Professional work experience for film and TV students
TAFE NSW VET Pedagogy Project, Part C of Phase 1
WORKPLACE LEARNING - ASSESSMENT CASE STUDIES | Joe Mitchell, Film & Television TAFE NSW - Hunter Institute
The various personalities and personal ambitions of the different students means that it is important for them to get out into the filmmaking community and actively engage in a role with potential for gaining employment in post TAFE study.
Joe Mitchell
Training Packages
Film, TV, Radio & Multimedia (CUF01)
Learning Environment
Film and Television Certificate III studies utilising community projects, professional work experience and other strategies to develop industry readiness.
Teaching Approach
The film and television industry has an expansive range of job descriptions. Industry contacts, communication skills and industry experience play a major part in value adding to potential employment. With knowledge of this, Joe has found it necessary to undertake a teaching strategy, that encourages the students to get out of the classroom and into practical situations, that are relevant for their field of interest within the film and television industry.
Joe organises industry projects for students that not only immerse them in the film world but also involve them in projects that contribute to the community. Examples include; Wig Week for Cancer Awareness where students produced documentaries, constructed interviews, designed animations and authored DVD copies of the project.
Other local film and video productions provide an opportunity to participate in a range of roles including, set design and construction, camera assisting, production co-ordinating, sound recording, lighting assisting, and even acting. Involvement in a professional film shoot offers practical experience on a film set encompassing various roles, which are relevant to a practical first step in gaining employment within the film and TV industries.
Generally, most assessments are focused on effective communication ability within a group of people.
'Due to the strong sense of contact and communication within the film industry, it is imperative that the students develop their communication skills with other people (fellow class mates) and it is practically relevant for them to be assessed in this area as this will be the most important skill they will need when they begin to apply for employment.'
Students are also encouraged to engage in a range of other activities to help develop their communication skills and industry knowledge, such as regularly attending the cinema in groups to view and critique films. Students are also encouraged to enter in a range of small film festival competitions (extraneous to class requirements).
Evaluation Methods
A range of evaluation methods are applied to the subjects Joe teaches. These include ongoing feedback from student self-evaluation and feedback from industry. By considering the various needs of film and television, he applies industry requirements within the teaching and assessment structure of the course.
Positive Difference to Learning
Joe has identified that his students are driven and motivated by these practical and industry-relevant teaching modes. They develop important skills, but Joe feels that the best outcome of this teaching strategy is that it helps the students to gain an understanding of themselves. He believes that in order to work with a range of people, to be placed in the industry environment and to interrogate cinema, it is imperative that an individual comes to a sense of who they are, what they represent and where they want to go in order to achieve their personal goals. The structure of his classes allows students to take the first step in discovering what they want out of an interest in film and television, why they want it, and most importantly, how to go about achieving their desires in a practical and realistic fashion.
See Also
Case
Studies Innovative and Excellent Practices in VET Teaching and
Learning 2003 (426 Kb) are
also available as one downloadable file.
