Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit) under CC BY 2.0

The Michigan Film Office Advisory Council (MFOAC) converged on Grand Rapids in late November for their quarterly meeting. Their main task: to review the work of the Michigan Film Office’s (MFO) Director of Workforce Development, Richard Jewell.

Jewell, hired in early September, was tasked with developing acceptable job, curriculum, and faculty requirements for the state’s trade schools. Together with IATSE VP Tim Magee, University of Michigan professor and screenwriter Jim Burnstein, Rick Fisher with the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, and Sante Perelli with the Attorney General’s office, Jewell drafted a 32-page document outlining job descriptions for film industry positions.

The move came in an effort to provide a standard for proper training so every school, every student, and every potential employee entering the field would be fully aware of the skills necessary to teach and work in the film industry. According to the MFO’s website, “The purpose of these competencies is to define a measure of the knowledge and capabilities expected of a graduate receiving a degree or certificate from a school teaching film production. We expect the schools will develop curriculums and procure instructors that will meet the standards.”

Jewell stated simply at the meeting, “We want employers and productions to know that when they land here they have competent and trained people.”

The document, available here, covers a wide array of departments, in both on and off-set capacities. Much of the debate during the meeting centered on instructor requirements. A representative of Specs Howard, one of only a few nationally accredited broadcast school’s in the state, questioned the requirement that instructors be employed on a minimum of three  feature films. The representative stated that many broadcast instructors have no feature film experience, but plenty of professional broadcast experience. He suggested the term “feature film” be changed.

Another representative from the Motion Picture Institute (MPI) of Detroit questioned how the MFO standards applied to schools who taught for  Above-the-Line. The representative also asked how the standards would affect schools, like themselves, who have a history of providing education. MPI has been operating in Detroit for over 10 years.

Jewell encouraged all schools to review the competencies and, if in compliance, contact the MFO. In regards to the what arena of production instructors were qualified, he agreed there needed to be room within the definition, but did not want to open a Pandora’s Box. Tim Magee of IATSE agreed. Magee didn’t want to create loopholes that could potentially allow a gaggle of unqualified people to teach crucial classes.

In addition, Jewell strongly emphasized that the competencies were voluntary and that the MFO currently has no regulatory authority to make the competencies mandatory. Plans are in the works, however, to change that.

Currently, Jewell and the MFO are working with the unions, employers, and educational institutions to develop a

model curriculum that would incorporate the standard for quantity and quality training. According to Tim Magee of IATSE, a pilot program in conjunction with the MFO is hoping to launch in the next few months to select schools in the Detroit area. While IATSE members would not be instructors of these programs, they would join the class as guest speakers and teach as needed.

When asked by Jeff Okkonen of the Muskegon Chronicle when this program would be available for use by other schools, Magee estimated about six months. This prompted Roger Schutter, Academic Dean of Compass Film Academy, to ask if the unions or MFO would assist education facilities in supplying union members those institutions who adopt the curriculum. Jewell assured those in attendance that the multi-layered program would absolutely work facilitate the need.

After questions and comments subsided, Jewell urged the council vote to adopt the document as the MFO’s  industry standard job competencies. By approving them, Jewell believed the competencies would act as a respectable litmus test for all involved in media production. The competencies passed unanimously and can be view via the link above or at the Michigan Film Office’s website: www.michiganfilmoffice.org.

As for Compass Film Academy? Where do we fit in all of this? Compass Film Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization licensed by the State of Michigan as a post-secondary, private trade school, and is accredited by ACCSC. As we strive to be a leader in film education, we are constantly reviewing and refining our practices and procedures so that we may provide the best filmmaking education the nation has to offer. Mandatory or not, Compass takes seriously the recommendations of the Michigan Film Office and we remain confident in their efforts to strengthen the caliber of filmmakers working in Michigan. We fully embrace these competencies and look forward to any changes that may come as a result.