Screening Literacy:

a survey of European Film Education

Mark Reid Head of Education, BFI

20th May 2013 1

In a

Screening Literacy:

a survey of European Film Education

Mark Reid Head of Education, BFI

20th May 2013 22

Research Question

The Tender Specification of the European Commission requested a report mapping the current practices in film literacy in Europe

20th May 2013

23

Research Objectives
A European-scale experts study which identifies and analyses film literacy provision in Europe in formal and informal settings, and all age groups:
Film literacy and AV national policy; film industry; broadcasters National Curricula: single subject or cross-curricula; learning objectives; Informal sector: film institutes, NGOs, grassroots groups Role of film industry and media professionals in film literacy projects Examples of good practice

27 EU, 3 EEA nations, plus Croatia and Switzerland Policy recommendations to EC, for Creative Europe
20th May 2013 24

EC Definition of Film Literacy

The Terms of Reference for the survey included a definition of film literacy, later amended, as follows:

the level of understanding of a film, the ability to be conscious

and curious in the choice of films; the competence to critically watch a film and to analyse its content, cinematography and technical aspects; and the ability to manipulate its language and technical resources in creative moving image production

20th May 2013

25

Film, Media or Literacy?

To be literate is to participate fully in a culture
To participate fully in 21C culture, we have to be literate in the moving image

It is vital and obvious that understanding, manipulating, and appreciating the film sentence should be an accepted part of the education system Anthony Minghella

Film, Media, as Literacy

20th May 2013 26

Research team
Advisory group of experts
Vitor Reia-Baptista Ian Wall Film Education Laszlo Hartai Simone Moraldi Irene Andriopoulou Sara Duve

Andrew Burn Institute of Education, London University

Mark Reid BFI

Wendy Earle, Project Manager

Caren Willig Michelle Cannon Kate Domaille

National Research partners - Phase 1

Polish Film Institute University of Roma Tre National Film Archive EYE /NDS Film Institute Irish Film Institute Uni of Algarve Vision Kino Hungarian MPAA Slovenian Film Centre CZ Hellenic Audio-Visual Inst. Station Next (Denmark)

20th May 2013

27

Phasing the Research

Phase 1 Survey -- January until March 2012:
Online questionnaire sample of 12 nations via Survey Monkey Case studies of 3 sectors in each nation 2pp summary of film education provision in each nation Survey triangulated by third parties Advisory group seminar on 26th March to refine questionnaires and absorb initial findings

Phase 2 Survey -- May until July 2012:

Questionnaires and case studies from 20 nations Fewer case studies as examples of good models Transnational projects examined Additional surveys - heritage, families, cinemas
28

20th May 2013

Deliverables
Short Report Sept 2012:
12pp Exec Summary (suitable for presentation to general public) Description of methodology 1-2 page summary picture for each nation Recommendations

Full Report end of 2012:

Expanded findings 50+ case studies Focus on transnational programmes Sections on family, cinema-based, and archive film education Online publication on the European Commission website and shorter print version to be disseminated

