JARCIA FIRME

uncertainty  over  their  future  professional  incarnations.  

1.7  Film  in  UK  higher  education    

1.7.1  Addressing  the  infrastructure  and  curriculum    

When   looking   at   how   the   higher   education   sector   is   seen   by   the   British   government,  it  is  telling  that  the  department  responsible  for  universities  is  the   Department  for  Business,  Innovation  and  Skills  (BIS).  Whilst  other  disciplines  and   subjects   might   take   offence   at   not   being   under   the   education   remit   of   government,   film   seems   eerily   suited   to   being   under   the   business   and   skills   umbrella   because   of   the   aforementioned   focus   within   the   film   industry   and   practical   film   education   on   skills   and   employability   as   the   prime   focus   of   film   production   training.     From   the   film   industry   point   of   view,   the   fact   that   universities   are   under   the   guidance   of   the   BIS   department   suits   the   desire   for   employees   who   serve   the   industrial   machine   and   display   technical   skills   and   industrial,  practical  understanding.    

The  view  that  there  is  a  crisis  of  identity  within  higher  education  regarding  the   role   of   the   university   in   modern   society   is   one   dependent   on   the   relationship   between   government   and   industry   and   the   need   for   providing   employees   for   that   industry.   The   relationship   of   individuals,   practitioners   and   academics   to   industry   should   also   be   considered   when   understanding   the   agendas   that   are   projected  onto  the  higher  education  sector.    

The  demand  from  the  film  industry,  and  the  expectation  of  government,  is  that   graduates  should  acquire  skills  that  are  pertinent  to  the  industry.  While  this  is  a   reasonable   request,   on   closer   analysis   a   number   of   issues   arise.   Trying   to   establish   a   set   of   core   skills   that   would   satisfy   both   governmental   bodies   and  

industrial  companies  is  difficult  due  to  the  fluid,  ever-­‐changing  capabilities  and   quality   of   technology   and   the   structures   of   filmmaking   at   a   professional   level.  

The  focus  on  craft  skills  means  institutions  have  to  be  as  up  to  date  with  current   technological   trends   as   possible   and   this   places   a   strain   on   resources   and   investment  as  institutions  attempt  to  attract  students.  Courses  also  feel  pressure   to   offer   the   most   up   to   date   technology.   This   is   an   attempt   to   lead   graduates   through   what   is   presented   as   an   almost   seamless   transition   from   study   into   industrial  practice.  There  is  also  the  expectation  of  value  from  graduates  that  the   increase  in  fees  brings.  

The   employability   agenda   starts   to   feel   like   a   smokescreen   when   analysed   as   institutions   focus   on   professional   skills,   industrial   links   and   influence.   Courses   advertise  potential  career  progression  to  attract  learners,  individually  delivering   their  own  ideas  of  what  the  core  skills  required  are  based  on  individual,  existing   resources  and  relationships.  The  lack  of  a  clear  set  of  skills  that  are  industry  wide   and  fundamental  is  curious  and  suggests  an  admission  that  the  skills  required  to   gain  employment  in  film  are  so  basic  as  to  not  require  three  years  of  full  time   education   or   the   intensive   immersion   in   an   MA   style   qualification   at   a   film   school.   Whether   skills   such   as   screenwriting,   film   editing   or   directing   can   be   learned   in   this   environment   in   this   amount   of   time   is   debatable   in   itself   and   suggests  that  perhaps  a  film  education  is  merely  a  way  of  gaining  employment.  

This   thesis   proposes   this   idea   as   a   narrow   way   of   thinking   and   argues   for   film   education  to  reposition  itself  as  the  starting  point  for  a  creative  career  as  a  key   filmmaking  practitioner.  Part  of  this  naturally,  is  an  understanding  of  core  skills   but  historically  there  is  little  agreement  over  what  core  film  industry  skills  would   actually  be.  Industrial  selfishness  may  also  play  a  part.  This  selfishness  is  manifest   in   the   desire   to   control   the   focus   of   film   education   and   thus   the   workforce   by   keeping  the  core  skills  fluid,  vague  and  difficult  to  cluster  into  one  set  of  key  skills   that  all  institutions  could  offer  and  all  companies  could  take  advantage  of.    

1.7.2  Justifying  a  new  infrastructure  and  curriculum    

The   fundamentals   of   the   filmmaking   process   at   independent   and   professional   levels   have   not   changed   much   over   the   course   of   film   history.   They   could   be   pared  down  to  a  simple  set  of  processes  relevant  at  all  levels  of  the  film  industry.  

They   would   give   a   graduate   a   keen   understanding   of   inter-­‐departmental   relationships  and  the  core  processes  of  every  stage.    

Even   with   the   arrival   of   new   technologies   of   production,   exhibition   and   distribution   the   processes   are   unlikely   to   change   very   much   due   to   the   production   departments   involved   and   the   fundamental   technical   and   collaborative   requirements   of   film   production.   Embedding   a   core   educational   structure  that  focuses  on  the  key  processes  of  filmmaking  and  providing  students   with   prolonged   engagement   with   fundamental   filmmaking   practice   is   quite   possible.   Such   a   core   would   lead   to   students   who   had   developed   a   clear   and   strong   critical,   contextual   understanding   and   could   ensure   that   graduates   continued   to   emerge   from   higher   education   fulfilling   the   requirements   of   industry   and   with   those   institutions   also   meeting   the   expectations   of   government.  

The   broad   and   ever   evolving   technologies   of   film   production   mean   that   an   element   of   in-­‐house,   technical   training   for   most   new   employees   will   remain.    

