By Dan Henrich
Introduction
Over the last decade of serving as a media trainer & producer, first in Asia and now in Africa, I have been impressed by the various methods used to conduct media training. They range from the academy, to theoretical workshops. Rarely are the practical aspects of video production integrated effectively with the theory.
A new collaborative methodology is necessary to pass on the practical skills of video production, along with communication theory. When one brings up the word practical, one usually thinks of the cameraman, rather than the scriptwriter. This is not what I am advocating. Rather, I am advocating a process where the craft of writing, storyboarding, filming, editing, and distribution are covered as a collaborative, Team oriented effort. This format is still passing on knowledge, in fact “transferring technology” to others it is, however, more effective as it integrates the practical with theory!
Problem-Based Learning
There is ample support for integrative learning processes in a methodology called
“Problem-Based Learning (PBL).” PBL has the following characteristics:
1. Begin with a problem
2. Ensure that the problem connects with the student’s world
3. Organize the subject matter around the problem, not around the disciplines
5. Give students the major responsibility for shaping and directing their own learning
7. Use small teams as the context for most learning
8. Require students to demonstrate what they have learned through a product or performance.
Cultural impact
INTRODUCTION: Understanding that people in the “emerging” countries are process oriented, a workshop format that utilized PBL would seem to be more effective than a traditional approach because the workshop is centered around the process Of completing a specific group project.
The three step problem solving process suggested by Stephen, Gallagher and Workman (1993), i.e.
- What do we know?
- What do we need to know?
- What are we going to do?
serves as an instructional scaffold from which the workshop participants might make sense of the situation and what skills are needed.
In PBL, the purpose of the problem is to motivate students to learn and provide a ‘real-world’ context for examining the issues involved. Instead of a format which starts out with the theoretical approach, i.e. scriptwriting theory, video theory, audio theory, then assigned individual and perhaps a group project, the process of establishing a team which then carries out each phase of a specific production together. This team process approach then welds together a group of people who can come back together and repeat it time and again. It is part and parcel of the transfer of knowledge.
One of the shortcomings of more traditional education approaches which the Two Thirds World inherited from the West and adapted is a tendency towards rote memorization and a desire for the strong authoritarian figure of an instructor. There are very few models of the instructor as a friend, mentor, facilitator, or collaborator. Information is delivered in an imperative tone and students write down the lecture word for word.
In the event the student misses a phrase, he may choose to stop the instructor who repeats the sentence word for word with punctuation points. A passing grade is received by those students who can replicate the lecture information by rote on exams. This methodology is not conducive to application of information in practical situations, nor to a leap of logical understanding that is so needed in visual media production.
The Collaborative Approach
While much of the traditional media training noted above deals with the various disciplines of production as unique and separate, the Process Training approach draws much of it’s strength from the understanding that visual media production is a collaborative effort. Collaborative in that film makers in the west understand the importance of the various disciplines of writer, producer, cameraman, editor, soundman, etc. as they collaborate to express the script in visual form. As such, the greats of traditional filmmaking developed their films in collaboration.
This was especially true in the very early days of the major studio productions in Hollywood when such greats as D.W. Griffith produced the silent films of the day. One of the premier film & television schools in the USA, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has created a curriculum that concentrates on the craft of film and TV production on a collaborative basis. Although there are specific courses in scriptwriting, for instance, they are undertaken with a project in mind and are coupled with aother craft courses.
This sort of coursework is a blend of theory and practical projects taught in the constraints and stimulation of the university system. It is this approach that is designed to equip the smaller, independent filmmakers. Such modern filmmakers such as Steven Speilberg use a collaborative methodology – in fact Speilberg is a graduate of IJCLAs MFA program.
A Process Training methodology takes full advantage of a process that Steven D. Katz refers to in his book “Film Directing Shot by Shot” as visualization within the production cycle of a film. “Visualization works two ways: first, as a process of inclusion in which the subject of a film is explored and ideas are collected and stored away, and secondly, as a process of simplification as the vision is honed, leaving only the best and pertinent ideas.” Katz goes on to give examples of the many independent filmmakers in Hollywood have directed, wrote, shot and edited their smaller films and “This type of hands-on experience is worth any number of sessions with a professional editor doing the work for you.
Many of the film school-trained filmmakers today have learned their craft this way and understand the filmmaking process from script to release print. This alone does not make a great filmmaker, but whatever other qualities are necessary, they are better served by a full knowledge of the craft.
