Manifesto on how to stimulate film sense(s)
The conference How to Stimulate Film Sense(s) was organized to look at media and film education from this overlooked perspective; the artistic perspective of the filmmaker. To involve filmmakers and other film professionals in a subject that has been the centre of many debates past and many more to come. Just not in their debates.
This day has shown that filmmakers and film professionals have strong opinions about media and film education. There is a need to involve them in the policy making process. There is a need for dialogue, for exchange of knowledge and recognition of the fact that filmmakers are the hands on experts that can feed a deep-rooted media education. The dialogue between the communication on media literacy of the European Commission and the professionals who commented on that from their own experience, is an example of how strategies and initiatives can be highlighted an corrected if practice is consulted.
This manifesto wants to spin the first thread by publishing the most important outcomes of the day. So here we go:
• Getting the experience of filmmakers in education is important to increase film literacy
• Filmmakers can stimulate critical thinking, awareness and help people to obtain the instruments and skills necessary to deal with media in the 21st century culture.
• Media literacy can play a role in educating taste. To help people not to develop a mono (mainstream) taste, but a taste for variety. To appreciate certain films, you have to be educated and developed in your taste.
• Filmmakers and professionals can show that there is something else, more inventive or creative, children can do with the media abilities that they have.
• By teaching students of film and media the conventions and traditions of the language of images, the film industry can develop itself. Knowing the rules of traditional film, the background and the way Avant Garde film exposes these conventions, enables this languages to be approached critically. If not, the cinematic language risks erosion.
• Through video-blogging and the self-distributing potential of new media, a context is created that enables filmmakers to experiment with different forms and question conventions without the constraints of traditional filmmaking. Thus expanding the possibilities of cinematic language.
• The exchange of information on a serious and professional level does not necessarily mean that there is a need for a traditional teacher-student context. Collaborative problem-solving has a huge potential for educative field and filmmakers as participatory culture proceeds.
• By sharing this development in cinematic language through education and informal mentoring, filmmakers create a new community for their (future) movies.
• With regard to the copyright issue, the film industry is in need of more clarity concerning the rules and regulations for the educational use of media products.
To close this manifest with a promise, today’s final workshop ‘Designing film education’ resulted in the following. During the session people from different fields talked about the perfect film education workshop and actually made a beginning designing one. Hidde Simons and his companions are going to compromise the results and will test the design this Friday.
A lot has to change, but the first draft has been made and it’s time for the filmmakers and professionals to stay involved in this dialogue and for policy makers to recognize the fact that they have a field of film literates at their disposal to come to their viewings.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is no time like the present. Let’s not linger but seize this opportunity to keep up the dialogue and stay involved, so future filmmakers, professionals and policy makers will not scorn us one day by saying: “If you were waiting for the opportune moment… that was it”.
Rotterdam, 30th January 2008