Discussion, debate | Industry stalwarts stand on the aft deck and steer the ship in its wake

Discussion Regarding the development of the educational offer regarding visual media for the future in Høgskolen i Innlandet is in serious trouble. The wording relates to the further development of the Norwegian Film School and plans to integrate with TV and gaming education into a joint faculty of audiovisual media and creative technology. In the aftermath, the controversy over resettlement resurfaced.

There are strong fronts, where the arguments are based on several factors. Some are concerned about the academicization of film education and fear that this will affect the technical aspects of film education. Others doubt that close association with TV and gaming themes will dilute educational content. University President Per Jakob Svenkrod rejects this and claims that it is not the university process that is driving the plans, but the future media landscape requires such a development.

The rest of us, who are partly consumers and partly players in related industries, have problems understanding the opposition. We live in a time where expressions, formats and platforms are merging (converging) with new user patterns and technological development. We consume media like never before. We watch movies and TV series and play games on mobile, or on a 65-inch screen at home in the living room – 24/7, with full surround sound. We seek freedom and individuality by watching whatever content we want, where we want, when we want, and on what we want.

We apply to a lesser extent The community is in the movie theater, although something is about to happen here as well. The New York Film Festival has its own Convergence section that refers to new ways of interacting with the audience – in the movie theater.

ScreenwritersDirectors, photographers, production designers and actors direct dramas and TV series. Many of them have a high degree of visual innovation and artistic quality. “Makta,” NRK’s new series, is a good example. Film and series creators draw inspiration from games, gaming aesthetics, and the visual expression of the game. They bring the universe and characters into a movie format of the same genre, as in “The Last of Us.” They move locations to virtual studios and use the same software and tools in their genres.

in the theater We see new technology being used in new storytelling techniques and storytelling platforms. The Royal Shakespeare Company embraces a wide range of new technologies. They want to uncover the future possibilities of real-time communication and change the way audiences experience live art.

It’s a paradox That while “industry heavyweights” believe they can seek synergies with the Academy of Arts (KHiO), among others, theatres, architects and designers are looking for environments similar to what they want to develop at HINN. Industry stalwarts stand on the aft deck and steer the ship in its wake. The next destination is constantly in motion and this is not where the ship is headed.

It is completely incomprehensible That you cannot work together to build a strong, future-oriented education and provide students with relevant skills – in Lillehammer (where they already are) and across technologies, narrative techniques and visual expressions (where they are all headed).

Not giving the future The number of skilled workers is increasing, as the skills needed to make a living evolve in the landscape we all see, which is at best a sin of omission. At worst, a disclaimer. And soon artificial intelligence will come.

Jurgen Damsko, Project Manager, Lillehammer Tekniske Byrå AS