The Sketchbook Film: Student Engagement in Practice

The Film team have developed an assessment strategy which has become much more than we imagined when we introduced it a few years ago.

In most of the Film Practice modules on the programme, students will be given a specific assignment that will include a "Final Film" product of some sort, which will be self-originated, and addressing the specific brief of the module. The "Sketchbook Film" is a 3 - 5 minute film piece that supports that final film.

The sketchbook film started out as an alternative to the dreaded production file and research folder, that necessitated hours of reading for every production in every module, and sifting through documents that the student would collate over the course of a project. The culmination of a module production and film would be a 1500 word evaluation of the project. These started to become a little meaningless and robotic, so we wanted to shake up the way we do this.

Asking students to make a film to support their submission offered us the opportunity to tackle documentary, behind the scenes (BTS) videos, and research sources, all in one place. It had some major positives such as:

1. Students get to see each others work, rather than this being a submission for the tutors
2. Students have to collate BTS footage, and reflect on the project throughout the production, rather than at the end of it.
3. Students experience documentary filmmaking, essentially making a micro documentary for every film production they submit.
4. Students start to think professionally about their crew, their organisational skills, the location of shoots, the kit they are going to use etc because rather than just TELLING us what they have done (which may allow for some extensions of truth) they have to actually SHOW us!
5. Students need to be engaged in the project throughout in order for the sketchbook film to be effective.
6. Students need to narrate the film, meaning they have to be very considered about their language, and critically reflective. This has proved really useful for students to be able to speak about their work, building their confidence, both in the sketchbook films, and also in presentations and critical screenings.

Example 1: Luke Sims 

One of the earliest attempts that worked quite well was this sketchbook film by Luke Sims, who was trying to improve his After Effects and Green Screening skills in response to the Practical Screencraft module.

The focus of his 'final film' was to create a piece that would challenge him to use these post-production techniques (something completely outside of his cinematography comfort zone).
In his sketchbook film which he submitted alongside his final film, he explains his research, the techniques, the creative decision making, and offers a critical reflection of his own work.

https://vimeo.com/162297396











Luke made great use of the sketchbook film, and began to make them for every module, even submitting a visual film artefact as part of his dissertation submission.

https://vimeo.com/232011182

His grad film Good Morning Jessica was a larger scale production and offered Luke the chance to document the whole process from beginning to end. He has ended up with not only an accomplished narrative drama, but also a well structured documentary.

This is the link to the sketchbook film https://vimeo.com/232010723

This is a link to the finished Grad Film https://vimeo.com/219504099



Example 2: Amber Amare

Amber has a completely different aesthetic, and ambition, than Luke.  She has developed challenging experimental work that focuses on taboo subjects such as abortion and menstruation. Her work has developed through exploration into feminist theoretical texts such as Barbara Creed's seminal 'Monstrous Feminine', and she is inspired by such women artists as Reed Morano.

Her third year started out with an experimental piece called 'Womb' accompanied by a research led sketchbook film, which allowed her to fully explain the creative responses to the theme.





This is a link to the final film https://vimeo.com/232013950

This is a link to the sketchbook film https://vimeo.com/232013712




Like Luke, Amber developed a dissertation project that was supported by a visual artefact. Her dissertation began by asking why Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones's Baby 2016 dir. Maguire) never discussed abortion as an option. Amber progressed to investigate the notion of the Abject, and it's representation, and finished by confronting abortion in film face-on, making her own experimental film about abortion which aimed to show a positive side to the abortion dilemma.

Link to dissertation film https://vimeo.com/232013234

Get Well Soon Postcard Workshop

On the bus, on the way to work last Wednesday, I received a text from a colleague to say that he was not coming in due to sickness, and asking if I could cover his session. He said he was introducing the film students to Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and the concept of the Aura, with a view to contextualising their film project, shooting on Super16mm film stock the following week.