Suitability
The Process Training approach is best suited to specific media ministries who have the facilities, equipment and staff who will comprise most of the team.
The advantage of this approach is three-fold:
I. The process of creating a visual media product brings together people to participate in the process of creation, stressing the collaborative approach.
- Each member of the team participates in each phase of the process and emotionally “owns” the resulting production.
The Workshop not only teaches the theory of production, but also each step in the process of production, resulting in a video or film. Certain elements of this approach can be applied to radio or magazine training.
On The Job Training
Process Training is like on-the-job training in that the centrality of the workshop is not the theory, but a specific project(s). It centralizes around the process of, say producing a video, as opposed to the lecture/academic approach. Many workshops are taught each month around the world which feature theory as the central theme with little practical involvement. In some cases, this approach can enhance skills, in other cases, however, this approach may result in nothing of substance for various reasons.
Here are the elements that are common to TV production and would be included in a Process Training session:
Element I. Team building: Assembled teams meet together for the first time. Relationships are built by relating common interests, approaches, and visions. The goal is the meshing together of diverse personalities to establish a Team.
Element 2. Production design: Team discusses possible projects to be completed in the next two weeks. A consensus is found regarding the project so that there is a continuation of the process of creation. Target audience is discussed, format, etc.
Element 3. Scriptwriting: Discussion of the script, characterization (in the case of a narrative video). In the case of a documentary, points discussed are possible interviewees, script elements, research techniques and documentary design.
Approaches to writing the script are brought out by the facilitator. The script synopsis is developed together as well as the narrative lines.
Element 4. Storyboarding: As the writing process is coming to completion, the team visits locations and decides who and what is to be included in the project. In-depth discussions on the various roles for producer, director, cameraman, audio, editor, etc.
have taken place. Also discussed in this section are the features of the camera itself, including camera moves, lenses, framing, use of tripods, etc. Lighting problems will also be discussed and if necessary and available, lighting notations will be made on the storyboard.
Element 5. Rehearsals: In the case of a narrative or dramatic video, rehearsals start at this point in time. One of the Team is appointed as the director and actors are chosen.
Element 6. Videotaping: The team participates in the process of filming, each member being involved in some intimate way as a crew member.
Element 7. Editing: Taking the resulting camera tapes to the editing room, the team reviews tapes and logs them as part of the post-production process. Footage is chosen that fits into the storyboard and a “paper edit” is done prior to using the editing console. Edit decisions are made by the team. Narration is written in the case of a documentary and recorded. Titles are prepared and shot.
Element 8. Distribution and Critique: Distribution possibilities are discussed, and the entire Team participates in a review of the Workshop and critique of the final product.
A Different Result
The difference is the workshop format. As opposed to the more formal classroom with theory preceding practical work, this “process” methodology integrates theory with the practical in a process of learning not unlike, as Catherine Petrini lists in her article in Training & Development magazine as “coaching” and “mentoring”.
Both of these on-the-job training methods depend the trainer being truly interested in the trainee and working on a day-to-day basis. In fact, it may be useful to discuss the requirements of a facilitator for Process Training. There are three key characteristics. The Process Training facilitator must be:
A Team Member: The facilitator must not see himself as an authority figure. He must be willing to stay off the lecture platform and instead provide the technical support aspect. In many ways, the facilitator becomes a mentor to his Team. Mentoring especially is a process of imparting skills and knowledge to a trainee without fear of guarding one’s position. The facilitator becomes transparent to his Team, working together to discover how the elements of the visual media production process become a part of the craft of filmmaking.
Must be “in tune”: He must understand the issue of consensus. Although this might seem simple if the facilitator is a “Team Member’, it is quite easy for him (or her) to exert undue influence on the Team to get his way. With a true understanding of consensus, the facilitator will not make decisions without the Team. In fact, most of the 3rd world are process oriented and we can be more effective if we present information with that in mind.
An experienced producer: He/she must have enough experience to understand each part of the production process to and to grasp the collaborative process that is essential to good production.
The training effort is organized around the process of completing a production, and the facilitator does not take the role of the “heavy”. Each participant owns the product and walks away with an intimate knowledge of the craft of production, from planning to script to storyboarding, rehearsal, taping and editing.
A Team is therefore established around this actual production which now has the experience to come back together and produce another video without the facilitator. This training approach can also be used for radio and magazine production training, and it is especially useful for those organizations who have a specific project in mind and existing facilities.
