Ande Schurr reports back on the buzz and 'unity in diversity' from the Big Screen Symposium.
"This was a weekend to re-examine our place in the industry."
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The Big Screen Symposium was a god-send in a year where morale seems low.
I usually cringe at buzz words. Cross-pollinate, ideation, unity-in-diversity! I don't mind them on corporate videos - in fact they seem fitting in that context - yet I attest that these words along with the remarkable feeling of togetherness were upon all who attended the event.
Further to this, something that impressed me was when Dan Slevin, On Film magazine editor, started explaining that he really is serious about waking up the industry voice, of bringing back the days where all levels of people had a say and didn’t give a damn if it was controversial. He wants people to share what really matters to them and not hold back for fear the film commission gets wind of any uncouth remarks and black lists them.
There are voices everywhere. There are many disgruntled mutterings about the lack of government incentive, the lack of work, the lack of funding but all that was laid to rest on the 10-11 August.
The Big Screen Symposium had a buzz to it. We had stellar international speakers, with some of our own best producers and directors among the audience. There were case studies of NZ films, we had time to network and dress up but more importantly we had a sense of continuity because of, and not despite, the variety of workshops on offer. I learned a great deal more about my job as a sound recordist from attending a session on Sound Design. The case study of White Lies, the latest South Pacific Pictures produced film, was broken down, by Images and Sound pros Steve Finnigan and Chris Sinclair, in a way that caused me new understanding of my own role on set. It was also examined under the producer’s magnifying glass in another workshop at the same time.
One smart approach I saw to this problem of clashing workshops was the producer-team of recently shot feature film Orphans & Kingdoms spreading out across the sessions to cover all their bases so that they were fully informed of the latest insights when dealing with their own post production team.
It reminded me of the global design and consultancy firm IDEO who bring together, for example, a behavioral psychologist, an architect and a food technologist to work on finding the solution to one of their clients problems. This sort of 'unity-in-diversity' collaboration goes beyond two robots just doing their job. It’s where new ideas can occur that cause better outcomes because of the right mix of opinions. Every film is a problem that needs a unique solution.
In our film industry, our culture must be one of getting things off our chest. Of saying what needs to be said to create the right script, secure funding from the right source and find crew with the right skill-set and enthusiasm.
That was the purpose of the weekend conference. To open the gates of learning again. To put aside misunderstandings and be a sponge to new ideas. To follow a hunch, to be excited, to make a decision to follow a particular train of thought and see where it led you. Cross pollination, ideation. Corporate poppycock? Absolutely not.
Sometimes it's not enough to have a question, even to ask that question. It needs to be asked in the right context. And that is what can happen. You get a chance to ask the question that is burning on your mind thanks to the situation setup for us; the energy of the event if you like. Finally then you have the relief you were looking for. You pinned them down and made them reveal their secrets when before you wouldn't get the same answer because the same need wasn't there. It couldn’t be said better than by 'Entrepreneur Monk' David Samuel: "New Organs of perception come into being as a result of necessity. Therefore increase your necessity so that you may increase your perception."
These industry leaders, who took the workshops and led discussions, placed in front of us a snapshot of excellence and an ideal for us to look up to.
Sometimes the number one thing missing from our life is exposure to the right elements, the right environment. While it's important to have the dream and ideas, exposure to the very people who are already living these ideas has a tangible effect on us. The longer we place ourselves under that 'spell' the more profound our change will be.
Well, the 'spell' was the weekend symposium and it was also the spell that a patient attitude brings of not discounting Korean director Park Chan-Wook because he was hard to follow through his translator, or Guillermo Arriaga who didn't talk on topic yet left an unforgettable message about our mortality, or, in the case of Aussie actor David Wenham, it was the little examples he gave.
David was explaining to Robyn Malcolm about how his knack for dialects and accents came back when he learned how to play the piano after a couple of months. To the average listener that is a curious point perhaps though nothing amazing, yet for the person who has always wanted to learn the piano, and never quite put in the commitment, that little comment might just be the straw that breaks the back on their ‘camel’ of making a new habit. It's insights like this that you can't just get anywhere - only by being there.
I remember watching a graduation address online that one of the world's richest people, Warren Buffett, gave. He said that two people can be exposed to an idea, one has no reaction, yet for the other, their life has changed forever. It is in the preparation leading up to being exposed to that idea.
The thirst for knowledge and positive change drives the quality of our attention which in turn propels the presenters to give their best thoughts and ideas. It's a simple formula that was proved in countless workshops.
This was a weekend to re-examine our place in the industry. For some it encouraged further development within one discipline, for others a consolidation and increasing level of comfort as a whole, for others still, permission to go in a completely different direction.
Whatever it was, the BSS was a success. Why? Because it was big enough to hold all of us in the palm of its hand. To be schooled by film folk of an international calibre, to share afternoon tea and ideas with people you might never see in social circles. It made us think beyond ourselves - our tunnel vision - into the bigger picture of our potential and belonging to a larger universe than we thought existed.
About Ande:
Ande Schurr is a location sound recordist specialising in TV commercials, feature films, documentaries and TV dramas. His ‘How Freelancers Can Succeed’ interviews and articles are inspired by his mentor David Samuel and his experience in the New Zealand film and TV industry.
From here.
