Page 127 - Metro

ARTISTIC CRISIS: THE 2017
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL CRITICS CAMPUS

7DUD -XGDK

7KH FRQYHUVDWLRQ DURXQG ĺOP FULWLFLVP DQG DUWV FULWLFLVP PRUH
ZLGHO\ LV WKDW LW LV LQ FULVLV $W WKH .DUORY\ 9DU\ ,QWHUQDWLRQDO
)LOP )HVWLYDO $PHULFDQ FULWLF /HRQDUG 0DOWLQ GHQRXQFHG QHZ PHGLD
for having democratised what he sees as a specialist skill: ‘There’s
QR VKRUWDJH RI JRRG DQG LQWHOOLJHQW ĺOP FULWLFV 7KHUHpV D ODFN RI
interest and there’s a dilution of criticism in general because of the
internet and social media.’ On home shores, after severe cuts made
by Fairfax Media – which had already made serial redundancies in
SUHFHGLQJ \HDUV t IHDUV IRU FULWLFLVP KDYH HVFDODWHG /DVW \HDU DORQH
saw a hoard of articles declaring ‘crisis’, from 1D@K3HLD’s roasting
RI 7ULSOH - ZKLFK oKDV IRXQG D ZD\ WR FURZGVRXUFH DQ HPHUJLQJ
broadcaster at a budget price’) to Anwen Crawford’s 3GD ,NMSGKX
piece lamenting the dwindling of cultural discourse (‘This country’s
culture is being starved, and with it any opportunity to understand
ourselves as something other than subjects of a ruthless economy’).
<HW HYHQ LQ WKH IDFH RI VXFK HFRQRPLF GLIĺFXOWLHV &UDZIRUG KROGV
the art of criticism in high esteem, arguing for its pride of place as $ 3$1(/ $7 7+( 0,)) &5,7,&6 &$0386
D}SXUVXLW RI SDVVLRQ DQG LQWHJULW\

:&<NNC BQHSHBR O@RRHNM@SD BQHSHBR are LNSHU@SDC AX @ CDRHQD SN AD ZHUH DIIRUGHG ĺUVWKDQG H[SRVXUH WR KRZ LPSRUWDQW UHODWLRQVKLSV
SGD ADRS @TCHDMBD LDLADQ SG@S SGDX B@M AD BQHSHB MDDCR SN AD built with editors and peers are when it comes to getting work and
HMENQLDC DMSGTRH@RSHB BTQHNTR @MC NODM LHMCDC :w< ( ADKHDUD HM getting paid. Campus mentor and Australian correspondent for 3GD
SGD @QS NE ROD@JHMF A@BJ SN @QS NE @M@KXRHMF HS @QFTHMF VHSG HS BDK- 'NKKXVNNC 1DONQSDQ Harry Windsor was a perfect example of how
DAQ@SHMF HS RHESHMF @MC RNQSHMF SGQNTFG HSR BNMRSHSTDMS DKDLDMSR Critics Campus can produce concrete results in terms of career
development. Windsor was a participant in the inaugural program in
(YLGHQWO\ WKH 0HOERXUQH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO )LOP )HVWLYDO 0,)) DOVR 2014, and was invited back in 2017 as a mentor. Having come full
believes in ‘speaking back to art’, inviting Crawford – alongside circle, he attributed his success to his Critics Campus run, at the
several other luminaries – to mentor for its fourth Critics Campus, completion of which he had been offered a 'NKKXVNNC 1DONQSDQ role
D WDOHQW GHYHORSPHQW SURJUDP GHVLJQHG WR QXUWXUH HPHUJLQJ FULWL E\ KLV WKHQ PHQWRU 'DYLG 5RRQH\
FDO WDOHQW LQ $XVWUDOLD 2YHU ĺYH GD\V HLJKW \RXQJ KRSHIXOV PHHW Over the 2017 proceedings, the importance of networking and
with individually assigned mentors – themselves working critics in visibility was also emphasised, particularly when it came to the nuts
Australia and abroad – and attend panel discussions and roundta and bolts of how to secure enough paid work to constitute at least
bles on issues including diversity in criticism, pitching to editors, the D IUDJPHQW RI D OLYLQJ ZDJH %XW PDNH QR PLVWDNH QRQH RI WKH
art of the interview, video and podcasting techniques, the relation PHQWRUV ZHUH XQUHDOLVWLF DERXW KRZ GLIĺFXOW LW LV WR HDUQ D VXVWDLQ
VKLS EHWZHHQ ĺOPPDNLQJ DQG FULWLFLVP DQG OLYH HGLWLQJ ZRUNVKRSV DEOH OLYLQJ IURP FULWLFLVP DORQH 5HWXUQLQJ WKHQ WR &UDZIRUGpV VHQWL
The participants then produce four pieces of work: three for the ments about the pursuit of criticism as art, we see how the crisis
MIFF blog (written articles or video essays plus an interview piece) takes shape. And it’s remarkably similar to the crisis likewise suf
DQG D ĺQDO ZRUN SUHSODFHG ZLWK DQ H[WHUQDO PHGLD RXWOHW fered by the art of the moving image. How can we focus on the art
The pitching, securing and delivering of a professional piece of if it must be commercially viable? If we are too busy talking about
work is arguably Critics Campus’ most crucial assignment – for both how to cobble together a living, how to leverage contacts or how to
the participants and MIFF. In addition to giving inexperienced critics do it all for free alongside a paid pursuit, we simply run out of time
an understanding of how to complete such a task, from inception to talk about the art of the thing itself.
WR SXEOLFDWLRQ LW HQVXUHV KLJK FDOLEUH SUHVV FRYHUDJH RI WKH IHVWLYDO As a 2017 mentor myself – looking forward to getting into the
(Festival coverage for an approved platform is also a condition of QLWW\ JULWW\ RI KRZ ZH HYDOXDWH YLVXDO DUW XVLQJ YHUEDO ODQJXDJH
participation for campus mentors.) RU KRZ ZH PLJKW XQGHUVWDQG PRYLQJ LPDJHV as visual language –
In the context of Critics Campus, Crawford’s notion of the ‘ruth , ZDV GLVDSSRLQWHG WKDW VR PXFK RI &ULWLFV &DPSXVp IRFXV ZDV RQ
OHVV HFRQRP\p ZDV EHVW FODULĺHG QRW WKURXJK DQ\ IRUPDO GLVFXV logistics. What’s stayed with me, and what I hope the conversation
VLRQV RYHU WKH ĺYH GD\V EXW UDWKHU WKURXJK UHDO OLIH H[SHULHQFHV will return to, is Crawford’s insistence that good critics be passion
of how the industry works. Participating in social and networking DWH DERXW EHLQJ WKH EHVW DXGLHQFH PHPEHUV WKH\ FDQ EH XOWLPDWHO\
HYHQWV DORQJVLGH ĺOP VFUHHQLQJV DQG FDPSXV DFWLYLW\ WKH PHQWHHV that is where art happens.

www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195 • 125