The Department of Theatre and Media Arts Launches a New, Shorter Version of Advanced Film Productions: The Indies
It is no secret that the world is shifting to short-form content. Videos under 10 minutes are all the rage on social media platforms, and long-form YouTube videos are falling out of favor. To better prepare students for these conditions, the BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts (TMA) has added a shorter production type to its Advanced Film Production (AFP) catalog. These indies are just 8–10 minutes long. For each production, students are allotted three shooting days, five students and a $2000 budget. Students that have completed the TMA 318 and 418 classes are eligible to submit their scripts.
Jeff Parkin, a film production professor in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, explains how this change came to be and how he hopes it benefits students in their future careers. Learn more about these indie films in the following Q&A.
Q: What distinguishes indies from studio and documentary films?
Parkin: For the last 10 years, we have been using a studio model for students to make advanced fiction films. These crews are usually 50–70 students and the resulting films run 15–20 minutes. It is a daunting challenge for students to manage a crew and project of this size, but it is really exciting to see students rise to the occasion. However, after students graduate and are starting out as filmmakers, this large studio model can be difficult to execute; they just do not have the money to pay 50–70 people. We wanted to give students opportunities to make films with a smaller budget and crew. We are calling these our “AFP Indies” after the independent film model. We make studios in the fall semester and indies in the winter.
Our documentaries are essentially already indies — their crews are really small. If you have a big documentary crew, it can become overwhelming for subjects. The other difference, of course, is documentaries are nonfiction and indies are fiction.
Q: After the first term working with students on the AFP indies, how do you think they are adapting to this new style?
Parkin: The feedback we are getting is very positive. Of course, there are things we will need to adjust, which is to be expected on a new program. We think we are on a good track, and the students are excited. Neither the studios or the indies are better than the other — they are just different ways of approaching how we tell a cinematic story. I think we are onto something that is quite exciting.
Q: How do you think AFP indies will benefit students as they pursue a profession in film?
Parkin: In the corporate world, companies do not have the budget for big crews. When they hire you, they want you to fill multiple roles. In the indies, our students are learning how to fill multiple roles on the same film. Professionally, they will be able to take these skills and demonstrate that they can, for example, direct, be the editor and do color correction. Not only does this make them more marketable, but it can be really cool creatively as well — they get to have a little bit more of their own voice in the project.
Q: As someone who teaches screenwriting, what advice would you give to novice screenwriters?
Parkin: Look at the scope. Tell a smart story with engaging characters and a structure that pulls the audience in — keep them anticipating what will happen next. Trying to make too big of a movie with such small resources can backfire. When you watch a show, the story unfolds over eight or nine episodes. If you are watching a feature film, it plays out over two or three hours; if you are going to make an 8-10 minute film, you cannot tell “Lord of the Rings.” You do not want the level of difficulty to be so high that you cannot deliver something special that you feel happy with.
I would also say have fun making an indie! In many ways, the stress will be lower because you just don't have that big crew to manage. It can be really exciting to move fast.
