AFTRS alumni and award-winning filmmaker Warwick Thornton and production designer Bethany Ryan join AFTRS Council Chair Debra Richards to reflect on 50 years of formal film education in Australia.
Debra Richards, Warwick Thornton, Bethany Ryan
Find this episode of the Screen Australia Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Pocket Casts
“Schools must act as a revolutionary force. There can be no half-measures. We must build great schools that we can be proud of in the world. We cannot become a greenhouse for mediocrity.” – Barry Jones, Founding Council Chair of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
This was the ambition and vision of Australia’s first government-funded film school, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). The latest episode of the Screen Australia podcast explores aspects of Australian film education through 50 years. AFTRS 1st anniversary.
AFTRS, then known as the Australian Film and Television School, opened in 1973 after nearly 15 years of research by industry and the federal government, with its first class of 12 students studying directing. The success of these students, including Gillian Armstrong, Philip Noyce and Chris Noonan, laid the foundation for an interdisciplinary higher education institution that supports more than 3,000 students a year on campus and online.
Debra Richards, current chair of the AFTRS Board of Trustees, shares the school’s long history and philosophy and, having worked in the industry herself, believes that success in film education is only about training students in their field. I believe in diversifying your skills rather than building them. sustainable career.
“Our goal is to make our students industry-ready,” Richards says. “This business is a global business and you need to know what that means. You also need to know how to manage people, because that’s very important, where you need to take advice, and when you need to accept advice or pass on advice. This business is all about relationships, so the more you interact with people and understand them and what they bring to your project and what you bring to theirs. , I think it’s incredibly valuable.”
As the industry continues to evolve, film schools also play an important role in supporting growth and training in an ever-evolving sector, and for Debra Richards, film schools work closely with the industry to “ It is a way to identify the skills gaps needed and how to fill them. ” More recently, with its expansion to include end-of-line roles and executive management training, “that’s been really important and it’s helped develop the school into what it is today,” she says.
Throughout the episode, we hear from AFTRS alumni cinematographer and director Warwick Thornton (“New Boy,” “Samson & Delilah”) and Bethany Ryan (“Talk to Me,” “Of an Age”) , we hear about his journey to film school as he reflects on his time at AFTRS. And how did screen education affect their careers?
For Bethany Ryan, the transition from the world of design and architecture to the screen was a challenging but exciting prospect. After a guest lecture from an AFTRS faculty member, she realized that there was a “very good correlation between the skills you develop in design school,” which inspired her to explore screens. New to the industry, Ryan chose film school to gain valuable network and learn about the industry. “At that point, I had no idea what a boom operator was, what a grip was, and what a producer did,” she says. .
Thornton also reflects on the value that screen education has provided not only with technical and professional practice, but also with creative perspectives. Determined to become more cinematic in his camera work, his film school provided him with access to the latest equipment and facilities, and he was amazed by the results.
“When I first came here, I had a very focused outlook on what I needed to leave here with. And when I left, I became a completely different person. “My goals were different. I became a more rounded, philosophical person,” he says, thanks to AFTRS’ extensive library. Reading his creative works rather than his technical ones opened my eyes to his personality and nuances. I kept it. And that’s a very important foundation for me,” he says.
Ultimately, for Thornton, the growth of the Australian film industry and the continued training of Australian filmmakers and staff will only benefit Australian storytelling and strengthen our cultural voice. .
“We are influenced by a lot of American movies and we hear their voices regarding the ideology that we have. We have different voices, we have different dialects and accents, we have different ideologies. (…) That is why our film is so important.”
Subscribe to the Screen Australia podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Pocket Casts
What to read next
Video looking back at 2023
2023 has been another great year for Australian screen storytelling, from diverse documentaries to engaging children’s content, world-class drama, innovative online series and immersive games.
December 13, 2023
matthew jenkin