Now it's never the nicest feeling having only 20 minutes to prepare a session about a topic that I felt, at best, very rusty about! But I found some resources that I'd used previously and decided to adapt them and go for it. Turns out it was a really fun morning!

1. Students began with a section of TWOAAMR text that I had previously workshopped 3 years ago (see blog post here). This part of the text discusses the way that 'traditional' art and photography/filmmaking differ. (Section XI of the essay).

The students surprised me in their discussion of the text. They are a second year group of film students, and really took to the discussion. They were perfectly confident to offer opinion, even at the risk of "making a mistake", and they really tried to get through the dense text, listening to each other and supporting their colleagues to contribute.

We started with thinking about what the text was about, and decided that the most interesting part was Benjamin's discussion of the artist as magician, and the filmmaker as surgeon. Students did not agree that the traditional artist magics up scenes in a different way than a filmmaker  - they argued that filmmakers have as much creativity in creating an illusion as the painter does. It was an interesting start to deciphering the rest of the text.

2. We then moved onto the part of the essay that particularly introduces the notion of the Aura, sections I-III of the essay. This was a dense text to work with and a few students began to disengage. I deliberately gave them a copy each, printed on A4 white paper to see how they would handle being faced with masses of text. It was daunting for some - and we discussed the challenges of this in a very open and honest way.

This deliberate pushing of them to their limits, allows them a safety net - the shared understanding that this text is difficult for everyone! It was written in 1936, it is not written in their language, and it is talking about 'art' that is different from their experience of art. 

However, once they were brave enough to acknowledge the difficulties of the text, and to start to discuss it, they began to make major breakthroughs in their understanding of it. 

Students said the work was:

Serious, Heavy, Authoritative, confusing, repetitive, verbose, made no sense, and was political (and therefore potentially dangerous and useful for propaganda). They also said it was opinionated and narcissistic!

However, they made incredibly interesting comments about the concepts being raised, and began to acknowledge the differences between an 'original' work and a reproduction, and how this relates to working with analogue and digital technologies.

In order to cement the learning that was beginning to happen, I decided to risk it and allow the students to engage in some prit-stick activity! Instead of making booklets as previously with this text, I told the students they had to choose one particular line, or small section, from the text, and use it as the basis for a postcard design.

In order to do this they needed to cut up the text, an act that feels subversive in itself, but is enjoyable, especially if you have struggled to get through it mere words on white page.  

The basic 'rules' of the task were as follows:

1. Choose a line of the text that resonates, and relates to the concept of the aura.

2. Using the film magazines provided, find imagery to support your text.

3. Students were given a blank postcard, and asked to create a collage on the front, using the imagery and words they had selected.

4 On the reverse, they had to write an explanation of the piece of text they had chosen, and address their postcard, as a get well card, for the tutor who was off sick.

5. The tutor's office address was added to the address bar.

There were some great results from this task, and the students were all fully involved in selecting and discussing their choice of both text and imagery.

The postcards were pinned up on a "washing line" across the room, and we had a chance to discuss the meaning of the Benjamin text a little further. Students on the whole fully engaged with the morning's activity, and the discussion centred around authenticity, and the degradation of the original, compared to the digital copy of a copy of a copy of binary code....

What i especially enjoyed about this project was that they had started with the same materials, yet each made something completely original, authentic and analogue! 

Benjamin would have claimed he was "confronted with [each postcard's] uniqueness, that is, its aura" 

A great morning with the second year students, and a lovely treat for my poorly colleague on his return I hope! The afternoon session afforded the students the chance to get into 6 groups of 5/6 people, and work on an idea for their 16mm projects. The idea needs to be based around the concept of the aura. Let's see how that goes when they pitch it this week!...

Space to create?

How much space do you need to do a film degree?

This is going to be a point of focus for me over the next couple of weeks, as we plan the degree programme timetables for 2016-17, and look towards recruitment for 2017. 

I will also be meeting heads of film schools from across the UK at the NAHEMI (National Association for Moving Image Higher Education) AGM to be held at the University of Westminster next week.

