise the profile of tradespeople and show the importance of skilled tradespeople for future generations.
We would like to approach the Government to recognise tradespeople through programs similar to the MOF in France (click here to see more information). This program was implemented back in 1924 to revive the dwindling number of traditional craftsmen in France and recognise those who represent areas of “high qualification in the exercise of a professional activity in the craft, commercial, service, industrial or agricultural.” Most importantly to pass on skills and knowledge to the next generation.
If you would like to get in touch or learn more, please fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page, and we will get back to you asap. We will continue to update the site with videos and links to articles and important websites that inspire or promote opportunities for tradespeople.
Shane has created a short international award winning documentary called "Skills for Trade" just scroll down to see.
Watch the Full Documentary
We are pretty excited to finally share the full 35 min documentary with you all as it was finished at the end of last year. We decided to enter it into a number of Australian Film festivals like Flickerfest and the Sydney documentary film festival as we thought it is a uniquely Australian story that not many people would know about and it was not allowed to be available to be publicly available to qualify unfortunately it did not get in. We also entered it into the Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions by Lift-Off Global Network and we were just advised it is now a finalist. So that's enough already we think it's more important to get the story out there. So here it is.
Thank you to all those that helped and made an appearance and supported the projects we have done we could not have done it without you.
BTS - Designing Iron Shark
Other Skills and Trades
Passing on Skills and Knowledge?
Iron Shark was created by the same team that brought you the world's first moving chocolate sculpture "Boneshaker", and "The Raven's Voyage". Dean Gibson - pastry chef, Jon Pryer - industrial designer from Neo Industrial Design, Shane Williams, Vanessa Anton from Fivespice Creative and Jian Yao – the owner of Continental Patisserie and founder and member of Team Pastry Australia. Also introducing young guns, Josh Nickl and his brother William from Gumnut Patisserie where they were born and raised and are developing into two of the country's top pastry chefs.
We decided to take a different approach to try to help engage and upskill young tradespeople, apprentices and people that are interested in working in a trade. We believe that creating projects like Iron Shark gives tradespeople an opportunity to collaborate with other trades to develop new skills not usually possible in the workplace.
Dean has always invited young and established pastry chefs to join in to play and learn new techniques while creating his chocolate sculpture masterpieces. The Iron Shark project was the perfect example of how these projects have a positive effect on developing essential skills like teamwork, innovation, creativity and taking risks. Watch the videos below to hear what Josh and William Nickl had to say about what it is like to be a pastry chef and work on the Iron Shark and also Jian Yao talking from an industry perspective.
"I believe if we don't pass on our skills, they will be lost forever"
Jian Yao - Continental Patisserie
What is Iron Shark?
Team Pastry Australia
Did you know that there is such a thing as an Australian pastry team that competed in international competitions and did extremely well? Watch the Pastry Battlers give you an insight into the work that goes into competing in and how difficult it is. There is no team currently for the work and funding becomes too challenging, especially with no media or support from the government.
The Pastry Battlers - Documentary
01:31:27
Dean Gibson and Jian Yao are two men on a mission: form a team of pastry chefs to represent Australia at the 2013 World Pastry Cup and finally put Australian pastry on the map. Despite a shaky start, including several team reshuffles, the team is determined to train as hard as possible to reach the level of excellence needed to make it to the top. Will they become the well-oiled winning machine dreamt of by Dean and Jian? Will the team cope with the pressure of training intensively and competing in their already busy lives?
Credits: Matthew Venables: Director, Producer, Camera
Sandra Beeston: Producer, Writer
Christopher Mill: Associate Producer, Editor
Narrated by Ed Halmagyi.
Copyright: Matthew Venables 2011-2019
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