Image: Stefan Popescu, Vixen Velvet, feature film still, 70min, 2013
A debut Masters program at Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) couples traditional aspects of filmmaking with new directions in cinematic arts and technology.
Associate Professor John Di Stefano said the Master of Moving Image (MMI) launches in March 2015 and distills the very best aspects of the existing Master programs available at SCA.
‘We decided to look at the current developments in the field of digital media and filmmaking and we realised that interactivity, for example, and the delivery of content across multiple screen formats, are but two of the issues facing contemporary filmmakers and screen-based artists today. These technological advancements are changing film and filmmaking as we know it.
‘Sure, we can go to the cinema and watch a film on a big screen, but often we watch moving image on our computer screen, phones or tablets. The idea of interactivity and mobility is becoming embedded into what filmmaking is already becoming,’ he said.
While Di Stefano said there’s no ‘one’ answer in predicting the direction of filmmaking, students undertaking the program will explore current trends in media consumption. ‘The moving image now permeates all of our devices and culture, in general.
‘We’re surrounded by moving images in its various forms. What the aspiring filmmaker needs to think about about when making films or moving media today is that there’s a variety of new hybrid forms coming out, which elaborate traditional conventions of film-and media-making.
‘We want to master the craft inherent in current moving image technologies, but we also want to encourage students coming through the course to think about the next step beyond what technology is dictating. That’s the utopic vision of the new degree,’ he said.
Industry partnerships play a big role within the degree, with SCA teaming up with Adobe to provide students with a fully integrated software suite including video editing, sound design, special effects, and interactive, virtual web-based software.
State-of-the-art Blackmagic 4K cameras will be rolled out during production periods, alongside newly upgraded computer labs for post-production, and two production studios fitted with both a cyclorama and green screen capabilities.
Robust facilities and resources underpin the leadership of working filmmakers and industry heavyweights, who will guide participants through the degree. ‘The idea is to find a good balance between a traditional academic environment and industry expertise.
‘We go beyond traditional film school training, which usually trains students solely to work in television or in traditional film environments. Many of our students do follow traditional pathways in the film industry and we are well trained to do so successfully.
‘But our students also find other environments to develop and practice their craft. We are unique because we teach film within an art school with a prestigious reputation, and this fosters a more personalised approach to filmmaking,’ he said.
Di Stefano said that the Master of Moving Image offers a space where creativity, rigour and craft intersect. ‘Our approach to teaching is one that is open to experimentation. We believe that experimentation will inevitably be the genesis of potentially new filmic and screen-based forms, which are not solely driven by technology, but ideas, discussion and dynamic creative forces.
‘Our approach is expansive, creative and experimental, whilst not being exclusionary or antagonistic to the film industry and its professional standards. That’s what we pride ourselves on and what makes us unique in the marketplace.’
Sydney College of the Arts will host its Open Day on Saturday 30 August from 10am to 4pm.
