CHANGES AFOOT AT AFTRS

by Mark Poole

This article was first published on Screenhub, the online journal.

One of the ways in which Australian filmmakers remain viable is by relying on the ability to occasionally seek shelter from the rigors of the freelance environment in a permanent part time or full-time job. One of the prime sources of such employment is academia. Recently a shift in operations at AFTRS has meant an apparent reduction in such opportunities for filmmakers to work at the film school’s Melbourne base.

As our prime film school, AFTRS is one source of employment for industry practitioners, not only in Sydney where the campus is centred, but also in the outlying States, particularly Melbourne which has always had a thriving AFTRS office. Indeed, those with very long memories might remember the notion that when AFTRS was first created the Melbourne office was regarded as a way of righting an imbalance created by having the national film school located in NSW.

Recently the AFTRS has shifted focus with the aim of delivering courses more flexibly, targeting mid-career practitioners as well as new talent, and increasing the delivery in the areas of digital media and the business side of the industry.

Part of the consequence of this shift in emphasis, spearheaded by the AFTRS Council and implemented by Michael Gordon-Smith (Head of Marketing and Development), is that the AFTRS Melbourne office is shrinking in size – at least for the moment – as short courses are created nationally in Sydney and then implemented across the nation.

Previously, AFTRS Melbourne employed at least two project officers to evaluate local need for courses, design the curriculum and then implement them.

Gordon-Smith told Screenhub that in the past the regional AFTRS offices, including Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Tasmania, functioned as disconnected satellites which had difficulty accessing the expertise that resides in the central campus in Sydney. Now, there is much more communication between the satellites and head office. But this improved communication comes at the cost of fewer local project officers, and this affects local filmmakers in reducing their opportunities to find flexible employment from time to time at AFTRS.

Overall, according to Gordon-Smith, the new model of course delivery may well increase the total number of people employed to teach courses. This isn’t known yet, as the new mode of delivery is still in flux. Indeed, Gordon-Smith informed Screenhub that the full extent of changes won’t be complete until the AFTRS moves its central campus from North Ryde to a location close to Fox Studios.

For some in regional centres, this is cause for concern. Over the years the AFTRS Melbourne office has functioned well, delivering short courses appropriate to local needs – from directing courses through to editing, cinematography and new media. Now, the method by which local need will be ascertained by the central curriculum committee in Sydney is somewhat obscure.

Perhaps this will be part of the role of the remaining project offers based in local offices. If so, it seems they will have their hands full organizing the national courses emanating from Sydney as well as sussing out local needs. And how the central curriculum committee will balance the perceived training requirements being reported from all over the country is unclear.

So how is the new system working at the moment? According to AFTRS Melbourne manager Simon Britton, it’s too early to tell. “The new system has been operationally for only a few months now, and that’s not enough time to say,” is his assessment.

Britton points out that the changes have opened up new employment opportunities in Melbourne. Two new AFTRS units have sprung up in Melbourne: the Centre for Screen Business is based in Melbourne, headed by David Court. It delivers programs nationally on how to create viable businesses within screen industries.

As well, recently composer and Head of Screen Composition at AFTRS Martin Armiger moved from Sydney to Melbourne to base the course in screen composition in the southern city. The move has been a success, with people from all over the country signing up for this course, and Martin has been successful in organizing strategic relationships with other tertiary institutions such as Box Hill TAFE and VCA to fill any gaps in sound equipment for the students.

Of course, the nationally-devised short courses will be rolled out across the country, providing opportunities for filmmaker/educators from anywhere, including Melbourne, to teach them.

Is the change to the delivery model of AFTRS to a national model a cause for alarm within the regions, or just another ripple on the surface of an industry that will always resemble a Snakes and Ladders boardgame? Will the reduction in regional autonomy, to be replaced by centralized curriculum creation make for better service delivery, or worse? Only time will tell.