‘I have seen the filming process described as ‘catching a butterfly’,’ says director of the National Film & Television School (NFTS), Jon Wardle. ‘You want to catch it, but without destroying it. It’s delicate. That’s directing, to a certain point, and it is a good analogy for what you have to do.’
I am visiting the NFTS in Beaconsfield, a sprawling complex of theatres, film studios, sets and cinemas located just outside London. Previously a working film studio, students have access to world-class production facilities, including a 7000-square foot main stage built in 1921 as part of the original Beaconsfield Studios, as well as cutting-edge computer labs, cameras and editing studios.
(Image credit: NFTS)
Numbers for students are kept purposefully low, and competition is fierce. While there are around 800 current students, class sizes are capped at ten, with ten students for each discipline, including directing, cinematography, editing and composing. ‘You are then building these collaborative teams,’ Wardle adds. ‘It is central to our model – it is the strength and weakness actually, because the strength is in forming these cohesive teams, and if you don’t get on with each other, there’s nowhere to go. But the industry requires you to still be able to deliver in those circumstances. Here we say, this is your group. Make something great.’ Typically, there are 500 applications for the ten places on the directing course.
A highlight for students is the school’s Masterclass programme, a popular initiative supported by Rolex. Purely for the students’ benefit only – external filming is banned, to foster an honest and productive atmosphere – it creates an intimate environment with respected names. Past Masterclass guests have included Francis Ford Coppola, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Park Chan-wook. ‘Since Christmas alone, we’ve had Alex Garland, Asif Kapadia, Tricia Tuttle, Molly Manning Walker, Riz Ahmed and Thelma Schoonmaker,’ says Wardle.
CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, Cameron Bailey speaks at the NFTS
(Image credit: NFTS)
It is a natural alliance for Rolex, who has supported cinema through its Testimonees programme (where connections are created with both established and emerging talent such as Zendaya, Jia Zhang-Ke, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio) as well as by partnering with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation.
‘The relationship we have with Rolex is that they came to us and said, ‘How can we help you?’’ Wardle says. ‘We put a lot of resources into our Masterclass programme, and they have really got on board. They’re all about excellence – a really good partner for us. It’s nice to see this spotlight on the cultural industries as a whole. They also enable us to provide ten scholarships a year to students.’
‘NFTS gave me the opportunity to combine every single art form,’ says Marcus Anthony, a fiction filmmaker and NFTS alumni who graduated in 2021. ‘I always had a natural desire to tell stories, and I enjoyed doing it through the medium of film. Once I started, it felt like a light bulb went off.’
(Image credit: NFTS)
The experience was an immersive one, he adds. ‘When I got to the NFTS, I had a mixture of creativity that I’d built from being hands-on and doing it, but I also then had the other side of being pragmatic and trying to understand the resources of how we’re making the most of it. So when I got here, I suddenly had so many specialist people working with me to deliver on what I wanted, and I could really dig into what I had to do, which was primarily telling the story.’
After our conversation, Anthony is filming tonight’s Masterclass for students, this time with CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, Cameron Bailey. Film festivals offer a crucial opportunity to set the cultural agenda – for budding filmmakers, they are key.
‘Having Cameron here is really exciting, because the school is a confluence of making and wanting films or TV to connect with audiences,’ says Wardle. ‘And who better to talk about that? Cameron is brilliantly positioned to understand which audience is wanting their taste, and what makes work distinctive and unique.’
(Image credit: NFTS)
In his talk, Bailey discusses the cultural importance of festivals with the students, as well as juggling the needs of industry and audience and the practicalities of curating. ‘There was a 10-year period at the Toronto International Film Festival, where if you won an Audience Award – meaning Cameron had given you your platform at the festival before the film’s release – the film, in nearly every case, went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. So winning the Audience Award at Toronto was a pretty good indicator that you were going to be in the Oscar mix. His taste, and what he is telling audiences is important, is part of determining the landscape.’