New Frontiers Training

20th December 2011

Culture Colony is about to initiate a research and training programme through Aberystwyth Arts Centre and funded by the Arts Council of Wales. Called 'New Frontiers' it will look into current trends in video documentation and accessing audiences through the internet.

The 'New Frontiers Research Programme' will be designed to investigate new areas of communications technology, on mobile devices and the internet, providing a basis for exploration by the creative industries and a structure for the ‘New Frontiers Training Programme' that will start shortly after the research phase has been completed.

Another outcome of the research is the potential for a 'New Frontiers Arts Festival' that will take place in Aberystwyth Arts Centre - but lets wait and see what the research reveals first.

The training will be aimed at artists who wish to improve their use of video, as documentation and as work in its own right. Although the course is being designed with the needs of the creative sector in mind it will also be a valuable insight for anyone looking towards a career in the broadcast industry.  The courses will give trainees valuable ‘real world’ experience of film making for the internet and for television.

The courses will aim to improve or enhance the trainees ‘story telling’ and ‘communication’ skills in respect of making their own films for themselves and for others.

During the courses the trainees will make a number of films each for artists. As well as improving the trainees skills, this will put more films about Welsh based artists and the arts in Wales into circulation. Artists will be able to apply for films to be made about them and their work for free by the trainees. By being 'content providers' for the training programme, the artists will in return receive high quality promotional material for their own use on web sites, social media and for funding or residency applications.

Training Activity –

Initially a 4 week research placement will initiate the training programme (there will be one research placement offered and the applicants for this position can also apply for a training position). Based on current and evolving practice, with regard to documentary film making in the broadcast industry and the emerging arena of the internet combined with ideas generated through the research placement, the training programme will be designed to meet the aims stated above and give the trainees a broad practical film making experience.

All the projects undertaken on the training programme will be ‘real’ projects. All of the films made will be for specific purposes to achieve the aims of the programme. These projects will be made by the trainees ‘shadowing’ an experienced film maker, by trainees collaborating on projects and by the trainees making their own individual films.

Examples of good film making practice will be viewed and discussed. Film making for various platforms and uses will be interrogated. However, practical film making will dominate over theory. As the area of film making the trainees will explore is new and developing. It will be more useful for the trainees to gain practical experience in the potential of the medium so that they can adapt what they learn to their own practice after they have completed the training programme.

The trainees will learn about the various video formats and their uses to create the source material for film making, basic camera skills, basic editing skills, basic sound recording, video formats for the internet, story telling and structure for film making (including ‘compliance’ – essential knowledge for a career in broadcasting), risk assessments, scheduling, researching, etc.

Learning ‘on the job’ they will use various broadcast standard cameras, sound recording equipment and a broadcast standard editing system. They will also learn about the practical use of accessories such as filters, a jib, and various camera rigs to enhance their product. The trainees will make films as part of a team, on their own and ‘embedded’ at an event to cover all the stories issuing from the event.

The training programme is free to the selected trainees. As the courses will take place at Culture Colony's office in Aberystwyth, the researcher and trainee positions will have a generous allowance allocated to them to cover living costs.

Application forms for the research post and for trainee positions will be issued towards the end of January and interviews will follow soon after. However, expressions of interest from potential researchers, trainees and artists (based in Wales) who would like to have their work documented can be sent now to pete@culturecolony.com

1. by Pitch on December 21st, 2011

   This looks fantastic Pete. Congratulations on getting this going. We got our Theatre Production Development funding for the R.S. Thomas project. Have to see if they can play nicely with each other. More later x