Crisis de la deuda externa, la renegociación de la misma y la bursatilización

advice  delivered  by  film  professionals  but  they  are  still  not  a  major  part  of  the   skills  training  that  is  delivered  across  film  education.  

2.7.2  Finding  the  middle  ground  between  academia  and  industry    

The  analysis  of  both  the  UK  policy  review  and  the  BFI  strategy  has  highlighted  a   gap   between   industrial   development   and   theoretical   development.   This   gap   is   reiterated  in  the  opinions  of  producers,  filmmakers,  documentarians  and  funding   organisations.  The  producer  Rebecca  O’Brien  acknowledges  a  role  for  theory  in   education  but  is  clear  about  what  the  focus  should  be:  

It’s   important   for   filmmakers   to   have   a   basic   understanding   of   film   theory,  but  not  absolutely  essential  and  nor  should  it  be  seen  as  any  form   of   gospel.     So   much   of   filmmaking   is   practical   and   technical   that   these   areas  should  dominate  a  filmmaker’s  education  (O’Brien,  2012  Interview).  

This  idea  of  ‘basic  understanding’  is  reflected  in  the  make-­‐up  of  the  production-­‐

based   undergraduate   courses,   which   were   examined   in   the   previous   chapter.  

The  chapter  highlighted  the  ways  in  which  the  majority  of  practical  courses  were   usually  dedicated  to  technical  training  and  development.  With  regard  to  the  idea   that  film  education  should  have  broader  contexts  to  develop  a  filmmaker’s  voice   or  content  focus  O’Brien  says:  

They  need  to  be  in  tune  with  what  is  going  on  in  the  world  around  them  –   they  need  to  understand  news  and  current  affairs  and  be  engaged  with   the   modern   world.     But   they   don’t   necessarily   have   to   be   taught   these   things  (O’Brien,  2012  Interview).  

This  leads  to  the  question  of  how  a  filmmaker  develops  the  ability  to  engage  with   the  world  and  use  it  in  their  work  if  not  through  a  university  education.  Rebecca   O’Brien  is  a  producer  for  Sixteen  Films,  the  production  company  responsible  for   Ken   Loach’s   films.   Ken   Loach   studied   Law   at   Oxford   University   and   gained   technical   knowledge   through   apprenticeship   in   television.   His   success   as   a   filmmaker  could,  reasonably,  be  said  to  have  roots  in  his  education,  social  beliefs   and   his   understanding   of   characters   facing   particular   social,   economic   and   demographic  crises,  as  opposed  to  technical  knowledge  or  stylistic  idiosyncrasy.  

Therefore   it   is   interesting   that   the   producer   of   his   films   believes   that   film   education  should  not  be  concerned  with  developing  a  filmmaker  in  this  way,  but   focus   on   the   practical   and   technical   aspects.   This   seems   to   highlight   that   gap   between  the  commercial  and  the  creative  aspects  of  the  film  industry  and  feeds   into   the   earlier   idea   that   the   commercial   aspects   of   the   industry   sees   film   education   as   simply   supplying   employees,   rather   than   fostering   potential   employers.    

CEO   of   the   British   Film   Commission   Adrian   Wootton   (2012   Interview)   says   universities  should  focus  on  ‘equipping  graduates  with  the  skills  required  to  fulfill   the  burgeoning  job  vacancies  that  will  be  created  over  the  next  few  years’.  This   reinforces   the   idea   that   commercial   industry   wants   education   to   develop   employees  and  not  to  develop  future  ‘content  creators’.  When  added  to  Rebecca   O’Brien’s   words,   this   seems   to   confirm   an   industrial   view   of   education   as   an   employee   development   system.   Unfortunately   this   view   goes   little   way,   as   Wootton  hopes,  of  ‘joining  the  dots’  within  the  entirety  of  British  film.  Indeed,  at   the  close  of  the  interview  conducted  for  this  thesis,  Wootton  advised  caution  on   the   ambitions   of   developing   creators   within   the   higher   education   sector   currently:  

Universities  have  to  recognise,  particularly  on  the  production  side,  where   people   want   to   be   writers,   directors,   producers,   there   are   many,   many  

more  people  than  there  are  jobs  and  wherever  people  study,  they  need   to  realise  that  if  they  are  going  to  succeed,  they  need  to  do  everything   they  can  to  gain  practical  experience  and  be  resigned  to  not  earning  very   much   money,   if   any   money   at   all,   as   they   start   on   the   road   to   try   and   make  a  career  in  the  film  and  media  industry  (Wootton,  2012).  

