Metro Australia — January 2018

(WallPaper) #1
http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195• 125

ARTISTIC CRISIS: THE 2017
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL CRITICS CAMPUS


7DUD-XGDK

7KH FRQYHUVDWLRQ DURXQG ĺOP FULWLFLVP DQG DUWV FULWLFLVP PRUH
ZLGHO\ LV WKDW LW LV LQ FULVLV $W WKH  .DUORY\ 9DU\ ,QWHUQDWLRQDO
)LOP )HVWLYDO $PHULFDQ FULWLF /HRQDUG 0DOWLQ GHQRXQFHG QHZ PHGLD
for having democratised what he sees as a specialist skill: ‘There’s
QR VKRUWDJH RI JRRG DQG LQWHOOLJHQW ĺOP FULWLFV 7KHUHpV D ODFN RI
interest and there’s a dilution of criticism in general because of the
internet and social media.’ On home shores, after severe cuts made
by Fairfax Media – which had already made serial redundancies in
SUHFHGLQJ \HDUV t IHDUV IRU FULWLFLVP KDYH HVFDODWHG /DVW \HDU DORQH
saw a hoard of articles declaring ‘crisis’, from1D@K3HLD’s roasting
RI 7ULSOH - ZKLFK oKDV IRXQG D ZD\ WR FURZGVRXUFH DQ HPHUJLQJ
broadcaster at a budget price’) to Anwen Crawford’s3GD ,NMSGKX
piece lamenting the dwindling of cultural discourse (‘This country’s
culture is being starved, and with it any opportunity to understand
ourselves as something other than subjects of a ruthless economy’).
<HW HYHQ LQ WKH IDFH RI VXFK HFRQRPLF GLIĺFXOWLHV &UDZIRUG KROGV
the art of criticism in high esteem, arguing for its pride of place as
D}SXUVXLWRISDVVLRQDQGLQWHJULW\


:&<NNC BQHSHBR O@RRHNM@SD BQHSHBR areLNSHU@SDC AX @ CDRHQD SN AD
SGD ADRS @TCHDMBD LDLADQ SG@S SGDX B@M AD
BQHSHB MDDCR SN AD
HMENQLDC DMSGTRH@RSHB BTQHNTR @MC NODM LHMCDC :w< ( ADKHDUD HM
SGD @QS NE ROD@JHMF A@BJ SN @QS NE @M@KXRHMF HS @QFTHMF VHSG HS BDK-
DAQ@SHMFHS RHESHMF@MCRNQSHMFSGQNTFGHSRBNMRSHSTDMSDKDLDMSR


(YLGHQWO\ WKH 0HOERXUQH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO )LOP )HVWLYDO 0,)) DOVR
believes in ‘speaking back to art’, inviting Crawford – alongside
several other luminaries – to mentor for its fourth Critics Campus,
D WDOHQWGHYHORSPHQW SURJUDP GHVLJQHG WR QXUWXUH HPHUJLQJ FULWL
FDO WDOHQW LQ $XVWUDOLD 2YHU ĺYH GD\V HLJKW \RXQJ KRSHIXOV PHHW
with individually assigned mentors – themselves working critics in
Australia and abroad – and attend panel discussions and roundta
bles on issues including diversity in criticism, pitching to editors, the
art of the interview, video and podcasting techniques, the relation
VKLS EHWZHHQ ĺOPPDNLQJ DQG FULWLFLVP DQG OLYH HGLWLQJ ZRUNVKRSV
The participants then produce four pieces of work: three for the
MIFF blog (written articles or video essays plus an interview piece)
DQG D ĺQDO ZRUN SUHSODFHG ZLWK DQ H[WHUQDO PHGLD RXWOHW
The pitching, securing and delivering of a professional piece of
work is arguably Critics Campus’ most crucial assignment – for both
the participants and MIFF. In addition to giving inexperienced critics
an understanding of how to complete such a task, from inception
WR SXEOLFDWLRQ LW HQVXUHV KLJKFDOLEUH SUHVV FRYHUDJH RI WKH IHVWLYDO
(Festival coverage for an approved platform is also a condition of
participation for campus mentors.)
In the context of Critics Campus, Crawford’s notion of the ‘ruth
OHVV HFRQRP\p ZDV EHVW FODULĺHG QRW WKURXJK DQ\ IRUPDO GLVFXV
VLRQV RYHU WKH ĺYH GD\V EXW UDWKHU WKURXJK UHDOOLIH H[SHULHQFHV
of how the industry works. Participating in social and networking
HYHQWVDORQJVLGHĺOPVFUHHQLQJVDQGFDPSXVDFWLYLW\WKHPHQWHHV


ZHUH DIIRUGHG ĺUVWKDQG H[SRVXUH WR KRZ LPSRUWDQW UHODWLRQVKLSV
built with editors and peers are when it comes to getting work and
getting paid. Campus mentor and Australian correspondent for3GD
'NKKXVNNC 1DONQSDQHarry Windsor was a perfect example of how
Critics Campus can produce concrete results in terms of career
development. Windsor was a participant in the inaugural program in
2014, and was invited back in 2017 as a mentor. Having come full
circle, he attributed his success to his Critics Campus run, at the
completion of which he had been offered a'NKKXVNNC1DONQSDQrole
E\ KLV WKHQPHQWRU 'DYLG 5RRQH\
Over the 2017 proceedings, the importance of networking and
visibility was also emphasised, particularly when it came to the nuts
and bolts of how to secure enough paid work to constitute at least
D IUDJPHQW RI D OLYLQJ ZDJH %XW PDNH QR PLVWDNH QRQH RI WKH
PHQWRUV ZHUH XQUHDOLVWLF DERXW KRZ GLIĺFXOW LW LV WR HDUQ D VXVWDLQ
DEOH OLYLQJ IURP FULWLFLVP DORQH 5HWXUQLQJ WKHQ WR &UDZIRUGpV VHQWL
ments about the pursuit of criticism as art, we see how the crisis
takes shape. And it’s remarkably similar to the crisis likewise suf
fered by the art of the moving image. How can we focus on the art
if it must be commercially viable? If we are too busy talking about
how to cobble together a living, how to leverage contacts or how to
do it all for free alongside a paid pursuit, we simply run out of time
to talk about the art of the thing itself.
As a 2017 mentor myself – looking forward to getting into the
QLWW\JULWW\ RI KRZ ZH HYDOXDWH YLVXDO DUW XVLQJ YHUEDO ODQJXDJH
RU KRZ ZH PLJKW XQGHUVWDQG PRYLQJ LPDJHVasvisual language –
, ZDV GLVDSSRLQWHG WKDW VR PXFK RI &ULWLFV &DPSXVp IRFXV ZDV RQ
logistics. What’s stayed with me, and what I hope the conversation
will return to, is Crawford’s insistence that good critics be passion
DWH DERXW EHLQJ WKH EHVW DXGLHQFHPHPEHUVWKH\FDQEHXOWLPDWHO\
that is where art happens.

$3$1(/$77+(0,))&5,7,&6&$0386
Free download pdf