What does it mean to be a student doing a film degree in 2016?

What we do know is that Film is not a dying art, but a growth industry. Facts and figures from BFI, published in 2015 show that:

• In 2014, there were over 6,000 film production companies and over 2,400 post-production companies in the UK. 
• There were 405 film distributors and 215 film exhibitors.
• The majority of companies were small (turnover under £250,000).
• The production, post-production and distribution sectors were concentrated in London and the South East, while the exhibition sector was more dispersed.
• Outside London and the South East there were significant production and post-production clusters in the East of England, South West and North West.
• Film and Video Companies, including production, post production, distribution and exhibition, indicate 32.4% growth since 2009, compared to an overall UK statistic of 5.2% for all other industries.

For Higher Education Institutes to invest in the development of Film production courses is a "no-brainer"! Just look at the remarkable work coming out of the UK!

www.bfi.org.uk

What I would like to see then, is for HEI's to look at what filmmaking means, and to embrace the opportunities it can create for students and for the Institution itself. At the moment, I believe there is sometimes a misunderstanding of what filmmaking actually entails. Perhaps the fact that work is often (not always) screen based on it's completion, gives the impression that it is screen based in it's production. Well it just isn't!

Film making is everything - it is Creative Writing, it is 3D craft, it is Costume Design, it is Fashion, it is Interior Design, it is Advertising and Brand, it is Media studies, it is Animation, it is Photography, it is IT and Communication, it is Design, it is Graphics  - it is many creative arts in one degree!

It is also an academic as well as a creative subject. It demands critical analysis, craft skill and originality, as well as an understanding of literature, and literary criticism, history, context and cultural studies. It is humanities, it is social science, and it is art.

What do students actually need to learn, and do, at University level, that a they can't learn from Lynda.com or from a 'filmmaking for dummies' manual? 

Is there a misunderstanding, happening inside institutions, about what it means to learn Film?

This is the crux of the question, and the answer is complicated, and will be the focus of my work for the next few weeks. 

I would expect all my film students to have a thorough understanding of the following craft skills and discourses, aesthetics and technologies:

Visualisation, Art Direction, Set Design, Screenwriting, Location Scouting, Producing, Permissions, Casting, Directing Actors, Camera Operation, Cinematography, Directing Camera Movement, Composition, Perspective, File Formatting, Editing, Colour grading, Sound Design, Sound Recording, VFX, Sound Editing, Music, Score Composition, Publicity Material, Website Design, Social Media, Exhibition, Curating, Distribution, Legalities, Ethics, Cultural History, Media Studies, Film History, Funding, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Pitching, Budgeting, Writing, Continuity Editing, Spectatorship, Economics, Politics....and the list goes on...

So what do we need to teach these?

1. Space to talk about ideas, to plan, to share

2. Space to meet with clients
3. Space to watch films, and talk about films
4. Space to build set pieces
5. Space to write
6. Space to cast actors
7. Space to edit

8. Space to shoot

9. Space to set up lights

10. Space to record sound

11. Space to share work, to pitch

12. Space to hold seminars

13. Space to have debates

14. Space for presentations

Oh and some equipment... but the equipment isn't the important thing any more. Students can access cameras very easily as technology becomes even cheaper. 

What makes it worth coming to college to do a film degree, is the people you will meet, the risk-free experimentation you can undertake, and te netwroking opportunities it will afford you.  The way to meet people and talk with them, learn from each other, swap skills and experiences, and form crews, is to be in college, during non session time, chatting about your passion over a cup of coffee!

So, when there is space to create then this model works fantastically. Students will be in college, engaged, excited, positive, and creative. In my experience when there is no where to go, because shared spaces are too busy, and there is no base room available, then students will become disillusioned and isolated, and create work out of college, by themselves, missing valuable input and critique from students and staff, and often becoming disengaged to the point of non attendance.

