Film and television training is not limited to high school grads. Like a pack of Rodney Dangerfields, seasoned members of the Canadian biz, from crew members to corporate honchos, are heading back to school to help polish their skills and keep fresh in an ever-changing industry.

The Independent Film & Television Producers’ Program, offered by Toronto-based Centennial College’s Centre of Entrepreneurship, is open to those who have produced for other companies but want to learn the necessary marketing and distribution skills to branch out on their own.

‘We combine the information our general Self Employment Assistance program has on the foundations of building a small business with very specific film and TV industry information,’ says Karen O’Donnell, independent producer and program advisor.

Human Resources Development Canada funds the program, and those who meet the eligibility criteria are paid to attend. In its third year, the annual workshop requires a six-week, full-time commitment in November-December from its two dozen students, and afterwards O’Donnell or a colleague performs a follow-up to monitor the producers’ progress and provide advice and contact information.

O’Donnell, soon to go into production on the doc Odd Kid Out to be broadcast on TVOntario, brings in her industry acquaintances to participate in various panels. Recent participants include Gemini-winning screenwriter Donald Martin, Triptych Media cofounder Anna Stratton and CTV VP of documentaries Bob Culbert.

Reflecting changes brought on by the digital environment, this year’s IFTPP curriculum will address the issues of producing for the new digital specialties and building an appropriate Internet component for broadcast programming.

‘My first and foremost goal is for [the students] to get their independent producer credit,’ she says. ‘It’s your own calling card, and the digital channels provide a great entry point.’

The program’s biggest success has been Romen Podzyhun, cofounder of diginet Movieola – The Short Film Channel, recently acquired by Stornoway Communications (pending CRTC approval). O’Donnell says Podzyhun, who remains Movieola’s head of programming, is in the process of hiring three producers he met at the program.

Like Centennial, Film Training Manitoba provides workshops for experienced production professionals looking to hone their craft. Located in Winnipeg’s Artspace centre, FTM was started in 1995 by the Manitoba Motion Pictures Industries Association to help develop the skills of local crews, and according to executive director Valerie Shantz, the program has made a significant contribution to the province’s film industry.

‘We take partial credit for [the fact that] production budget totals for 1996 were just over $15 million, and by April 2001, they had risen to over $50 million,’ she says. ‘Supporting ‘offshore’ production and indigenous shooting is completely related to how many crews you have and how many things you can shoot at one time.’

One year ago FTM, now operating as an independent organization, expanded to include Above the Line, a program for writers, directors and producers that runs workshops throughout the year involving industry professionals from outside and within the local talent pool. Guest contributors for the program’s next round include Judith Weston, renowned for her ‘acting for directors’ classes; Jan Miller, formerly of the National Screen Institute, who will discuss pitching; and native Manitoba writer/director/producer Jim Makichuk (Greenmail, Rough Air: Danger on Flight 534).

The approximately 10 Above the Line sessions, held between November and March, span one day to one week and reflect the competitiveness of the industry. For example, admission to some of the screenwriting workshops is based on a script the potential student has submitted. Directors’ sessions cover skills such as blocking, with the students benefiting not only from the wisdom of seasoned helmers, but also from the inherent networking opportunity. Tech for Non-Techs is a forthcoming camera-focused session providing directors with a greater understanding of the cinematographer’s domain.

Gearing up for digital

The Canadian Film Centre has been at the forefront of production training since it was founded in 1988, and over the years has expanded and altered its offerings to take digital innovations into account. But according to Kathryn Emslie, director, film and television programmes, the CFC is careful to keep its traditional training separate from its new media division. Interactive content development is taught at the CFC’s h@bitat facility, now in its fourth year of operation.

The CFC realizes that finding first-feature funding is becoming increasingly competitive, and so is helping its students become aware of ways to realistically get projects off the ground. Originating on digital formats represents one of these solutions, and one the CFC has embraced, with the last three projects produced by its alumni for the CFC Feature Film Project (The Art of Woo, Khaled and The Uncles) being shot digitally.

‘Over the last couple of years we have slowly but surely built up an awareness of digital cameras and how to light for digital to make it look more like film,’ Emslie says. ‘We fold into the program the ease with which a producer, director or editor understands the tools of the trade.’

Organizations within the industry are also getting involved in training. Toronto’s @Wallace Studios has opened the doors of its facility for several courses, which it sees as an investment in the future.

‘We work especially with emerging filmmakers, and as they establish themselves, the hope is that they will continue working with us,’ explains Lillyann Goldstein, @Wallace owner.

@Wallace’s educational partners include Women in Film and Television Toronto, which holds its Nuts & Bolts series at the facility about twice a month. Also, the Canadian Screen Training Centre, consisting of industry members, will be relocating from its Ottawa base for a couple of weekends in November for writers, directors and producers seminars for both film and TV. The Black Film & Video Network will similarly be holding a series of courses at the facility over the next few weeks.

@Wallace is also the studio sponsor for the CFC, whose directors come in for three to 10 days at a time, shooting projects that will be critiqued back at the centre.

‘It’s hard [for aspiring moviemakers] to get hands-on experience, because even the educational institutions don’t necessarily have a studio,’ Goldstein says. ‘That’s why they like coming in here – plus it’s an industry environment.’

Training opportunities go all the way up the corporate ladder, as illustrated by the Alliance Atlantis Banff Television Executive Program, aimed at TV and new media professionals at the VP level or higher within their company. Held at Banff’s Buffalo Mountain Lodge, the program was initiated in 1999 with a $1.8-million contribution from AAC. Presented by the Banff Television Foundation, AAC and The Banff Centre for Management, it recruits international TV and new media experts to lend analysis of industry trends and practices and provide leadership and management instruction in the evolving global marketplace.

Jim Byrd, VP of the Banff Television Foundation and executive director of the program, sees the courses as filling a void.

‘There was no program in this country aimed at senior executives in the TV industry,’ he says. ‘There are lots of general management courses out there, and there are some specific TV courses for things like post-production or camerawork, but nobody has really ever focused on actual management and leadership.’

The AABTEP runs for one week twice annually, admitting 25 students and focusing on strategic planning, systems thinking as well as branding, an issue that is more crucial than ever with fiercer competition for eyeballs over multiple platforms. The content of the event’s panels, roundtables and guest lectures is continually readjusted to reflect industry developments. Case in point is the addition of a session entitled ‘Trends in Convergence and Digital Media Management.’ While those who have risen to senior positions no doubt have a firm grasp of the traditional TV business, nobody knows exactly where digital will lead. Addressing this type of uncertainty is the program’s raison d’etre.

‘It’s a combination of the industry changing so fast and people needing to have the management experience to respond to that speed of change,’ Byrd says. ‘There are gaps in everybody’s knowledge as they come up through the system. We fill in some of those gaps.’

-www.cencol.ca

-www.filmtraining.mb.ca

-www.cdnfilmcentre.com

-www.wallacestudios.com

-www.executive2001.com