Film Ed for Gen Z: Industrial Issues and Motivations of the Next Generation of Filmmakers

The shift in higher education discourse that takes filmmaking practice and treats it as a profession means that staff/student debates about working practices in the creative industries have become increasingly fraught, reflecting what Petrie and Stoneman call an ‘industrial imperative’ (Educating Film-makers, 2014: 42) here meaning a focus on vocational training that is designed to fit the student up for subsequent employment. Subsequently, it is necessary to look at co-creating a student-led understanding of two aspects of their study: firstly, what do they see as challenges in the film and television industries. If academics, ostensibly outsiders from mainstream industrial practice, note the challenges of working in the creative industries, this can often be perceived as misplaced ire or bitterness by students who seek to work in those industries. It is necessary then for educators to see what students think about the issues in the industries they seek to work in. Secondly, and especially crucial in the context of a creative subject, educators should seek to understand what motivates students – in this context, why do they want to study filmmaking? As Gannon notes 'setting expectations collaboratively can be particularly valuable for courses where the primary mode vehicle of instruction and interaction is group discussion’ (Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, 2018: 90). We can expand this to include ‘group creative practice’ when thinking about filmmaking.

Developing on the themes explored in my PhD thesis (Nunn, Towards A New Film Pedagogy, 2019), this article presents the findings of a qualitative study on first year BA Film and Television Production students at the University of Greenwich. Between the cohorts of 2017/18 and 2021/22, staff have used Mentimeter word clouds (images below) to facilitate introductory discussions of industrial issues in film and television, and of the motivations of aspiring filmmakers. The results of this five-year project point to a keen awareness of the challenges in creative industries, and a consensus over why students choose our subject that should impact how and what we teach in film and television production.