Unscripted Futures: Learning From Change in New Zealand Screen Education and Practice

Abstract

In this time of continuous and accelerating change disrupting virtually every industry and every household, dramatic upheavals are occurring in the ways screen media are created and consumed. Screen technology continues to rapidly evolve in sophistication and capability, which in turn is transforming every step of the screen pipeline from ideation to user engagement. How are these ongoing changes affecting screen workers and screen educators? And how do we prepare screen students to enter a constantly shifting landscape?

This Hermeneutic Phenomenological study aims to gain understanding into change within both the screen industries and screen education in New Zealand. As a result, it aims to attain insight into how best to foster resiliency in the screen practitioners of tomorrow. The research addresses the question: How have people who work in support of New Zealand’s screen industries experienced change in these industries and how might these experiences be used to promote greater adaptability amongst future screen practitioners? Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with a wide range of individuals active in or on the periphery of the New Zealand screen industry. These included film industry veterans, screen educators, graduates of screen programmes, digital moving image practitioners, and people who work in funding and advocacy roles. The study therefore takes a multi-perspectival look at the lived experience of change.

The research employs Reflexive Thematic Analysis to unpack the effects of accelerating change and increasing complexity on the processes of both screen practice and screen education in New Zealand. The findings indicate that resilience to change amongst the next generation of screen practitioners could be greatly enhanced when screen education offers self-efficacy training in addition to discipline-specific knowledge in the development of creative and technical skills.

The significance of this study is that it informs our understanding of the connection between change, resilience, and self-efficacy. The potential contribution of this study extends well beyond the screen discipline. As ongoing change continues to background a world coloured by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, the need for methodical approaches for fostering resilience permeates many domains, particularly the creative practices.