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Q & A with Alan L. Gansberg, Dean of the College, Academics & Faculty at Columbia College Hollywood in Los Angeles, California Alan L. Gansberg: They come in the door with a lot more experience with cameras and shooting, though, perhaps, not any more artistic knowledge. There was a time when students who came here may not have ever had a camera in their hands before matriculating. Now, students have their short films in what I call “amateur distribution,” meaning YouTube and other websites. They own their own cameras and equipment. They have taken high school video production courses. They have some production savvy already. We have to begin the process of teaching them how to do it well, so their voice resonates. Q: You mention YouTube. How is CCH meeting the challenges of the changing media environment? Alan L. Gansberg: During the recent strike by members of the Writers Guild - and I am a member myself - the question was asked whether what the current work force does is obsolete, or nearing that point. That is a big challenge for all film schools. Students come here with the vision of seeing their work on the big screen, and we have to teach them how to get their work there as well as a host of other platforms. We offer classes such as Production for New Media, and Navigating New Media through which they can produce and launch content for the internet, cellular venues, etc. In other classes we teach them the new business models. We have to teach students to thrive in the current media environment as well as a rapidly changing future environment. Q: Will you have to get your curriculum to accommodate the changes in entertainment? Alan L. Gansberg: Not at all. Some courses may fade away and new and vibrant courses are being added every quarter. But students still need to learn the same editing software and techniques. They still are writing scripts. The core roles of the producer and director have not changed since Francis Boggs shot the first narrative film in Los Angeles in 1908. Q: What changes are happening at CCH?Alan L. Gansberg: We’re expanding. We are building a new soundstage that will be operative by the beginning of classes in the Fall of 2008. We purchased an additional building and grounds that almost doubles the size of our campus. That building will be refurbished and operative sometime in 2009. Our student body is expected to grow by at least 50 percent over the next few years. The energy at the college is truly exciting. Q: You went to a graduate film program. How are things the same as when you were a film student? Alan L. Gansberg: Oh, a lot of ways. The same burning craving to make films, crewing for each other, and so on. And, for full disclosure, I don’t think there is a film school in the country where you won’t have an ongoing tussle with the college equipment center. Students often think the center should be their personal equipment cabinet. Every student and every class has a constant demand, and the center has to keep up with that demand while also making repairs, filling orders, and so forth. Moments of tension are inevitable, though quickly forgotten when shooting the film begins. Q: What’s the biggest change since you were in film school? Alan L. Gansberg: Two things. First, you need to know so much more. For example, you can’t just edit. You have to know a host of software programs as well as understanding the art of editing. Secondly, there used to be a choice between film and TV, you focused on one or the other, you went out and worked in one or the other. Now, there are more choices and much more crossover. That’s exciting, and it’s a challenge to CCH to grow a curriculum that is both heavy in the foundational basics and heavy in choices. I am confident we are meeting that ongoing challenge. Q: In an industry famous for touting hands-on experience, how important is class work and formal study in preparing future filmmakers? Alan L. Gansberg: They work in tandem, and it is important to note that formal study IS frequently hands on. For example, our writing courses are in a computer lab and the students write exercises and short scripts as part of the learning process. But, of equal note are the classes that are lecture-based, or film viewing and lecture combined. To understand where the art forms are, it is helpful to know where they have been. That can mean everything from dissecting a classic film to studying “The Poetics” of Aristotle for its lessons on structure and story development. Q: On average, do you think today's film and television schools are keeping pace with the ever-evolving demands of both the students and the industry? Alan L. Gansberg: We have to keep ahead of the students, not just keep pace. That’s our ongoing job. Always has been. Keeping pace with the industry has the added challenge of the cost factor. In what new equipment or software do we invest? Will that equipment be a flavor-of-the-month that soon is outpaced itself or will it become an industry standard, at least for a few years? You don’t need the height of technology to make a film, but you do need that latest technology for the sake of the students’ futures. It can be expensive to keep pace. You don’t want to just dive in, and we are not a studio with deep pockets. So, it is a delicate balancing act. Q: In terms of education and filmmaking, what significant changes do you see occurring over the next 5-10 years? Alan L. Gansberg: Filmmaking will become more digital, and more easily accomplished on small venues whether the students employ laptops for capturing images, audio, and post production or merely a less cumbersome array of equipment. It is relatively inexpensive for the individual to create a film and put it out there to be seen. There will be more clutter of images in the market square and we will be challenged to help the students bring their voices to the apex of originality that will allow them to get financing, get seen, and have a career in what they love to do. Q: What sets Columbia College Hollywood apart? Alan L. Gansberg: I could say it’s because professionals teach our students, and while that’s true, it’s also true of other Southern California colleges. We also can provide internships at studios and major production companies, which schools outside Southern California cannot do to the same degree. But, our students say what really sets us apart is that CCH is a collaborative environment. Because every student gets to shoot from day one and there are no committees deciding who can shoot, our students don’t have to be cutthroat with each other. You never have a problem rounding up a crew or getting a peer to help you bring your project to fruition. Whenever there are people driven to succeed competition is a natural part of the milieu, but collaboration really reigns. Christopher D. Cathcart
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Q: Overall, how have students changed in the past few years?
