Re-visioning screen production education through the lens of creative practice: an Australian film school example

ABSTRACT

The Australian Film Television and Radio School is a well-established training institution with an impressive track record in producing successful alumni. In 2016, an industry survey of the Australian media landscape heralded the need for more resilient creative entrepreneurs who are able to negotiate the rapid technological and industrial changes in the sector. As a result, creative practice as research was recommended as fundamental component of the curriculum. In 2017, the school introduced a new Master of Arts Screen (MAS) program, which included a core Creative Practice curriculum across four semesters of the degree. While creative practice is making a significant contribution to the production of innovation in the academy globally, debate still lingers on its inclusion in national film schools which have traditionally focused on the training of technical and craft skills of the artist. This paper traces the pedagogical move towards a practice-based rather than artefact-based teaching at AFTRS, during the first iteration of the new curriculum. The case study describes the introduction of concrete conceptual models of ‘creative practice as research’ and evaluates the challenges of defining, clarifying, exploring and integrating creative practice theories, methodologies and professional understandings of what it means to be a creative filmmaker.

KEYWORDS:

• Creative practice
• film School
• screenwriting
• creativity
• masters

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Pieter Aquilia is a scriptwriter, script editor and director, who has combined her creative practice with a career in academia. She is currently Head of Scriptwriting at the Australian Film Television and Radio School and Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle. Formerly an Associate Dean and Associate Arts Professor for NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, she was also Associate Professor and Head of Program at UNSW Asia. Pieter completed her Doctor of Creative Arts in Scriptwriting at University of Technology Sydney in 2000. Her research publications cover International Television Drama, the Globalization of Screen Education, Ethnic and Gender Representation on Screen, and the Media in Asia.

Dr Susan Kerrigan is an Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia, specializes in screen production creative practice research methodologies. She is a co-investigator on the Filmmaking Research Network grant, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, and has held an Australian Research Council Grant investigating the creative industries. Susan’s research is closely aligned with her past employment at ABC Television in Sydney (1987–2003), where she worked across a variety of productions using multi-camera and single camera approaches. Susan has professionally produced and directed Australian television programs, including Play School. Other highlights include ‘continuity’ on Australian television drama productions including Wildside, GP and Big Sky.