The 10-Point Film School Manifesto
After ploughing out into the world my
6-point manifesto for film schools; a conceptually forward looking, re-thinking of what we teach and how we teach when it comes to cinematic media - I have been prompted to expand it to a 10-point manifesto (and I aint adverse to further expansion).
I am grateful to Dr Greg Dolgopolov of the University of NSW for contributing 4 more...
7. Screen studies - knowing screen theory and history so that students are not just looking at recent release films but examining films both technically and thematically across a range of cultures, genres and styles. An informed filmmaker is a better filmmaker.
8. Working with clearly defined obstructions in developing projects that may never end up as a ?completed? film/video. Film School (in any form) is a licence to make mistakes; mistakes you may never again be allowed to make.
9. Working Lo-Fi but High-Concept . If you can make a movie on a mobile camera you can make a movie on anything. If you can coherently explore big ideas with minimal equipment you're ready to be a film-maker. If you can find cheap/accessible/available solutions to aid and facilitate conceptually complex moving images then you will have a mindset for problem solving that is at the heart of all film making of any budget. A film school should be constructing and enforcing an environment of make-shift exploration for this is breeding ground of true innovation.
10. Making personal stories and working with others to collaboratively tell stories and sharing ownership. Knowledge is to be shared as readily as stories and without the 'personal' all stories are meaningless. If you can make an intimate, personal film examining yourself, your life, your thoughts and passions then you'll be ready to explore the qualities in others. All film students should have to make a personal film about themselves before turning the camera on others.
Posted at 01:00AM May 29, 2007
by Mike Jones in general |
