The Brave New World of Education in Film
With the pandemic just about behind us and still on the horizon (at least to a certain extent), the education landscape will never be the same. Experts weigh in.
When South Africa entered hard lockdown at the beginning of 2020, the film industry, among many others, suffered tremendously. One of the hardest-hit sectors in film was education, with students stuck at home, unable to study without the proper infrastructure, and for final years, there was no guarantee that they would even graduate at the rate things were going.
“Without a doubt, it was the toughest time in our history for our beneficiaries, with no productions going down,” says Seton Bailey, who heads up the SA FILM Academy. That said, the pandemic has forced educators to move out of their comfort zone and regular curricula to offer courses and formats better suited to the brave new world we now live in.
Empowering Crew and Powering Environmental Change
On the forefront of innovation in sustainability was SA FILM Academy’s establishment of GREENSET (see Callsheet Issue 01 for more on this initiative). The Academy currently provides environmental sustainability on Film Afrika set of Raised by Wolves Season 2, assisting productions by implementing practical and economical, green initiatives. “The focus is life, occupational, entrepreneurial skills development and in-service training — effectively equipping trained, competent, professional, certified Eco-Stewards and Green PA’s to help productions minimise waste and environmental impact,” Seton explains.
Another initiative they have launched, sponsored by Suzuki, Homebrew Films, Atlantic Film Studios, KykNet and Suidooster is the Free Filmgro Driving Academy. “When trainees and crew are being selected to work on productions, whether or not you have a driving license can be a deal maker or a deal-breaker,” he says. A student or trainee pursuing a career in the film and TV industries can register for free, professional driving lessons at the Filmgro, complete with a professional driving instructor and a sponsored Suzuki S-Presso. They have recently notched their 40th driving licence through this initiative.
Developing Talent Despite the Odds
The MultiChoice Talent Factory recently celebrated their Class of 2020 graduation with 60 students graduating from the Lusaka, Nairobi and Lagos academy hubs. The pandemic put a damper on the programme last year, but although the students returned to their home countries, training moved online and planned productions were adapted to 10-minute shorts called Colours of Africa, says Cheryl Uys-Allie, Director of MTF. This series will be released in Showmax on 25 May. “The online training also provided the opportunity for the students to access online training with our partner, the New York Film Academy. The programme was extended from 12 to 18months culminating in a virtual graduation ceremony.”
Modernising, Innovating and Embracing New Tech
When the pandemic hit last year, says Janneke van der Merwe, AFDA saw it as an opportunity to modernise, to innovate and embrace modern technology. “A hybrid form of learning was immediately and successfully introduced. This came with its challenges. Students and staff needed to be trained quickly and effectively to use apps and digital communication platforms to continue the curriculum,” she explains. Proof of their success is that third and fourth-year students still managed to host both the annual Experimental Festival and Graduation Festival online, showcasing over 200 productions.
“In accordance with COVID-19 protocols, crews from the School of Motion Picture Medium shot films and documentaries remotely, with actors filming and playing their roles from their bedrooms and gardens,” she added. Their recent 2020 graduation ceremonies were also held online — and everyone came dressed to the nines!
The school took the opportunity to introduce a new curriculum, AFDA 2.0, a Bachelor of Arts which focuses on evolving production skills for fragmenting audiences and interconnected exhibition platforms. They also launched two collaboration-driven courses for 2021: a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation and a Bachelor of Creative Writing.
We look forward to seeing how these schools and many others in our film landscape continue to adapt and evolve to industry changes in the coming months.
This article first appeared in Callsheet Africa Issue 02, 2021.
