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Oxford Film and Media School
Film School/Master Film Class/Video Journalism/Documentary/Inward Bound Adventure Learning
Oxford, England
For More Information, Contact
Desmond Smith, Director
Oxford Media School
110 Pricefield Road
Toronto Ontario M4W 1Z9
Canada
416-964-0746
Fax: 416-929-4230
http://www.oxfordmediaschool.com
E-mail: newsco@sympatico.ca
Type of Program: Educational enrichment, individual expression, and creative experiences
Participants: Coeducational, ages 14–18
Enrollment: 10–20 participants per program
Program Dates: Four-week program in July
Head of Program: Desmond Smith; Nick Smith, Assistant Head
LocationThe Oxford Media School (OMS) is located at New College in Oxford, England. It is 44 miles (70 kilometers) from Heathrow Airport and 50 miles (80 kilometers) from London.
Background and PhilosophyThe Oxford Media School program was developed to offer a creative introduction to the worlds of film, television journalism, documentary production, and the dramatic arts.
The School brings together a film school, a “newsroom in Europe” for young journalists, a basic course in how to make one’s own documentaries, and drama as a second subject for all students. Young people work in a friendly environment where fun is part of the learning philosophy.
The course welcomes inventive spirits who are prepared for team effort and hard, stimulating work in an atmosphere that develops strong friendships and personal achievement.
Program OfferingsThe Film School The School’s main requirements are enthusiasm, dedication, and an ability to spend long hours on the set or at the editing table. Filmmaking is fun, but it’s also teamwork. Students should be adaptable in group situations in order to take this course.
Introduction to Film In Week One, the team works in film and video exactly as Hollywood does today. Students both shoot digital video and edit on Apple’s award-winning Final Cut Pro Software. The basics include how to write, direct, and shoot a script. Preproduction commences during Week Two. Movies are cast. Locations are scouted and costumes are arranged. Instructions are given on location shooting. Students work as part of the film crew, rotating key jobs. Camera and sound test rolls shot during the first week are checked. During Week Three, students learn the process of digital nonlinear editing for the final edits. Everyone works late during this week. In Week Four, the most hectic period, postproduction means adding music, sound effects, and preparation for the all-important screen credits.
Film Making: The Master Class (maximum of 10 students) This advanced film class is for film students who have already attended a first-year film school, such as Oxford, and wish to make films in a small unit, with a focus on script writing, developing dialogue, and advanced sound and lighting workshops. During the course, work is divided between hands-on learning, writing, shooting, and screening and discussing films with faculty members for their visual and narrative content.
The Documentary School The program teaches the basics of documentary filmmaking and television journalism. Subjects can be serious or light-hearted. Film deals with fiction; documentary makers find their material in the reality around them.
Introduction to the Documentary In this course, students get the basics of handling camera and sound alongside the film-school students. By the week two, students are researching and shooting segments for the School documentary. Students work in teams of two, one directing and the other shooting, then swap roles as they move through their stories. Together, the class makes a documentary about Oxford and how the city is changing in the twenty-first century. The group also goes to London to visit the foreign news bureaus of CBS News and the New York Times.
Documentary Making: The Master Class This program is designed for students who have already taken the first-year documentary or film course. This is a senior class that enhances the skills already gained in a first-year course. Students who have not attended OMS previously should send a reference and a copy of their prior work. This one-month workshop gives students more editing and shooting time and the ability to write and produce a longer documentary. In addition to advanced camera and editing workshops, students learn how to set up and use lights, how to make a budget, and ways to finance their first documentary.
The Television Documentary While a news story runs less than 3 minutes, a documentary can be as short as 6 minutes or as long as 6 hours. What makes documentaries different from daily news is the point of view of the director. Passion, intensity, and a sense of justice underscore the best documentary making. In this course, students get the basics of how to find a subject, how to write the outline, and how to then work as part of a team that actually makes a documentary in Oxford. In week one, the topic of the documentary is chosen, along with learning the basics of camera and sound recording. In week two, shooting of the documentary begins. In weeks three and four, students write, record, and edit.
Field work is an essential component of all courses, and related excursions include visits to the news bureaus of ABC News, CBS News, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Additional visits to the BBC and Independent Television allow students to watch television programs in the making.
EnrollmentOxford Media School sessions are limited to 40 students or fewer. The small group size (limited to 10–20 students) encourages friendly, noncompetitive teamwork.
The media revolution involves the world. Oxford Media School wants to attract people of different backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities. Past experience suggests that students are equally divided between girls and boys.
Daily Schedule
The School runs by Oxford rules. Students go to the Great Hall for breakfast between 8 and 9 a.m. Classes start at 9 a.m. Students meet in the Common Room for coffee or tea at 10 a.m. Classes then resume until noon.
After a break for lunch, students return to their assignments for 3 to 4 hours in the afternoon. Participants spend 5 to 6 hours each day working with faculty members. Dinner is at 6 p.m., followed by tea or coffee in the Common Room. Most nights, students watch some of the world’s best movies in the projection room.
Extra Opportunities and ActivitiesThe School arranges weekend picnics and, of course, that most Oxford of all activities—punting on the Cherwell. On weekends, there are trips to London, both to see the sights and to sample the British capital’s incomparable shopping. Included in the School fee is a unique, supervised London and Stratford theater program that takes students each weekend to some of the best new plays of the London season and often features stage-door visits. Everyone enjoys a staff versus summer students barbecue and sports night on the New College sports grounds.
Students can enjoy Shakespeare on the college lawn most evenings and at many colleges. The Sheldonian—where Handel played—offers classical music most summer nights. Tennis with both grass and Har-Tru surfaces is available. On a glorious midsummer’s eve, there is the Farewell Dinner and Graduation Ceremony to which all parents are invited.
FacilitiesThe Oxford Media program shares New College, Oxford, with several other summer schools, including Duke University, during the month of July. Founded in the fourteenth century, it is one of Oxford’s founding colleges. Students have there own rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Most rooms offer high-speed Ethernet connections. Linen is supplied, and there is daily maid service, except on weekends.
StaffDesmond Smith, the School’s founder and director, has been a writer, teacher, and television producer all his working life. He spent nearly twenty years working for three of the American networks. Oxford Media’s teachers consist of skilled film, drama, and journalism teachers who have been members of the summer faculty for many years. The School maintains a 5:1 ratio of students to staff members.
Medical CareNew College has both a nurse and a medical doctor on call. In case of an emergency, the nearest hospital is less than 1 mile away. Students are requested to bring medical insurance with them.
Religious LifeWithin easy walking distance of student accommodations are opportunities for worship for members of many faiths.
CostsThe comprehensive fees for 2007 were $6500. Master Class students paid $7000. The cost includes fees for theater and trips, digital lab costs, equipment damage insurance, room and board, and transportation to and from Heathrow Airport. The fees do not cover airfare, lunches, and personal expenditures.
Financial AidFinancial aid is not offered.
TransportationTransportation to and from the airport is provided.
Application TimetableApplications are due by June 1, 2008.
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