Study film online using a real film!

Belief was funded by the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill, New Zealand in return for the use of the raw footage for the groundbreaking Diploma in Digital Film course. The course has been running since 2004.

Phil Davison, the director of Belief, had been working at the institute as the Programme Manager of the Bachelor of Digital Media course, but with the birth of his first child he wanted to spend more time at home - and came up with a revolutionary concept for distance learning.

Phil approached SIT with the following concept - many aspects of filmmaking were already becoming possible to teach via the internet - students can shoot video and send their assignments in as compressed video clips, and screenwriting does not require much technology at all, but editing is another matter. What was needed was a collection of raw footage that students could edit together on their own computers, and then send the project file to their tutor by email. The tutor has the same raw footage, and so long as they are both using the same software, the tutor can open the project file and see exactly what the student is doing - and so the tutor can offer advice and sort out problems.

The only problem was that all film materials are protected by copyright. So Phil’s concept was this - he’d shoot a low budget horror movie with the express intent of using footage from the film for students to edit. There would also be a “making of” camera on the set to give the students a taste of life on a real film set. Making a low budget movie also seemed more relevant to students who were unlikely to start work the next day on a Hollywood scale movie.

“It’s a great way to learn.” says Phil, “If you are sitting in a classroom and you have a problem on your computer, I’ll tend to just fix it so you can get on with your work, but this way all I can do is help - I can send you step by step instructions if need be - but you’ve got to do it all yourself. And so you learn really, really thoroughly. Also the nature of the distance learning system makes each student a little more personal. When I’m teaching face to face, each student is just another face in the class - but in the DDF course I spend a lot more time interacting with students on an individual level.

“I’ve been very impressed by the quality of work that the students have been producing. Some of the students are already working in the industry, and just want to broaden their knowledge, but others have never picked up a camera or touched a computer before. Some of the work i see at the start of the course is pretty dreadful - but by the end of the course I’m stunned at the quality of work the same students make.

“Distance learning isn’t easy. It takes a lot of self discipline to knuckle down and get the work done when the sun is shining outside. But that kind of self discipline is exactly what’s needed when you’re working in the creative industries.

All materials © 2006 Phil Davison
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