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turned a decent way past 50, and this really appealed.
“I’ll still be involved in the mak- ing of films, albeit smaller and shorter, which has its own advan- tages – 10-page scripts rather than 100-page ones, so less to read – and a chance to work with new and ambitious talent, which I always like. So it’s more of the same in a sense, but in an entirely different environment.”
When Powell uses the word ‘sabbatical” to help describe his break with commercial film-mak- ing – “actually I may never go back to it,” he adds, mysteriously – don’t imagine he’ll be resting on any laurels.
His desk is covered with paperwork and the phone rings constantly testifying to a different kind of full-time job for Powell as he switches with obvious relish to another form of wheeler-dealing.
After endless speculation about the school’s future loca- tion, Powell says, firmly, “we’re not moving to London,” adding, “the place, however, is in need of refurbishment. One of the main things I want out of is this stop- start, funds-no-funds situation.
“At present we are about three-quarters of the way through
completing our funding for the coming year. Hopefully by April, we will have sufficient resources to begin building a new block out the front which, for the first time, will bring all the teaching and tutoring together.”
He also hints at plans for other future building and development before returning to what he describes as “the main priority – the core business” of the NFTS which comprises the MA courses in all the main film and TV disci- plines as well as the Short Course – “which I call Enterprise” – aimed at topping-up the skills of current industry professionals.
Powell is clearly proud of the current roster of staff like Frears, of course, and Tufano - “the man who shot Trainspotting, teaching the Trainspotting generation how to shoot” – and is very keen to build on their kind of clout. He notes that Roger Michell has agreed to teach “a whole mod- ule” and that Bernard Rose will be sharing his expertise in digital film-making.
But just because Powell’s background is principally in big screen production doesn’t mean that he’s ignoring the small screen. “We have to make sure
the TV in our title is properly embedded as a culture here. Frankly, it hasn’t been, which is amazing when you consider we have been successfully supplying the TV industry with a huge swathe of talent down the years.”
So – to an imaginary roll of drums – Powell reveals that the NFTS will have a major new TV department opening for busi- ness in January 2005. “We’ve got Peter Bazalgette, our deputy chairman, who’s most definitely part of the TV main- stream, as chairman of a think tank. The department will have courses covering all areas of modern television.”
And, even as we speak, the search is on for “a high-profile” Head of TV. Says Powell: “There is someone Out There who’s totally right for the job. I want them to be part of modern TV, part of multi-channel TV, firmly part of the new TV environment. I need the person who runs it to be really inspirational, someone who loves TV in the same cultural way that people have traditionally regard- ed film.” Watch this space.
Powell describes his vision for the NFTS as an “evolving” one.
“I don’t think the school needs to be hugely tampered with in regard to the majority of its courses.
“However,” he notes, “we have not been producing consis- tently enough of either the auteur or mainstream director in a way that perhaps Colin Young was doing back in his era.
“My vision is to try and more consistently produce those kind of film-makers while making sure the industry sees and recognises the incredible work that students from our non-directing disciplines contribute to the worldwide and UK film industries. I want the NFTS to be among the top five film schools in the world, and I’m not sure it is at the moment.”
Powell, who’s also planning to share his own expertise with stu- dents across the disciplines in at least 10 sessions a term, is in the job for the long haul.
“In my own mind, I have to do this job for quite a few years before I can really see the impact of the work I will have started. So, yeh, I’m going to be here a while...”
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