Lights, camera, action research! Engaging filmmaking students in feedback

Abstract

This paper is in response to National Student Survey results repeatedly showing dissatisfaction with ‘assessment and feedback’ in our undergraduate film production courses, as well as a genuine interest in how to approach the characteristic indifference and laissez faire attitude of students engaged in filmmaking. It explores how to effectively engage filmmaking students with feedback by them undertaking it themselves, prior to being issued it formally, by me as their tutor. As opposed to a formative exercise, this was exercise was undertaken minutes prior to their ‘live’ summative exercise feedback. The intension was to create autonomous, independent, proactive learners from the start of their degrees. The research identified critiquing without knowing what action to take, as a barrier to students engaging with their feedback and that being able to maintain a distance and perspective from their work, enabled students to take responsibility for themselves. They stated that in order to move on from mistakes, feedback needed to be straight to the point and clear, in order to create an action plan to improve.