The School of Film and Television at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts was established in 1996 under the leadership of Richard Woolley. Prior to joining the academy, Mr Woolley worked with the Dutch Film and TV Academy in Amsterdam. As the first dean of the school, his focus has been on building practical specialist education programmes for the industry. The curriculum is very different to a general communications course at other universities. 'Using the European National Film School as a model, we aim to build a career-orientated programme. One of our key objectives is not to flood the market with generalists. We only admit 24 students into our bachelor of fine arts in film and television course a year, so there will only be 24 graduates a year. In the small class, we have only a handful of editors, screenwriters or production specialists, and so on. It is very important that we keep a limited number to ensure we do not provide more than the market needs,' said Mr Woolley. Students enrolled in the course can specialise in producing/production management, screenwriting, directing, camera/lighting, editing and visual effects, and sound. 'Not everyone wants to be a director. Most are happy to work in the supporting roles within the industry. It really depends on their personality,' Mr Woolley said. Students are encouraged to do a one-year diploma to acquire a basic understanding of the television and film business. After that, they can decide whether they wish to pursue another three years of specialised study. Each year, the film and television school receives more than 300 applications. The selection process is meticulous. Applicants must present their school and public exam results and then go through aptitude tests and face-to-face interviews. Applicants are not limited to school-leavers. 'We have a percentage of mature students. This might be an extension of their first degree after they have discovered and confirmed their career interest. In addition, we also have students who used to work in advertising agencies or theatres.' The course itself consists of 75 per cent theory and 25 per cent practice. All students go through a compulsory internship and conduct various projects to prove their technical competency. 'We have students producing real training films for the police and transportation departments. We need to ensure they are in contact with the outside world.' In addition, the school aims to equip students with the three Cs: craft or technical skills, co-operation and creativity, with the latter being essential. Unlike art school, Mr Woolley points out that the film and television industry requires teamwork. 'This industry is not for loners. It requires joint creativity in production, and it is important for a team to pull each others' creativity together.' A career path in film and TV in Hong Kong is by no means clear cut. 'There is a wage system in the television industry. I believe most people in the feature film industry work on a freelance basis. Sometimes they hit the jackpot with a big feature film, but you have to build your knowledge, name and network with time and experience,' he said. Salaries vary, depending on the job and the nature of the project. A sound engineer can earn as much as $1,000 a day, while a director/producer can earn $5,000 for an entire project such as a short film. Although the film industry has not been thriving in the past few years, this has had no impact on the number of applicants to the school. 'This is quite a strange phenomenon - the economy has not really affected people's interest in pursuing a professional career,' he said. Hong Kong continues to be an important centre for film production and the television industry. A combination of the rapid growth of cable and internet digital video production as well as the further opening up of the China market will result in a steady demand for professionally-trained graduates in film and television.
