That the regional office maintain a core collection of film for on- and offcampus study. That the regional office move toward the establishment of a cinematheque as a part of its operation, drawing upon the AFI for guidance in programming. That the regional office become the center for developing a consortium of area film schools. Such a consortium could then consider: The pooling of production equipment; specialized courses at one member institution open to the students of all; exchange of faculty of special expertise between members institutions for certain courses; free exchange of students between member institutions; shared artist-in-residence programs; common equipment repair facilities and personnel; an equipment repair course for student and faculty of member institutions; a core film collection on long-term lease; student (and faculty!) film festivals, their winners to feed into the AFI-University of Maryland sponsored Washington National Student Film Festival and UFA Scholarship Award Competition; joint sponsorship of visiting distinguished lecturers and faculty; pooled libraries of film literature; and research and reference services. V. CONCLUSION Summarizing The American Film Institute's first four years of work George Stevens, Jr. remarked: "This is only a part of what we would have liked to do in those four years. But it has been achieved through the creation of a structure which has encouraged concerted action from previously fragmented sectors of the film community. This is a big country, and we are still a small organization. If you want to help and be involved, write to me and we will look for a way." -George Stevens, Jr. We, the members of The University Film Association, want to help and we want to be involved. What we offer here is the initial step in what we hope to be an active and continuing relationship based on a mutual commitment to our country's motion picture arts. SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM AND CONSERVATORY PROGRAMS, CENTER FOR ADVANCED George Stevens, Jr., Director and Martin Manulis, Director, AFI-West The American Film Institute offers two educational programs at the Center for Advanced Film Studies: 1. A one-year structured Curriculum Program in the art of filmmaking open to filmmakers who have attained some degree of proficiency in their craft. Individuals without experience in film who have experience in related fields— literature, theatre, music, photography and the fine arts-will also be considered. 2. A Conservatory Program in which emphasis is placed on the work of the individual in his particular field of specialization. Members of this program are selected from among Fellows who have satisfactorily completed the Curriculum Program. CURRICULUM PROGRAM The Center For Advanced Film Studies offers a one year structured curriculum in the art of filmmaking. The program of interrelated studies includes classes, workshops and seminars in writing, directing, cinematography, producing, and film analysis. Students participate in the curriculum according to their career objectives which are determined at the time of admission. A student may be admitted into one of the following categories: Directing, Producing, Cinematography, Screenwriting or Art Direction. Students may not change their designated category during their enrollment at the Center. Student evaluations are made by the Faculty after the first semester and at the end of the academic year. The mid-year review is intended to help the student gauge his progress and to focus his work for the remainder of the school year. The Faculty reserves the right to terminate the student's enrollment in the Center at this time. Formal grade designations: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Students are evaluated not only on the quality of completed work but also on the basis of participation in the curriculum, commitment to work assignments, professional attitude and career potential. The Center has a core Faculty who instruct and coordinate the various classes, workshops and seminars. The Faculty is supplemented by other professional film artists functioning as tutors, advisors, and seminar speakers. Instructor: Jan Kadar. FILM ANALYSIS Concept: To provide a learning situation where students can examine in detail the storytelling and film language of classic and current filmmakers. The desired result is that each student's knowledge of filmmaking be expanded and that he be conversant with the terms and techniques of cinematic craft. American and International films which are artistically, technically and stylistically different are chosen to demonstrate six elements of filmmaking: dramatic structure, acting and staging, narrative and dramatic use of camera, production and costume design, editing, sound and music. The form of the analysis centers around the careful examination of specific sections of film. By means of running a particular clip several times, stopping the motion, running without sound, stopping at each cut, etc., the overall effect of a full length film is examined in detail. By this method of learning to see film in an analytical way the student is better able to apply the techniques to his own work. Whenever possible a filmmaker who was associated in the making of the film will participate. Open to all Fellows. SCREEN WRITING WORKSHOPS I AND II The Screenwriting Workshops were established with the cooperation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and with members of the Writers Guild of America. Instructors: John Bloch, William Fadiman, and Lois Peyser. Screenwriting workshop I This course will begin with a discussion of current film vocabulary and the various standard forms-synopsis, outline, treatment, screenplay. Concentration will then be on specific problems of the screenplay-openings, character introduction, development of premise, exposition, etc., as well as techniques for solving these problems. The course will also include the adaptation of material for the screen. Open to Writer, Producer, Director Fellows for the first semester; thereafter, Fellows other than Writers may participate with Faculty approval. Screenwriting workshop II This course is devoted to developing both short and long form screenplays in the various film genres-drama, adventure, comedy, suspense, western, etc. Assignments are given in each category. Films may be screened for discussion. Open to Writer Fellows. Others may participate with Faculty approval. NOTE.