Comments on: Our old-school film school is a waste of $20m http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/29/our-old-school-film-school-is-a-waste-of-20m/ now with extra source Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:38:17 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: eyeswiredopen http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/29/our-old-school-film-school-is-a-waste-of-20m/#comment-25295 eyeswiredopen Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-25295 Why do you think it's called the Australian Film TELEVISION and Radio School (upper case my emphasis) - durr! It should be obvious from the name alone that much of that $20 million already goes into training people who go onto work in television, including directors who work in features but can't sustain a living from feature film work alone. The notion of diverting some federal dosh from features intoTV is not a bad one in a week that has seen the DVD run of Underbelly sell out in advance and requires serious discussion. Particularly when an excellent local feature like Cactus is LITERALLY playing to empty cinemas (my wife and I were the first and only two customers who rolled up to see the film in three consecutive sessions , we were told by a staff member at Sydney's Chauvel cinema last Sunday - that's 2/3 of a viewer per session). But half-assed, illogical snipes aimed at whatever federal agency is the punching bag du jour hardly advances the debate. _http://eyeswiredopen@blogspot Why do you think it’s called the Australian Film TELEVISION and Radio School (upper case my emphasis) - durr! It should be obvious from the name alone that much of that $20 million already goes into training people who go onto work in television, including directors who work in features but can’t sustain a living from feature film work alone. The notion of diverting some federal dosh from features intoTV is not a bad one in a week that has seen the DVD run of Underbelly sell out in advance and requires serious discussion. Particularly when an excellent local feature like Cactus is LITERALLY playing to empty cinemas (my wife and I were the first and only two customers who rolled up to see the film in three consecutive sessions , we were told by a staff member at Sydney’s Chauvel cinema last Sunday - that’s 2/3 of a viewer per session). But half-assed, illogical snipes aimed at whatever federal agency is the punching bag du jour hardly advances the debate. _http://eyeswiredopen@blogspot

]]> By: MH http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/29/our-old-school-film-school-is-a-waste-of-20m/#comment-25296 MH Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-25296 The article mentions that AFTRS has departments of production, direction, "editing, cinematography, screenwriting, design and sound. Then there's just one for television, and one for 'digital media'" I would have thought that each of these departments would be relevant to the successful creation of film, TV and digital media. Just because "equipment is cheap and accessible" doesn't mean that people shouldn't be taught a variety of approaches to create interesting material and tell their stories in interesting ways. The Final Cut Pro manual will only go so far in educating our future film/TV/digital-media makers. And it turns out LonelyGirl15 was scripted all along. Maybe even by someone who had done a screenwriting course! The article mentions that AFTRS has departments of production, direction, “editing, cinematography, screenwriting, design and sound. Then there’s just one for television, and one for ‘digital media’”

I would have thought that each of these departments would be relevant to the successful creation of film, TV and digital media.

Just because “equipment is cheap and accessible” doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t be taught a variety of approaches to create interesting material and tell their stories in interesting ways. The Final Cut Pro manual will only go so far in educating our future film/TV/digital-media makers.

And it turns out LonelyGirl15 was scripted all along. Maybe even by someone who had done a screenwriting course!

]]> By: jack lee http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/04/29/our-old-school-film-school-is-a-waste-of-20m/#comment-25297 jack lee Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-25297 Pretty much spot on - the AFTRS is an enormous waste of money in its current form - especially as a fair few of its graduates then high-tail it to the US, after making one Aussie movie. Disconnected from the wider stream of the arts, but stuck in older modes of filmmaking, it does nothing well. But this is exactly the sort of institution the 2020 conference was based on - old left-liberal sinecures, long past their use-by date. Pretty much spot on - the AFTRS is an enormous waste of money in its current form - especially as a fair few of its graduates then high-tail it to the US, after making one Aussie movie. Disconnected from the wider stream of the arts, but stuck in older modes of filmmaking, it does nothing well. But this is exactly the sort of institution the 2020 conference was based on - old left-liberal sinecures, long past their use-by date.

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