Wikipedia

London Film School

London Film School(LFS) is afilm schoolinLondon,United Kingdom, and is situated in a converted brewery inCovent Garden,London, neighbouringSoho,a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK.[1]

London Film School
Former names
  • London School of Film Technique (1956–1969)
  • London Film School (1969–1974)
  • London International Film School (1974–2000)
TypeEducational Charity
Established1956;68 years ago(1956)
ChairmanGreg Dyke
DirectorChris Auty
Postgraduates360
Location
London
,
United Kingdom

51°30′49″N0°07′32″W/ 51.5135°N 0.1255°W/51.5135; -0.1255
AffiliationsCILECT,ScreenSkills, NAHEMI, GEECT
Websitelfs.org.uk

LFS was founded in 1956 by Gilmore Roberts as theLondon School of Film Technique(LSFT). Originally based onElectric AvenueinBrixton,the school moved to its current premises on Shelton Street in 1966, after a brief parenthesis inCharlotte Street,and changed its name to London Film School in 1969. From 1974 to 2000, it was known as theLondon International Film School(LIFS), and reverted to the name London Film School in 2001.

LFS offers various degrees atpostgraduatelevel: anMAin Filmmaking, anMAin Screenwriting, and, in partnership with theUniversity of Exeter,MAin International Film Business and aPhDin Film by Practice. It also offers a range of short and part-time professional development courses under the LFS Workshops banner.

LFS recruits students from all over the world and is specifically constituted as an international community; around 70 per cent of its students are from outside the United Kingdom. LFS is recognised as a World-Leading Specialist Provider by theOffice for Students[2]and in recent years it has been named one of the top international film schools byVariety[3]andThe Hollywood Reporter.[4][5]

The school's current director isChris Autyand chairman isGreg Dyke.

History

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The origin of the LFS was a short film training course taught by Gilmore Roberts at theHeatherley School of Fine ArtinChelsea.After a dispute with the art school, Roberts decided to continue the course independently, so he set up the London School of Film Technique in October 1956. After struggling to find suitable premises, the first filmmaking course finally started in April 1957, based in a rather modest locale above a grocer's shop inElectric Avenue,Brixton.

The school was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. Inspired by the emergence of film schools in Eastern Europe after World War II, it was set up around the belief that the future of the British film industry required properly designed formal training, rather than the apprenticeship basis which was, at the time, the only access into the field. At first, the school offered a six-month diploma course, which students could take over the day or evening classes, with an optional six-month extension. Under the leadership of a new principal, Robert Dunbar, the course was expanded to 33 weeks and later two years, forming the basic structure for a curriculum that is still largely in place today.[6]

This caused a drastic increase in the student numbers, which made the original premises unsuited. The school moved to theWest Endin 1963, first into a building inCharlotte Streetand later, in 1966, in its current premises on Shelton Street. In 1969 it changed name to London Film School, to avoid being regarded as an institution that only offered narrow technical training. Notable alumni from the 1960s include directors such asMike Leigh,Michael Mann,Don Boyd,andLes Blair,cinematographers such asTak FujimotoandRoger Pratt,as well as producers likeIain Smith.

In the early 1970s, a decrease of student numbers caused by various factors, including the establishment of theNational Film Schooland the global impact of theoil crisis,brought the school into a financial crisis and eventually into liquidation. Staff and students banded together to press for continuation of the school; thanks to their efforts in raising the necessary funds, the school reopened in 1975, at the same location, under a new name: the London International Film School.

The school was newly incorporated as a charity, nonprofit-making company limited by guarantee. All students automatically became members of the company upon enrolment, with the right to elect, together with the other members, a board of governors who have the overall responsibility for the management of the school. Manny Wynn was appointed principal of the re-established LIFS until his sudden death six months later, when he was succeeded by John Fletcher.

Notable filmmakers from all over the world studied at the LIFS in the 1970s and 1980s, including Mexican directorLuis Mandoki,Hong Kong directorAnn Hui,Swiss cinematographerUeli Steigerand Argentinian directorMiguel Pereira.After John Fletcher's death, Martin Amstel was appointed principal in 1986. Ten years later, in 1996, the 40th anniversary of the school was celebrated with events and screening of graduates’ work in London, Los Angeles and Mexico City.[7]

After the appointment of Ben Gibson as principal in 2000, the school returned to be known as London Film School. Under Ben Gibson, LFS transitioned from offering a diploma course to offeringpostgraduateMAprogrammes, first validated by theLondon Metropolitan Universityand later byUniversity of Warwick.Nevertheless, the curriculum of the filmmaking course remained very similar and maintained its focus on practical filmmaking. Adjustments where brought in place to reflect the technological developments in the film industry and the transition todigital.The school also started diversifying its courses: next to its traditional course infilmmaking,it started offering an MA course inscreenwritingin 2005 and, from 2014, an MA in International Film Business in partnership with theUniversity of Exeter.

Ben Gibson was succeeded as the director of the school by Jane Roscoe from 2014 to 2017. Gísli Snær, Head of Studies at LFS since 2016, was appointed as the new director in 2018; Snær presided over the school during the difficult years of theCOVID-19 pandemic,until stepping down in June 2022.[8]

After six months under interim director Peter Holliday, Neil Peplow was appointed as the new director in January 2023.[9]Nevertheless, Peplow stepped down after only ten months in the post, after being offered a senior international role in the film industry;Chris Auty,previously head of producing at theNational Film and Television School,took over as the new director in November 2023.[10][11][12]

In recent years, films made at the school have regularly featured and won awards in some of the world's top film festivals, includingVenice,Cannes,Berlin,theBFI London Film Festival,EncountersandSundance.Recent alumni includeBenjamin Cleary,Anu Menon,andCarla Simón.