University life is about more than the degree subject itself, it is about social and emotional learning. For many students this is the time that they become adult, taking on full responsibility for themselves and their wellbeing. The support gained from other students and from a supportive network of staff is invaluable. Having space to create, is allowing space for reflection, space to breathe, space to think. Space allows the formation of a Learning Community.

The end of another academic year...

We've been working at a million miles an hour, and all of a sudden it's all over! All the work has come in, been assessed, second marked, scrutinised and verified, and what an amazing array of beautiful films!

We are setting up our Summer Show exhibition in the spaces discussed in the previous post - Film Hub 1 and Film Hub 2 - but have hit a space problem! Due to the extraordinary success of having all the third years in college, working on projects, and mixing it up with Year 2, we have installation pieces, performance based, participatory work, and not enough room to show them off!

I will upload some photos as the spaces develop into an exhibition. In the meantime, here's a link to one of my favourite films this year. Interestingly this was shot on 16mm film, and edited digitally.

https://vimeo.com/168841330

"Being Analogue"

Our third year students are currently working on their final grad films. This is a six month project that is intense, and expected to be planned and produced professionally and with ambition. For us this has sometimes been problematic in terms of keeping in contact with students. They have been prone to disappear for weeks on end, on their shoots, keeping in touch via friends and hearsay!

When we first introduced blogging as an alternative to journals and folders a few years ago, it was partly with a view to being able to keep track remotely with what students were up to in their productions. This improved communication a little bit as each student could update their production b/log as often as they needed and from any location. However, it still didn't address 'studentship', and the students still did not attend every timetabled session whilst in their third year. The group was sometimes disjointed and some students felt quite isolated as a result. This in turn affected attendance and retention, and sometimes directly affected achievement too.

The breakthrough came when we were offered a second 'base' room to use for film students. We allowed students open access to the space, as with our first base room, and negotiated rules of practice, such as keeping noise levels to a minimum, and asking the tutor's permission to be in the space if there was a session going on with another cohort. 

Film Hub 1

Film Hub 1

Film Hub 1

Film Hub 1

As with our first base room, Macs were positioned on benching around the outside of the space, and tea and coffee making facilities, with sofa area, bookcase, film magazines, and plants were added. We built 4 large meeting tables out of reclaimed scaffolding, and plywood, to try to encourage crew collaboration and communication. 

Film Hub 2

Film Hub 2

We timetabled all the year 3 activity to take place within this second space, and they gradually began to take ownership of it. They attended all timetabled sessions and started to stay late into the evening, setting up a games club, a film club, and a hula hooping club, open to all students and supported by the SU. The dissertation module was scheduled for a Friday morning, and became a day when all students would attend, chat, write and research within the space. Tutors were in there too, available for tutorial support, and the work they have submitted for dissertations is extremely good this year.

In order to further take ownership of the space, we gave each third year student a pinboard, which they could customise as they wished, to use as a notebook for their grad film pre-production. Each one included an envelope, in which other students could make comments following formative screenings, and sharing of ideas. This did not replace the use of blog, but gave them a more visual and analogue way to present their ideas, and to engage with each other's work.

The Pinboard Wall (in development)

As a result, students are fully engaged in college activity, and are attending every session. Retention is at almost 100%, and with a cohort of 35 this is quite an achievement. It is possible that the work produced by this third year cohort will be the strongest yet, and is certainly the most collaborative. Students are generally working on 3 or 4 productions, helping each other out to achieve highly. We have three installation pieces being built and stored in this second base room. Just having this space has allowed that creativity to become realised.

Although our use of digital technologies has not decreased, the introduction of more people-centred, tactile approaches has certainly improved studentship. And interestingly, although digital communication technologies have proved really useful for keeping in contact, it was the additional space that has made the most difference in student engagement. Just having a space for contemplation, for crew meetings, to have a coffee, or to get on with some writing, has proved invaluable.

"Doing Digital" in the Film Department

How do we "do digital"?