-Fellows other than Screenwriters who enroll in the course must commit themselves to the same attendance and assignment requirements as the Screenwriter. Instructor: Nina Foch. DIRECTING THE ACTOR An exploration of the creative resources which must be fully developed and utilized by the director, writer, producer and cinematographer in order to realize a statement on film. These include techniques of directing the actor, breaking down the script and selecting and manipulating elements of the "real world". The first four weeks include concentrated preparation for the Directing Workshop. The course then progresses to more and more specific exercises with scripts and actors. Open to all Fellows. SEMINARS Coordinator: James Powers. A series of distinguished professional guests will conduct weekly Seminars in which they discuss their work. Seminars with these outstanding directors, producers, writers, composers, and other specialists are designed to encompass all aspects of film and television. They are planned to provide an historical and artistic background to film and to keep abreast of contemporary developments. During the year, students are exposed to a broad range of experiences and methods from pioneers as well as those currently active in the field. Films will be screened in conjunction with the Seminars. All Fellows are expected to attend these screenings in order that they may be well prepared for the question and answer period at the Seminar. Seminar guests during the 1974-75 academic year included: Franklin J. Schaffner, Stanley Cortez, Carol Burnett and Joe Hamilton, Olivia de Havilland, George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere, Robert Altman, John Alonzo, Edward Anhalt, Shirley Clarke, Richard Kline, Robert Towne, Dore Previn, John Frankenheimer, Gordon Willis, Martin Scorsese, David Foster, King Vidor, Elmer Bernstein, Charles Lang, Louis Malle, Hal Ashby, Martin Ransohoff, John Schlesinger, David Brown and Richard Zanuck, Jerry Goldsmith, Kirk Douglas, Ted McCord, Tom Rickman, and Robert Wise. Open to all Fellows. CINEMATOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS The Cinematography Workshops and Seminars were established in connection with the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Cinematography workshop I Instructor: George Dye. Students work with standard 35mm and 16mm cameras, familiarizing themselves with the professional use and operation of this film equipment. Open to Cinematographer Fellows only. Cinematography workshop II Instructor: Howard Schwartz. The course consists of the study and practice of lighting and composition, the use of lenses, and laboratory procedures. Students will shoot film tests to acquaint themselves with the characteristics of various film stocks. Field trips will be arranged to studio camera departments, laboratories, and production sites. Students will be able to observe the work of professional cinematographers and camera crews working on feature and television films. Open to Cinematographer Fellows. Other Fellows may enroll with the approval of the Faculty. ASC cinematography seminars Coordinators: Howard Schwartz and James Powers. A Master Cinematographer will discuss his work in conjunction with the screening of a selected film. This special series of seminars is held on the second Saturday of each month and is attended by many professional cinematographers. Seminar guests during the 1974-75 academic year included: Frank Stanley, Fred Koenekamp, L. C. Abbott and Joseph Biroc, Charles Lang, Jr., Gordon Willis, Richard Kline, John Alonzo, Charles Clarke, and Stanley Cortez. DIRECTING WORKSHOP Instructors: Nina Foch and Antonio Vellani. Supervisor: Roman Harte. The Center has established an ongoing directing workshop in collaboration with the Screen Actors Guild, in which professional actors participate with Center students in the preparation of videotape productions. Students work with a wide range of material and engage in a professional analysis of their work with colleagues, faculty and other film professionals. The student is able to advance his skills by working in a unique creative laboratory. A Director Fellow must complete a minimum of three videotape projects during the academic year. Scripts may be original material or adaptations developed in the Writing Workshops. A Cinematographer and Producer Fellow will work with the Director on each production. Casting will be done through the SAG office at the Center. Only actors enrolled in the AFI-SAG Workshop may participate in the videotape work at the Center. All Director, Cinematographer and Producer Fellows are required to attend the videotape training sessions prior to their video projects. 403 Open to Director Fellows for the first semester. Thereafter open to all Fellows to direct projects upon request, with the understanding that Director Fellows have a priority on the use of videotape facilities. PRODUCING THE FILM Coordinator: Antonio Vellani. The course covers the full spectrum of motion picture production from the acquisition of property through the distribution and exhibition of the completed motion picture. Subjects discussed include: production management, budgeting, scheduling, casting, script continuity, art direction, costume design, studio management, pre-production and post-production procedures, music, contracts, artists representation and packaging, labor union relations, accounting, as well as publicity, advertising and promotion. Each week an expert in his field conducts the class. The speaker makes a presentation of his subject and the class is then open to a highly specified question and