Stage And Screen Innovations is creating an important skills development program which will give new creators the producing skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the rapidly changing landscape of film, TV and media production.
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The emerging media landscape has opened up unseen opportunities for both artistic and journalistic expression. The hard costs of producing and disseminating video media have come down by orders of magnitude. Tens of thousands of new storytellers, journalists and other creators have entered the landscape. They all have their own voice. They all have something unique to say.
The evolving digital environment has “democratized” media creation. The potential for the expression of new artistic voices and new ideas seems unlimited. But that potential will be fulfilled only if the new generation of creators is able to acquire the skills to produce and manage a production. Yet, there is no established training or career path for the producer - until now.
New voices, new points of view, and new media creation and delivery is on the horizon. The possibilities are amazing. But to make it happen, new creators need a broad range of skills to get their voice to an audience. Be it a vlog, social media promotion, YouTube channel, or a full feature film, media expression today requires producing skills, which is to say, film producing skills. Up to now, and today, these skills have been the near exclusive domain of film and television producers and production managers.
In over a century of film and tv production, no defined training program or reliable career path has ever been offered to train new and aspiring producers. Experience, often random, has been the only teacher. Academic programs in film and art schools do not address the hard realities of production. They do not address the actual day-to-day skills required to successfully create a film production.
Further, the nature of the film industry is changing rapidly. Advances in digital process, delivery technology, and new media distribution paradigms have created a set of disruptions that affect the entire film TV and live theater industries. These disruptions affect the entire creative process from ideation through development, production, editing, marketing and delivery to audience. Film and art schools, to the extent they are relevant at all to the business and administration of producing media, are out of date almost before their curriculum is designed.
In addition to technological change, today’s audiences expect well-produced media regardless of the platform or venue through which they experience it. It is not just a matter of viewer preference or audience sophistication. It has become a matter of effective communication. The most unique, valuable new ideas or artistic expression will never be known, if the production it is expressed through is not well produced, because people won't watch it.
Currently, therefore, the environment is one in flux. It is vital, therefore, that this new generation of creators be given the opportunity to learn the skills they need.
SSI’s Producing Unique New Creators (PUNC) program will give the aspiring producer or producer-director the skills she or he needs to succeed in media production and marketing. The Program exposes the participant to real-world productions on working sets. It puts her or him into a paid, hands-on position, under the supervision of a qualified key. It prepares the participant with seminars and direct mentoring. A successful participant will be exposed to the real world of media production, and will have experienced the actual positions and functions which she or he must fulfill to support the creation of an independent film of any length, a web series, or even a studio level film production. The skills learned will apply to any kind or size or production. Further, the basic skills are also portable into management of many other industries.