In BA (Hons) Film we have a healthy approach to doing digital and doing analogue. In the development of ideas, scripts, production design and the shoot itself, we use a variety of digital and analogue resources. We rely completely on digital software for our film post-production, and make use of digital college Google/Moodle systems to support teaching, assessment, and presentation of work, as well as communication.

We use Google Drive for students to submit their finished films and supporting documentation. This allows us the option of viewing the work very easily, from virtually anywhere. The film team can easily scroll through the work, which helps with second marking, and can refer back to specific modules to reference examples. The Google folders act as an archive of student work, which can also be easily downloaded for submission to festivals, and other events.

We use Blogger as an online sketchbook. We set up a blog for each first year student, using our filmteam@pca.ac.uk login. Each student uses blogger as their digital sketchbook, throwing together their research, ideas, production logs, as well as their finished work. By owning these blogs, the film team can see work in progress (drafts) as well as the published posts. We have found that 'owning' the student blogs in this way, gives us greater access, and may give the blogs more permanence than when they are attached to students email accounts, which may be deleted a year after graduation.

We use Moodle to upload all module documentation, including assignment briefs and sessions notes, as well as useful resources for students, such as weblinks and films.

We use Blogger as a shared space for students to analyse and critique the films that we screen at the Plymouth Arts Centre. Second year students are invited weekly to the Arts Centre, and enjoy a varied programme of films, some from the current catalogue, and others from our own resources http://pcafilmscreenings.blogspot.co.uk/

We use Facebook to communicate with our Film students. Our 110 Film students use our 'PCA Film' group responsibly, sharing ideas, film reviews, opportunities, and support for each others projects. We have some honorary members such as the Performance students at Plymouth Uni.

We use Twitter, Facebook and Vimeo as recruitment tools, sharing news, programme updates, and film awards/prizes. We have paid to target specific audiences via Facebook, and have a professional Vimeo account for greater control of the application  https://www.facebook.com/PCAFilm/

https://twitter.com/pcafilm

Or equivalent** 2016

BA (Hons) Year 2 have just submitted some excellent research projects, written up in 3000 words, or equivalent** (**to be negotiated with your tutor).

There were two "or equivalent*" submissions. However, this year they serve a slightly different purpose. The first one is a documentary style film which serves as an investigation into the way that filmmakers use FEAR to make money. It suggests that some recent mainstream films are exploiting our fear of terrorism, and might in some way be 'preparing' us for the inevitable. It suggests that Hollywood is making a fortune out of our fear. 

The strength of this piece is in it's use of primary research and how this is edited into the discussion. The filmmaker is a good editor, with an excellent sense of rhythm, and chose this technique in order to speak his work over relevant visuals rather than writing and submitting on A4 paper (or similar). This is not practice-led but rather was an example of a student using tools other than the written word to present his essay.

The essay can be seen here:
https://vimeo.com/163753488
Password 'GCOP200'

The second visual essay is far more in depth, and synthesises primary and secondary research throughout. The maker has chosen specific case studies to analyse how symbols are used in film, in much the same way as a musical leitmotif, to carry a theme or idea throughout a work. He focuses on the frequency illusion, and uses ideas around spectatorship, and the active creation of ideas by not only the maker but also the audience of film.

The essay can be seen here:
https://vimeo.com/163755763
Password 'GCOP200'

It is interesting how this form of submission has developed for this particular student. He is a very capable researcher, maker and writer, but has chosen this form of submission because it allows him to show his ideas, whilst also analysing, contextualising and synthesising them. 

The essay below was submitted as an analysis of a practical project that this student had undertaken. It's clear to see that he has developed the ability to engage an audience in his work, and has an easy editing style that completely fits the feel of the project.
https://vimeo.com/162297396

What these projects do not evidence is 'practice-led' research , they are something else, but maybe this is a good first attempt in advance of the students' final year dissertations, and the practical projects that they will develop in the next academic year.