20th May 2013

29

Country Summary Example

Czech Republ ic
Report er: Pavel Bednari k, i ndep end en t fil m pr ofess i onal, Nat i onal Film Arc hive (Na r odni fi l mov y arc hiv) Prague Research er: Car en Willig
Aud io v isual sector The fi l m i ndus t ry fu nds suc h activitie s as scr een i ngs f or scho ols, festiva l edu cation pr ogra m mes, an d som e dist rib u t ors fu n d edu cational cam ps fo r y ou n g fi lm mak ers . Th ere are also ti ck et discou nt p r ogram m es, fi l m course s, an d sp ecial scre en i ngs wit h i n t rodu cti on s by i nvite d spe akers . Br oad caster s help devel op fi lm literacy by ai ri ng archiv e, Eur opean an d W orl d Cin em a fi l ms, and t h e secon d pu bli c serv i ce ch an nel sh ow s fi l m classic s i n t h e con t ext of fi l m cl u bs . These p r ogram m es are on l y aim ed at older y outh an d adu l ts, th ere is n ot h i ng for chi l dren , apart fro m a coup l e of f ran chise TV chan nels fo r ch i ld ren , bu t only on pay cab l e TV an d w eek en d p rogram mes f or chi l dr en , but t hese are n ot edu cati onal platf or ms. Czech pu bli c serv i ce television (Chan nel 2) com m issio n ed a fi lm literacy series, but aft er t h e app oi n t m ent of a new di r ector and i nt ernal st aff ch anges, t h e pr oject stopp ed. Cultural bodi es Th ere are severa l cult u ral agen cies w hose re m it i ncl u des fi l m . The nat ional ones fun d ed by t he govern men t an d t h e Mi nist ry o f Cu ltur e - are t he Czech Film Cent er and t he Czech Film Com m issi on , but t h ey su bsid i se an d pr om ot e t h e Czech fi lm indus t ry , but n ot fi lm edu cati on. Their sup p or t f or in for mal fi l m educat ion pr ovid ers is li mite d t o adve r tisi n g t heir act ivities i n bull etin s and w ebsites . Th e regional fil m agen cies p r ogramm e screeni ngs fo r sc ho ols an d you n g peopl e, off er onli n e resour ces fo r y ou ng peopl e, an d run oth er activitie s fo r local com m u nitie s. Thei r grants com e fro m th e Mi nistr y of Cult u re, t h e MEDI A pr ogra m m e, t h e Visegra d fu n d (partly ), an d Eur op ean Social Fu nd s (Educati on fo r Com p etitiv eness Program me). Film h eri tage is p reserve d by a national fi l m ar ch i ve (govern m en t fu nded ), by com m erciall y fu nd ed sp ecialist fi lm arc hives , an d by ot her governm ent - fu n ded museum s or arc hiv e collect ions. The Czech Repu blic is u niq u e in t he num ber of fi l m festivals t hey off er (because o f th e lack of a st rateg y of th e nat ional body t o sup p or t o f t h e festival s accor di ng to pr iorities ). Abou t 11 festivals , all fu nded i n dif f ere n t ways , are ai med at chil d ren , you n g p eople, l ocal com mu n ities, an d special i nt erest gr oup s. Film edu cation pr ovisi on is n ot a requ i rem en t f or fun di n g. Th ere are som e att empt s t o measu r e an d re cord l ear n ers achievem ents on a nat ional level, bu t t hese are n ot based on any st rategy an d have a very li mite d imp act. Profession al dev elopmen t Th ere is t rai n in g on of fer f or i n -serv i ce teach ers an d academ i cs, but tha t consist s only o f a few sho rt cou rses or pr ojects re ach i ng a limit ed n u mb er of tea ch ers . Th ere are Mi nist ry o f cult u re p r oject gra n ts fo r t h ese (no bu rs ary sch emes). Th e p ro j ects cont i nu e as accredite d pr ogra m mes f or dist an ce educat ion only at t h e fi lm studies depar tm en t i n Olomo u c (Palacky Univers i ty) . The re are sh ort cou rses tha t of fer dipl omas.

Overv iew Population 10,532,770 Percen tage of scho ol age 0-14 years : 14.4% chi ld ren : 15-24 years : 12.1% There is n o nat i onal fi lm edu cation st rateg y yet , but i n Janu ary 2012 an exp ert gr oup was set u p by t h e Mi nistr y of Cult u re t o devel op a stra t egy in 2012. The on ly prev i ous d ocu m ent briefl y m ent i oni n g t he i mp ort ance of fi lm edu cati on and of a nat ional f ilm st rateg y , wa s t h e Concept i on of Cin emat ogra phy o f t he Czech Repu blic 2010-2016 (agreed by t h e Parl iam ent i n 2010). Forma l education The nat ional govern m ent dec i des t he cou nt ry s cur r icul um . The cur ricul um is based o n Fram ew or k Educat ional Progra m mes suggesti ons to t he sc hools sup por ted and fi n anced by th e l ocal auth or ities. Scho ols t h en creat e S cho ol Educat ional Program mes , wh ich are di ff erent in every sch ool. Fil m educat ion is part of me dia educat ion f ro m ages 5-19. It su pp ort s ot h er su bjects an d social and civi l edu cation . There are som e nati onal guidel ines on medi a edu cati on t hat in clu de fil m edu cation. Film is n ot st u died or exam i ned as a sep arat e su bject , but hist ory of fi l m is part of th e cur ri culu m i n his to ry o f literat u re i n t h e fi nal exam s at hi gh scho ol. N o recor ds of achievem ent s in f ilm edu cation are collect ed. Info rma l aft er- /ou t -of sc hool pr ogra m mes are off ered by nat ional , regional and local cul tura l and v olu nt ary or ganisat ions and by som e scho ols. An est imat ed 40% of sch ool ch ild ren r eceive som e fo rm of fi l m educ ati on . Informa l education There is n o nat i onal i n f rast ru ctur e to sup por t i n f or ma l edu cati on. Inf or mal fi l m educat ion is pr ovide d by i nd epen dent org anisat ions fu nded year on y ear by t he governm en t , th e MEDIA program me, and t h e Eur opean Social Fu nd w ho org anise fil m screeni ngs an d edu cation mat erial s. On a regional lev el, t here are fi lm soci eties, stud ent fi lm clu bs, an d som e fi l m cl u bs f or chil dren an d y ou ng peopl e. Film edu cati on is p r ovi ded as part of medi a edu cati on , to sup p or t o t her field s of int erest , to pr om ote cri tica l view i n g and fi l m m ak in g. Th ere is n o record of h ow mu ch fu nd i ng i nf or mal fi lm edu cati on gets and n o at tem pt to measu r e achi evem ent.

