There are a number of universities, colleges and other training centers from coast to coast where students can learn the fundamentals of film and TV production, post-production and film theory. But, as many graduates will tell you, few sufficiently prepare their graduates for the dollars-and-cents realities of the industry. But there are other places where those budding Egoyans or MacMillans can go to get the kind of information necessary to get their projects off the ground, and, conceivably, make a living at this crazy business.

One such place is the Business of Film Institute, run by Ken Nakamura, founder of distributor Dai-ichi Motion Pictures in California and former CEO of Toronto prodco Tsunami Entertainment. The BFI is a division of Nakamura’s Oakville, ON-based consulting firm Midori Multimedia.

He opened the BFI in December 2004 after talking with his film student interns over the last five years, astounded by their lack of comprehension of the business side of the industry. After talking to the faculties of various film schools, Nakamura discovered this part of a filmmaker’s education is generally glossed over.

‘The net result is that, when you graduate, the Canadian film industry is so specific and small, you can’t get a job,’ he says.

The BFI seeks to offer a complete look at the film business, from studio financing to the role of sales agents, perpetuity, use of collection agencies, and more. Students are taught through case studies and workshops, and are even trained to draft agreements for the various stages of production. Although designed for final-year film students, Nakamura says the BFI offers a sound refresher for film vets as well.

‘It is so difficult to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the international arena,’ he says.

Nakamura takes only 15 students at a time, at $800 a head. He runs his course over six weekends at Oakville’s Glenn Abbey Golf Club, with plans to offer it three times a year. It results in an internship placement for the attendee, although those destinations have yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, for those eyeing careers in television, Toronto consulting outfit Scarlett Media, which offers its services in film and television distribution, production financing and market analysis, runs a TV distribution workshop called So You’ve Made a Film, Now What? The course runs periodically for one to three days, and is customized to the client, school or organization requesting it. Sheridan College and Queen’s University are among those that have hosted the workshop.

SM is headed by president Patricia Scarlett, a 15-year industry veteran who has worked for TVOntario and who launched distribution company Compass International in 1995. She says the idea for the course was born out of working with independent producers fresh out of school and recognizing they didn’t yet have the requisite skill sets.

‘They didn’t understand how to find the right agent or distributor, the distinction between the two, or [what] they could reasonably ask of them,’ says Scarlett. ‘It occurred to me that this may be an opportunity to develop something to fill that niche. It’s an underserved niche, and it’s best if people have this information before they get out into the marketplace, so they can better navigate.’

Presented by Scarlett, SM project manager Antoinette MacDonald, VP Walter Cudlip and communications/education consultant Susan O’Connor, So You’ve Made a Film focuses on audience-building strategies, how to best deal with international television acquisition executives, and TV market culture. The workshop is open to final-year film students as well as credited television producers.

In November 2004, SM took the program to Cape Town, South Africa, for the Sithengi Film & Television Market, to teach the ins and outs of global television sales to students of Talent Campus, a German program for international television production students. SM also developed a one-off version of the course for the Documentary Organization of Canada. *

-www.midorimultimedia.com

-www.scarlett-media.tv