From: chen3@husc10.harvard.edu (Hung Chen)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.cinema
Subject: Re: Ideal Film Schools
Date: 21 Jul 92 21:28:33 GMT
Reply-To: chen3@husc10.harvard.edu (Hung Chen)
Followup-To: rec.arts.cinema
Organization: Harvard University Science Center


I don't know much about film schools, but I do like films a lot, and
here is my 2 cents:

In article <1992Jul15.030400.3660@cfa.harvard.edu> Elan Dekel
<dekel-elan@CS.YALE.EDU> writes:

>It seems to me that the ideal film school would be one in which,
>first of all, the student was presented with all the possibilities
>for filming a scene.  The student would build up a dictionary of
>possible methods to film a scene, to capture an emotion, by analyzing
>great films - the same way that a writer reads great authors to see
>how they have tackled complex problems.

I agree with you that learning to be creative (in the sense of coming
up with many ways to shoot a scene) is VERY important.  And of course,
on top of that is a critical mind which determines which is the best
way (for that artist) to follow.  I think one difference between
directors of different styles is that each of them comes up with a
different set of ways to shoot a scene, and he/she picks the best way
according to different standards.  For film students, developing their
own style is indeed quite important.

>				 The student would learn everything
>there is to know about the technical side of things - types of film,
>cameras, focal length, tracking, panning, pulling, pushing, etc. and
>would go out and experiment on their own - to learn by making their
>own mistakes.

Well said.

>		The student would learn the processes by which others
>have taken concepts and transformed them into a concrete plan of
>action to make a film

Totally agree.  Having an idea is one thing, organising a team of
people to carry that our is another.  This have to be learned.

>			  Students would be encouraged to be creative
>but would also have special exercises in which they imitate great
>scenes for the purpose of learning how they were done. Learning by
>imitating the masters is a valuable apprenticeship, and if the
>students do not yet have their own developed artistic sense, at least
>they will be good craftsmen.

Interesting point.  Do you mean that even they are not "creative
enough" to be directors they can pursue other track within the film
industry?

>				The purpose of film school is to
>provide the students with the tools - by providing them with the
>whole spectrum of possibilities available - to fulfill their own
>artistic vision. These concepts apply equally to any type of art -
>from painting to sculpture, and brings up my main point: film is a
>form of art and should be taught that way.

I think a film school is to provide resources (from equipment to
teaching) to the students so that they are able to come up with a
spectrum of possibilities and pick the best choice according to their
taste.  Since there is an infinite number of ways to approach a
subject (eg. infinite number of ways to shoot a scene), and no one can
possibly consider all of them in a finite amount of time, an artist
should be able to come up with a number of strong alternatives and
pick the "best" one.  That, which is my interpretation of the creative
process, is what to be learned in a film (or art) school.

>Once they have graduated, then they can make the decision whether to
>go to Hollywood, or to be artists. But while in school they will
>stick to the highest standards and be encouraged not to imitate the
>latest blockbuster, unless it is great on its own merits, and not
>because of the income it has generated.

Do you think that going to Hollywodd and being an artist is a
contradiction in term?  I believe it is hard to follow your own
artistic vision in Hollywood because it is very money driven, but I
hope it is not impossible.  I would like to use Martin Scorsese as an
example - he is pretty big in the main stream (is he
Hollywood-based?), but he is also very artistic.

>I welcome any thoughts on this topic, and discussion on how various
>film schools have approache the problem of how to teach the next
>generation of film makers.
>
>
>Elan

I would like to hear what other people think too, as I think this is
quite an interesting topic.

Hung-Yut