20th May 2013

30

Main Findings
Why? What? Where? How? Who?
aims and purposes of film education
strategies in place; types of provision

in the classroom, after school, outside school

funded, assessed providers and recipients

20th May 2013

31

National strategies - What

National strategies endorsed by Ministries of Education and Culture

Norway, France, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Denmark

High levels of co-ordination between national agencies

Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, Finland

Film education is strong, where wider film culture is valued. Otherwise no national strategies reported NB, federal states like Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal
20th May 2013 32

A strong model of film education

What would it look like, for you?

20th May 2013

33

Strong Models of Film Education

A high degree of co-ordination across sectors (education and culture agencies in government; NGOs; film and broadcast agencies) supported by a national

strategic plan
Entitlement on behalf of all people to become literate in the moving image (watching, understanding, making)

Being part of a wider culture in film, that supports education and access to film
for a range of people - children, older people, diverse and marginal groups

Learners, and learning, are valued as highly in informal, as in formal education

20th May 2013

34

Strong Models of Film Education

A commitment to having provision robustly and independently evaluated
High levels of participation in film education, in activities that are sustained across a period of time, with measured and recorded outcomes Funding responsibilities will be distributed across public, commercial, education and cultural sectors, and delivered around a shared national plan The film education workforce has recognisable and funded professional development opportunities from entry level to expert status, and with accreditation to validate their development

20th May 2013

35

Some key examples

Trans-national programmes: le cinema cent ans de jeunesse; Europa Cinemas; DocNext network German film literacy competence statements

Filmoteka Szkolna, Poland

MovieZone, NL A Wider Literacy, Northern Ireland

20th May 2013

36

Recommendations
Translation Fund for joining or
inflecting programmes and resources that are valued in other nations Support for further research especially on take-up and impact of film education programmes Create a set of models of film education that suit different settings Priority to be given to exploring and developing programmes for families and diverse communities, and for developing activity in accession states Support and guidance on exploiting heritage film, and changes to IP law required Develop models of professional development across the sector, including a European MA in Film Education A Film Literacy Advisory Group to advise on priority areas for funding, and to steer research
20th May 2013 37

A Note on Translatability
Film literacys potential to be translated into different:
Platforms (YouTube; cinemas; galleries; TV; mobile phones)

Social purposes (industry skills; citizenship; creativity; wider literacy)

Artforms (music; drama; art and design) Subjects (history; language learning; geography; science)

Europe is a culture of translation; why not film literacy?

10th May 2013 2nd Media Literacy Congress Lisbon 38

What Next?
Derry seminar:
4 June Creative Europe funding; Film Literacy Advisory Group; NI case study
Filmliteracyadvisorygroup.wordpress.com

www.cityofculture2013.com/event/screening-literacy

Publication of Screening Literacy end of May:

Executive Summary in print + online Country Profiles, Case Studies online www.bfi.org.uk/screeningliteracy
20th May 2013