That  said,  it  would  seem  beneficial  to  look  at  what  main  skills  are  valuable  and  to   create  a  core  professional  development  strategy  for  university  curricula  around   these   areas,   -­‐   it   is   predicated   on   the   conviction   that,   if   fundamental   understanding  and  creative  skills  are  ingrained  then  specificity  and  detail  can  be   learned  quickly  and  on  the  job.  

1.7.3  Data  analysis  of  course  overview  ‘keywords’  

If  their  marketing  is  anything  to  go  by,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  universities  taking   the  step  towards  balancing  the  theoretical  and  the  practical,  the  cultural  and  the   professional  aspects  of  their  provision.  Analysis  of  the  keywords  that  feature  in   the  course  overviews  of  film  and  media  undergraduate  courses  across  the  UK,  as   per  Unistats  (the  official  website  of  higher  education  institutions),  reveals  how   ingrained   the   ideas   around   skills,   employability   and   professional   development   have  become  within  film  and  media  education.  

Fig.  1.  Keyword  analysis  of  139  undergraduate  film  and/or  media  courses  (Spring  2012)  

The  above  table  shows  a  clear  prevalence  of  professional  terms  as  opposed  to   the   theoretical.   The   emphasis   of   professional   rather   than   theoretical   is   understandable   but   the   gap   seems   to   reiterate   the   point   made   here   regarding   how   film   education   is   more   single   minded   towards   skills   at   the   expense   of   critical,  theoretical  and  social  development.  

68%

29%

3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Professional Theoretical Other

Course Descriptions: Keyword Category

The  table  below  breaks  this  data  down  further  to  provide  a  clearer  indication  of   the   type   of   the   language   used   and   the   commonalities   of   key   professional,   practical  terms.    

Fig.  2.  Keyword  analysis  breakdown  of  139  undergraduate  film  and/or  media  courses  (Spring  2012)  

The  highest  frequency  words  are  all  professionally  focused,  with  skills  clearly  the   most   common   word   across   undergraduate   film   and   media   education.   Even   if   Skillset  and  the  media  industries  have  no  direct  say  in  university  provision,  their   ethos  and  vision  for  media  education  is  clearly  pervasive.  

1.7.4  Data  analysis  of  UK  ‘film’  courses    

1.7.4.1  Methodology      

To   create   a   deeper   understanding   of   how   the   separation   between   theory   and   practice   is   manifest   in   contemporary   film   education   in   UK   higher   education   another   search   was   undertaken   through   Unistats   (May   2012)   to   look   at   the   practice   and   theory   provision   within   film   courses.   The   initial   search   term   was  

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Course Descriptions: Keyword Frequency

science’  were  ignored  resulting  in  236  courses  at  colleges  and  universities  under   the   headings   ‘media   studies’,   ‘creative   arts   and   design’,   ‘cinematics   and   photography’,   ‘other   creative   arts’   and   ‘mass   communication   and   documentation’.  

This   search   was   then   narrowed   by   searching   all   further   education   colleges   to   ascertain   which   ones   offer   a   higher   education   provision   of   at   least   Foundation   Degree   in   a   film   related   subject.   To   ensure   accuracy   and   total   coverage   institutions  discovered  via  the  Unistats  search  where  the  only  heading  was  ‘mass   communication  and  documentation’  were  checked,  even  though  they  may  have   had   no   relevance   to   cinematic   film   study,   but   were   more   concerned   with   physical  film  data  storage.    

Following  an  initial  collection  of  data,  the  focus  was  slimmed  down  to  ensure  a   relevant  and  manageable  sample  where  only  courses  in  which  film  featured  were   analysed.   The   result   was   a   set   of   fifty-­‐seven   courses   titled   exactly   or   approximately  as  follows:  

Film  Studies;  

Film  Production;  

Film.  

The   main   focus   of   this   aspect   of   the   thesis   was   to   ascertain   information   regarding  the  teaching  of  theory  and  practice  on  undergraduate  courses  to  see  if   the   emerging   picture   of   a   predilection   toward   skills   based   study   was   accurate.  

Another   aim   was   to   see   if   the   keyword   data   accurately   reflected   the   practical   teaching  of  film.  

1.7.4.2  Results    

In  the  case  of  both  film  studies  and  film  production  courses  there  is  a  clear  link   between   course   content   and   historical   roots   of   the   course   in   question.   With   regard  to  film  studies  this  is  likely  an  academic  product  of  the  emergence  of  film   theory.   Film   production   courses   are   more   closely   linked   to   industrial   practice.  

The  courses  display  allegiance  to  what  they  believe  is  the  best  way  to  educate   students  within  their  fields,  at  least  according  to  the  course  content  as  displayed   on   university   institution   websites   and   within   prospectuses   (Appendix   III).   This   adjunct   of   production   or   studies   appears   to   bring   with   it   a   commitment   to   delivering  modules  that  fulfill  linguistic  criteria.  

The   picture   across   the   sector   shows   the   split   between   practice   and   theory   modules   as   follows.   Production   courses   (Fig.   3)   favour   a   practice   heavy   course   with  practice  modules  taking  up  sixty-­‐four  per  cent  of  the  available  curriculum.  

At   the   other   end   of   the   spectrum   in   studies   based   courses   the   percentage   dedicated  to  theory  modules  is  seventy  per  cent  (Fig.  4).    

Fig.  3:  Theoretical  and  Practical  modules  on  20  courses  titled  ‘Film  Production’  or  similar.  Unistats.gov.uk.  2012    

As   Fig.   3   above   shows,   the   percentage   of   theory   modules   available   across  

23%  

64%  

13%  

0%  

10%  

20%  

30%  

40%  

50%  

60%  

70%  

Theory   Practice   Mix/Non