His  words  further  limit  the  notion  of  universities  as  a  place  for  the  development   of  ideas,  voices,  personalities  and  creative  ambitions  and  instead  strengthens  the   embodiment  of  university  as  merely  a  training  centre  for  industry.  Head  of  Fair   Access   at   OFFA   Les   Ebdon   states   that   a   university   is   a   centre   for   the   critical   development  of  students,  a  space  to  learn  transferable  skills  that  equip  them  for   professional  life,  but  not  necessarily  the  field  they  study  in,  at  least  initially:  

Careers   divide   into   two   sorts,   one   where   you   do   need   specific   training   before   you   come   in   to   them,   medicine   being   the   most   obvious   one.   I   don’t  think  I  would  want  my  surgeon  to  have  not  done  a  medical  degree,   but   there   are   other   careers   where   the   training   starts   afterwards.  

Interestingly,   law   is   often   seen   by   students   as   a   course   which   leads   directly  into  employment  in  the  legal  profession  yet  if  you  look  at  the  top   of  the  legal  profession  there  are  degrees  in  other  subject  areas  (Ebdon,   2013).  

His   words   chime   with   evidence   presented   in   Chapter   four   of   this   thesis   and   further  exemplify  a  belief  in  the  importance  of  ‘education’  as  being  integral  to   filmmaker   development,   rather   than   specific   skills   training   that   may   soon   become   outdated   or   irrelevant.   This   is   particularly   pertinent   in   such   a   flexible   and  transient  field  as  film  production.  Ebdon  places  this  idea  into  a  film  context:  

I  don’t  see  the  film  profession  as  different  to  the  law,  it  can  give  you  an   advantage   to   have   studied   in   film,   but   it’s   quite   possible   to   bring   in  

transferable   skills   from   other   subject   areas   and   be   highly   successful   in   that  job  or  industry  (2013  Interview).  

This   contradicts   the   requirements   from   film   industry   in   contemporary   circumstances  yet  it  chimes  with  a  belief  held  by  high-­‐level  creative  practitioners   and   to   a   certain   extent,   as   will   be   discussed   in   chapter   four   of   this   thesis,   historical  record.  

2.7.3  Trusting  the  audience,  the  filmmakers  and  the  educators    

The   idea   that   theory   disrupts   the   illusory   purity   of   practice   can   be   seen   in   the   current   dominance   of   skills   based   education.   There   is   resistance   to   deeper   engagement  with  the  ideas  around  the  ‘why’  of  filmmaking  and  a  blinkered  focus   on   the   ‘how’.   The   focus   on   the   ‘how’   suggests   a   sense   of   control   over   the   development   of   craft   skills   to   continue   supplying   the   film   industry   with   employees.   The   intangible   ‘why’   being   introduced   in   greater   depth   to   film   production   education   poses   a   threat,   perceivably,   to   that   supply   chain.   The   challenge  for  film  education  as  a  whole  seems  to  be  to  overcome  this  sense  of   distrust  between  theory  and  practice.    

In   Anglophone   countries   the   role   of   the   director   is   seen   as   the   ‘ultimate’   with   successful  directors  expected  to  be  able  to  understand,  control  and  deliver  in  all   key  creative  areas.  This  is  largely  a  misconception.  As  discussed  in  this  chapter   successful  directors  understand  and  communicate  the  true  collaborative  aspects   of  the  medium  but  somehow,  for  some  reason,  this  has  not  fully  permeated  the   teaching  of  film.  In  Western  filmmaking  the  director  is  still  the  prime  focus  and   the  role  yields  a  power,  even  for  students,  over  other  cinematic  crafts.  Even  at   the  successful  National  Film  School  of  Denmark  this  was  a  problem  that  needed   to  be  overcome  and  this  is  addressed  in  detail  in  chapter  three.