Huston School of Film & Digital Media
A dynamic approach to film and digital media training in conjunction with a rigorous film and critical studies. The programmes aim to develop highly creative, excellently trained individuals to lead the film and television industries in the future at regional, national and international levels.
The orientation and approach of the original Galway Film Project, prepared by Fiona Bateman, Pat Sheeran and Rod Stoneman, published in March 1999, (available in the Library section of this website) remain at the centre of the enterprise: * A critically informed creative practice * The utilisation of digital technology at all stages of the production and postproduction of film * The development and production of micro budget documentary and fiction features * To connect and co-ordinate with the undergraduate film course at GMIT and with other Galway film organisations and activities
Reflective practice and critical theory can be combined in the context of film-making. Elements, which might be described as academic or theoretical, have practical value and application. These disciplines can be integrated in exciting and meaningful ways that are relevant to contemporary production. Our aim is to help filmmakers react critically and constructively to the changes which are taking place in film. It is our intention to introduce new writers and film-makers to the range of possibilities, creative choices and implications, available to them. A non-normative exposition of the full range of international filmmaking will allow course participants to develop their own distinctive voices.
Positioned between the divergent approaches of industrial and artisanal film-making, we will build enduring relationships with American and continental European, and other international courses. We welcome the cross fertilisation of cultures and histories in the 'contact zone' of the west coast of Ireland. The Huston School is well placed to explore complex and dynamic terrain - digital versions of film at the beginning of the 21st century.
We would propose to focus effort on key areas in which we are well placed to deliver rather than trying to spread funding across an unachievable range of disciplines. As we develop a suite of courses we must ensure that the resources, human and financial are in place to deliver these new programmes.
We intend to train appropriately skilled post graduates in film, broadcasting and new media capable of making a creative contribution to the cultural vibrancy of cinema in Ireland and internationally. Participants should be prepared to make maximum qualitative impact on our industry and culture.
Graduate School
All programmes take place at graduate level as this is most appropriate for developing expertise and scholarship. Entry qualifications are degree or degree equivalent and our selection process has a emphasis on mature students. Greater experience allows participants to bring more to the programmes and develop further and faster during the courses.
A wide range of people can benefit from the courses including the following:
# Those within the media industries.
# Writers and directors who wish to develop a distinctive voice.
# New graduates who have already produced outstanding work.
# Those who wish to a deeper understanding of film and wish to continue to doctoral work.
Short Courses
All the courses planned have been designed as one year courses as this is a viable time span for mature students, especially those who withdraw from the media industries or equivalent, adjacent occupations in order to undertake a course of study which will enable them to rejoin in an enhanced role. Many women find themselves constrained to limited roles and career paths in film and television, these courses may provide a way to surmount this. The one year courses could also be said to recognise the inevitable ' impatience ' of talented and ambitious individuals.
The Laboratory Environment
In exploring the creative possibilities of film, imaginative and ludic approaches take place within the context of a creative film lab. In many ways film production is equivalent to a laboratory based discipline: the same movement from established knowledge to innovation occurs in the sciences. Filmmakers need the right to experiment, research and occasionally fail; "Error is the portal of discovery", as James Joyce once wrote. Responsiveness to the industry and to the possibilities of international filmmaking will go hand in hand with the public service ethos of an educational space protected from direct commercial imperatives.
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