ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years, 6 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

I'm studying at the NTFS, but not paying a penny for it. Actually, I started a course on futurelearn which is taught by people from the film school. (a few actually, you can see my profile here: https://www.futurelearn.com/profiles/967728 )

Thinking that even if I got a scholarship, my family might not be able to afford the move to London, and we wouldn't get to speak Welsh there, I was told about this free sample. https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-filmmaking/ It's offered by the BFI, the National Film and Television School, and others. You can pay for a nifty certificate, or not.

One of the big ironies is that the best lectures (or videos) are by film school reject Mike Figgis, who speaks about low budget equipment. A lot of it seems like an advert for the school, with ramblings by current students and recent graduates who show off their student films. (Great production values, generally boring narratives though. And the how-to is less informative than the average DVD.) It is aimed at 16-19 year olds with little or no filmmaking experience, so I guess a lot of us here might know more than the lecturers. Still, I learnt things.

However, there are other free, online courses out there, by other creative universities and colleges. (Yes, I'm signed up to other providers too.) Rather than showcase student or lecturer work, many teach you something with every video. (Berkeley has some excellent free online courses in the arts.)

These have voluntarily payment systems, where you can optionally pay for a certificate if you pass exams and do assignments. Alternatively, you can audit for free, do the assignments for fun, and learn just as much without the piece of paper at the end. You can also give donations, if you don't want certificates but feel guilty about getting all this free knowledge. (Futurelearn is a British for profit, but many of its competitors are non-profit.)

At the moment, most of the courses are in computer programming, economics, "current issues", and cultural studies. Not much in film, but the numbers of film classes are growing. (And there are related fields like sound production, theatre acting, and other things which are useful to filmmakers.)

On the NFTS course, I got a little feedback on my films from other students who I'll probably never meet and who probably wouldn't recognize me on the street. I also got to see some of their stuff. (After sharing info about Dara Says I got followers on Futurelearn.)

In a music course (Not futurelearn), I found fascinating information from a student who knew the history of the piano, and I'm learning why Beethoven's music is so different to Mozart's. Strangely, this is helping me to select music for my next film.

Could these eventually be a viable alternative to film school and film short courses and seminars? Or do you feel that the brick-and-mortar classroom offers something that online discussion doesn't?

Though I got followers on Futurelearn, I don't know if I made friends there the way I used to when the Media programme paid for me to attend short courses.