BUSINESS TRAINING Professional development T


n SCHEMES FOR PRODUCERS AND EXECUTIVES n MULTI-SKILLED TRAINING n COURSES


he film industry has tradi- tionally thrived on individ- ual entrepreneurialism and improvisation — meaning


business training has not always been a top priority in Europe. However, there has been a sea change


in recent years, with a range of institu- tions making concerted efforts to further professionalise the European industry. The creation of the European Union’s MEDIA Programme in 1991 helped shift attitudes, and fi lm bodies and training providers — often bolstered by MEDIA funding — now have a far more rigorous approach to business training. Even so, old attitudes have been dif-


fi cult to shake off. The fi lm industry is still rife with clichés about learning on the job or at the so-called school of hard knocks. But speak to top producers and fi nanciers who have successfully made their own way through the industry and it is very clear most would have relished training opportunities if they had been available. “When I was at PolyGram, I thought,


‘This is ridiculous!’ I wish there was a course that had taught me everything I had to learn by myself in short order,” says former PolyGram Filmed Enter- tainment head Michael Kuhn, now chairman of Qwerty Films. In 2002, Kuhn helped originate the


innovative UK scheme Inside Pictures, which gives training and networking opportunities to talented young execu- tives. The scheme involves access to high-level industry practitioners, including top brass from the Hollywood studios, and takes place over three intensive one-week modules in London and Los Angeles. Ask Kuhn about the specific areas


executives and producers should learn about and he points to the “numbers to do with the fi lm business”, how market-


‘I wish there was a course that had taught me everything I had


Europe is undergoing a sea change in attitudes to business training, with a diverse range of courses giving an all-round understanding of the cut and thrust of the international fi lm industry. Geoffrey Macnab reports


Participants on Inside Pictures’ training scheme


ing and distribution work, development and business affairs. “I had to learn these through experience and making lots of mistakes,” he says. The sentiment is echoed by producer


Neil Peplow, director of fi lm at UK train- ing body Skillset. “Training can help you better understand the potential mistakes you can make,” he says. “When you do make mistakes, it can help you under- stand how not to make them again.” Producer Iain Smith, whose credits


to learn by myself’ Michael Kuhn, Qwerty Films


include The A-Team and Cold Mountain, is another senior fi gure bemoaning the almost complete lack of training available to him early in his career. “All through my career, I have been


obsessed with training and education because of the lack of it when I started out,” says Smith, currently chair of Skill- set’s Film Skills Council. There is an obvious paradox in the remarks of Kuhn, Peplow and co. They


n 2 Screen International European Training Special 2011


have been very successful even without the help of fi lm training courses early in their career, as have other executives across Europe. Some might argue the very lack of such courses may have made them more resilient — but they give this argument short shrift. Smith points out the UK fi lm industry


used to be “an old boy’s club”. “If I’d had the opportunities that are available today, I would have become successful more quickly,” he says. But he adds: “There is a perverse problem — some- times training can be too quickly offered up and give en couragement to people who haven’t quite got the attitude or tenacity to make the most of it.”


Dissuading dilettantes Against this backdrop, film business training is vital for new entrants and those with careers under way. And although Europe is still experiencing


Nick Wall


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