Facilities

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The main London Film School building in Shelton Street was previously a brewery and a banana warehouse. Additional facilities are present in an annex building inLong Acre.

Facilities at LFS include two studios (Stage B and Stage D) equipped with lighting grids, as well as a rehearsal studio used also for workshops. LFS occasionally hires external studios facilities as well.

The school has a fully equippeddesignstudio with drawing boards, model making facilities, visual reference library, materials library and design computer suite. It haseditingsuites equipped withAvid Media Composeras well as sound suites equipped withPro Tools 24HD,a commentary andFoleyrecording area and a sound effects library.[13]

LFS also has twocinemas(Cinema A & B), with 110- and 35-seat capacity respectively and projection facilities for bothdigitaland35mm.

London Film School is planning to relocate to new facilities nearby inCovent Gardenover the course of the 2023/24 academic year.[14]

Courses of studies

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The London Film School is built around a conservatoire model. Filmmaking is taught on stages and in workshops rather than in classrooms, and the courses are structured around practical work. The school has a full-time faculty and a varied group of regular visiting lecturers.

TheMA Filmmakingprogramme has no pre-specialisation. Over the two-year course, all students are provided with a full education in all the craft areas offilmmaking:directing, producing, editing, cinematography, sound, production design, and writing. Students work on at least one film every term, in different roles, and have the chance to crew on films made by students from other terms. Exercises include films shot in16mmon location with no sound or only post-recorded sound and films shot on35mmordigitalin studio, on purposely designed and built sets. One term is dedicated to making adocumentary.For their graduation films, students do not have limitations and are allowed to shoot on any format and at any length they can budget and schedule. Often, students make their graduation film in their home country, which means that LFS films have been made all over the world. All film exercises are provided with a production allowance included in the fees. With around 200 full-time students at any one time on the programme, it generates over 180 films a year.

The one-yearMA Screenwritingprogramme is centred on the development of a full-length feature script, with individual monitoring and guidance from industry mentors. Workshops on storytelling and film language, characterisation, scene writing, and more are based around practical writing exercises. Screenwriting students have the chance to collaborate with students on the filmmaking programme and experience the production side of filmmaking first hand.

TheMA International Film Businessprogramme, run in conjunction with theUniversity of Exeter,prepares students for careers in programming, exhibition and distribution. Over the one-year course, students participate in modules in international finance, world cinema and a trip to theBerlin Film Festival.

The MA Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting programmes are validated by theUniversity of Warwick,while the MA Documentary Filmmaking is validated by theUniversity of Exeter.MA International Film Business is offered jointly with University of Exeter, with site study split between Exeter and London. Next to the full-time MA courses, the London Film School offers a variety of short-term workshops and professional development courses, as well as aPhDprogramme in Film by Practice in partnership with theUniversity of Exeter.

Governance and staff

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LFS alumni

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See also:Category:Alumni of the London Film School

The school's alumni include:

Honorary Associates

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Every year, at London Film School's Annual Showcase, the school awards an Honorary Associateship to commended leading screen industry figures. Previous recipients of this award are:

References

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  1. ^"LFS History",London Film School. Retrieved June 2020.
  2. ^"London Film School awarded World-Leading Specialist Provider status".British Cinematographer.12 December 2022.
  3. ^Variety Staff (16 May 2019)."Entertainment Education Report: The Best Film Schools for 2019".Variety.Retrieved28 October2021.
  4. ^Galuppo, Mia (13 August 2021)."The 20 Best International Film Schools of 2021".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved28 October2021.
  5. ^Chuba, Kirsten; Galuppo, Mia (24 August 2020)."The Top 15 International Film Schools of 2020".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved28 October2021.
  6. ^Petrie, Duncan J.; Stoneman, Rod (2014).Educating Film-makers: Past, Present and Future.Bristol: Intellect. pp. 123–140.ISBN978-178320-185-3.
  7. ^"London Film School 50th".lfs.org.uk.Retrieved7 February2019.
  8. ^Kasule, Melissa (4 May 2022)."Gisli Snaer to step down as director of London Film School".Screen International.
  9. ^Dalton, Ben (2 November 2022)."BFI's Neil Peplow to take over as director and CEO of London Film School".Screen International.
  10. ^Ntim, Zac (26 September 2023)."London Film School Hires New CEO".Deadline.Retrieved26 September2023.
  11. ^Tabbara, Mona (26 September 2023)."NFTS' Chris Auty takes over from Neil Peplow as CEO, director of London Film School".Screen International.Retrieved26 September2023.
  12. ^"New Director for London Film School".Arts Professional.26 September 2023.
  13. ^"Facilities | London Film School".lfs.org.uk.Retrieved7 February2019.
  14. ^"Admissions | London Film School".lfs.org.uk.Retrieved8 February2023.
  15. ^"Staff".lfs.org.uk.Retrieved27 August2021.
  16. ^"Governors".lfs.org.uk.Retrieved27 August2021.
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51°30′49″N0°07′33″W/ 51.5135°N 0.1257°W/51.5135; -0.1257

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