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back to school
CREATIVITY ON THE SOUTH COAST
Our occasional series on how Britain is educating the next generation of film-makers continues with a trip to the South Coast
as possible realistic, it gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and their experiences rather than the whole course being textbook based.”
Yet in an industry that has occasional reactionary ele- ments, the advantage of a BA (Hons) in some aspect of pro- duction after your name may be questionable. But no-one at Bournemouth is suggesting that the degree course or any part of it is any sort of alterna- tive for the practical experi- ence gained from working on a real film set.
Such courses are a sup- plement to that education, and are occasionally worked around them when students are hired to work on films, or when production offices call looking for suitable crew members.
“There are signs that the industry is actually welcom-
ing the education and training opportu- nities that courses like this offer,” Bartlett explains. “Some courses around the country are purely voca- tional, some are purely theoretical. There are some which use practice to illuminate theory, and courses like ours which centre on developing students’ specialisations.
“People can come here with the ambition of either directing, or doing camera or sound, to the exclusion of everything else, but they still get a good overview of the production process. There’s a lot of hands-on film- making activity, but also there’s a very strong commitment on the course to the importance of film history, con- temporary film culture and associated areas of theory.
“So there’s a lot going on, and expe- rience has taught us that there is a lot of potential for graduates from this type of course in terms of employment and career prospects, both here and abroad,” Bartlett adds. ■ ANWAR BRETT
T he respected Film School at Bournemouth has, over the
years, built an impressive reputation. Among past stu- dents, it numbers the likes of Simon (The Full Monty) Beaufoy, Sara Sugarman
(Mad Cows) and Suri Krishnamma (New Year’s Day), while its awards include a Queen’s Anniversary Prize Medal in 1998 for services to higher education.
The citation read: “The College’s alum- ni are influencing international film and broadcasting and contributing to the world class work of the British film industry”.
It’s an impressive accolade for any educational establishment, more so for a school that has expanded its focus in recent years to embrace a wide range of film related and non-related subjects. So much so that the Film School – once referred to as the Bournemouth & Poole College of Art & Design - is now known by the more general title, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth.
“We still hold copyright on the Bournemouth Film School name,” explains Keith Bartlett, the current Director of the School of Media. “And it’s well known throughout our industry. But as the Institute has gone through various organisational changes that name has become less used.
“When you’re here day to day you’ll still hear a lot of references to the film school, but it’s now part of the school of media, along with photography and multi media. When people refer to it they are generally talking about the film and animation courses.”
Of the newer subjects available for study to degree standard, or HNC/HND level both full and part time, departments like Costume for the Stage and Screen are represented, alongside the more tradi- tional courses in film and animation pro- duction. This latter is broken down to allow students to specialise in either ani- mation or writing, producing, directing, editing, sound, camera or art direction. The full course run three years and com- bines practice with theory, maintaining the high standard that is expected from a school of Bournemouth’s reputation.
Some years ago student Chris O’Reilly actually saw his student film Killing Time nomi- nated in the Best Short Film category at BAFTA, while other awards and festival prizes are not uncommon. The 1997 and 1998 Fuji Scholarship Awards featured the prize-winning Bournemouth entries, Week In Week Out and Boxed On Arrival.
The whole point of the Institute, as Bartlett explains, is to teach professional values, inspire creativity and encour- age teamwork - the very princi- ples that will serve these young filmmakers well when they enter the business proper.
“One of the great things
about studying here is that
while students enrol on a par-
ticular course, there are
many opportunities to collab-
orate with students on other
courses. We have very good
work done between the film
and costume students for example, and good collaborations developing between the animation and model mak- ing students.
“We have other relationships that develop between the film, animation and multi media students. It’s all about giving the students the chance, as early as possible, to work in an environment that values technical as well as concep- tual ability. And as for the collaboration aspect, there’s logic to that, because that’s what will happen in the business. It also raises the overall quality of the work for the students.
“And because production is so hands-on they are all able to tackle the kind of issues that crop up on a day to day basis in the real world. If someone makes their costumes with a particular fabric, only to find it lights in a peculiar way, then that’s a useful lesson learned.
“They’re very carefully tutored and supported along the way to ensure that they solve problems like that before they arise. But as production is live, and as far
Photos from top: Bournemouth “old boy” Simon Beaufoy; third from top: Keith Bartlett, Director of School of Media; other photos: Students at work on location and in the studio
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