Re-visioning screen production education through the lens of creative practice: an Australian film school example

The Australian Film Television and Radio School is a well-established training institution with an impressive track record in producing successful alumni. In 2016, an industry survey of the Australian media landscape heralded the need for more resilient creative entrepreneurs who are able to negotiate the rapid technological and industrial changes in the sector. As a result, creative practice as research was recommended as fundamental component of the curriculum. In 2017, the school introduced a new Master of Arts Screen (MAS) program, which included a core Creative Practice curriculum across four semesters of the degree. While creative practice is making a significant contribution to the production of innovation in the academy globally, debate still lingers on its inclusion in national film schools which have traditionally focused on the training of technical and craft skills of the artist. This paper traces the pedagogical move towards a practice-based rather than artefact-based teaching at AFTRS, during the first iteration of the new curriculum. The case study describes the introduction of concrete conceptual models of ‘creative practice as research’ and evaluates the challenges of defining, clarifying, exploring and integrating creative practice theories, methodologies and professional understandings of what it means to be a creative filmmaker.