answer period. During the 1974-75, year, guest speakers included: Paul Heller and Martin Hornstein, Nessa Hyams, Stan Kamer and Lynn Stalmaster, Tom Pollock and John Ptak, Albert Whitlock, Anthea Sylbert, Richard Sylbert, Terry Malick, David Picker, Rhonda Gomez, Marcia Nasatir and Lee Rosenberg, Ron Garcia, Leonard Rosenman, Richard Zimbert, Leo Greenfield, Harold Michaelson and Robert Boyle, Philip Anderson, Ted Minsky, Joe Manduke, Harry Horner, Judy Tucker and Michael Kahn, Don Morgan, Eric Weissman, Kathleen Nolan and Ken Orsatti, and Ivan Moffat. Open to all Fellows. EDITING WORKSHOP Instructors: Philip Anderson and Folmar Blangsted. Under the guidance of professional editors, students practice editing using uncut film sequences from television series. Individual assignments will be made by the Faculty. Open to all Fellows during the Second Semester. GENERAL STUDIES During the Second Semester the Center will offer an informal program of lectures and screenings devoted to subjects other than film. These lectures will be given by guest speakers representing various disciplines. They are designed to broaden the student's education in the humanities. Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" will open this series. LECTURES BY SLAVKO VORKAPICH: UNDERSTANDING CINEMA Ten lecture-seminars on the visual nature of the film medium will be given by Professor Slvako Vorkapich. The lectures will be a professional discussion of the visual principles interacting within every type of shot and throughout any combination and sequence of shots, and will be illustrated with excerpts from the works of Godard, Truffaut, Antonioni, Resnais, Fellini, Bergman, Kubrick, Zinnemann, Kurosawa, Welles, Dovzhenko, and others. Open to all Fellows. CONSERVATORY PROGRAM The Center for Advanced Film Studies offers a practical program in film designed to prepare the filmmaker for a career in the professional world. Emphasis is placed on the work of the individual in his particular field of specialization. Distinguished professionals from the film community participate in a one-to-one association with the Fellow on the development of his skills and their application to his creative work. The Conservatory Program is centered around the production of short films which involve the interrelated talents of the Writer, Director, Producer and Cinematographer Fellows. Members of the Conservatory Program will be selected by recommendations of the Faculty from among the Fellows who have satisfactorily completed the Curriculum Program at the Center for Advanced Film Studies. Evaluations for admission will be made not only on the quality of completed work, but also on the basis of participation in the curriculum, commitment to work assignments, professional attitude and career potential. Limited to approximately 25 Fellows for entrance in September 1976. Fellows will be involved in a total filmmaking experience. The Writer Fellow is expected to complete at least one full length original screenplay. After Faculty approval of an outline, a professional tutor will be assigned to work on a one-to-one basis with the Fellow on his project. The completed screenplay remains the sole property of the Fellow. In addition to the full-length screenplay, Writer Fellows are encouraged to develop screenplays which are suitable for Center Productions. During the academic year 1974-75 the following professionals served as writing tutors: Edward Anhalt, James Bridges, Fay Kanin, Robert Lee, John Lee Mahin, Tom Mankiewicz, David Rintels, Alvin Sargent, Stewart Stern, Robert Towne and Tracy Keenan Wynn. The Producer Fellow is expected to serve as Producer and Production Manager on one or more Center productions. He should be involved in the development of the project from its inception through the completion of the film. Internships which best serve the career goals of the Producer Fellow may be arranged. These could include: assignment to a major studio for the purpose of acquainting the Fellow with the structure and operation of studio management, observation on a feature or television film production unit, or temporary associations with professionals in the field. During the past seasons, Internships have been arranged at 20th Century Fox, the Burbank Studios and Hal Wallis Productions among others. The Director Fellow is expected to present a project for a Center film production which he will ultimately direct in accordance with Center Production Procedures. He will work in association with other Conservatory Fellows in the various stages of development and execution of the project. A budget not to exceed $10,000 will be allocated for the production of the film after Faculty approval of the final screenplay, and completion of pre-production plans. All films made at the Center remain the property of The American Film Institute. Whenever possible, Internships will be arranged on a feature or television production unit, so that the Director Fellow may observe the work of an experienced professional director. During past seasons, Internships have been arranged with the following directors: Hal Ashby, Peter Bogdanovich, Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Fleischer, Johns Frankenheimer, George Roy Hill, Arthur Hiller, Elia Kazan, Irvin Kershner, Stanley Kramer, Delbert Mann, Robert Mulligan, Mike Nichols, Sam Peckinpah, Arthur Penn, Martin Ritt, Herbert Ross, John Schlesinger, Stephen Spielberg, Billy Wilder and Robert Wise. The Cinematography Fellow is expected to photograph one or more Center films. All Center productions are shot by Cinematographer Fellows but professionals may serve as tutors. Internships may be arranged with leading cinematographers on feature or television film productions so that the Fellow may study the work of experienced directors of photography. For All Conservatory Fellows, the Filmmaker-in-Residence is available on a full time basis for consultation and assistance in the planning and execution of their productions. During the academic year 1975-76 this position will be held by Jan Kadar. |