Insights on Digital Media and Higher Education

Recently, we investigated the data behind The Hollywood Reporter’s yearly film school rankings, exploring what it took for cinema programs to be “the best.” As we mentioned then, one of the first things noticeable about THR’s lists was the switch from including international schools in its lineups to focusing only on schools within the United States. As a result, a number of important and impactful programs around the world have seemingly disappeared from the trade magazine’s notice—many of them more selective and innovative than U.S. schools. To make up for this, we’ve compiled a rundown of some of the best international film schools.

What exactly do we mean when we use the phrase “digital literacy”—is it a skill that can be taught, a set of tools to be used, or an educational framework for engaging students?

Recently, we took a look at the rankings for top film schools in the U.S. Yet, just because students go to a great film school doesn’t mean they’ll always end up with the best professors. We’ve used these students’ own reviews on RateMyProfessor.com to find out the five best and worst traits in film schools instructors.

From film schools to Communications & Journalism programs, the need for digital literacy and classrooms equipped with multimedia is clear. Digital-storytelling exponentially increases the level of student engagement, and there are a number of scholastic fields, including Education or Composition & Rhetoric, that benefit from including media skills in their curriculums.

When people talk about film school and screen craft, it can often seem as though we only focus on what audiences see: lighting, visual editing, production design, or mise-en-scène. Yet sound is just as vital to artful filmmaking, as well as an important pillar of a film student’s education.

At VideoBlocks, we know a thing or two about entrepreneurship in filmmaking. Almost ten years ago we were an army of one; Joel Holland, our founder and CEO, sold his stock video footage in VHS bundles through eBay. This eventually became the inspiration behind our company as Joel looked to provide easily accessible and affordable stock footage. Today we’re more than 60 strong with an expansive digital download library. Though Joel’s vision was specific to his goal of building a stock video company, his enterprising attitude is something that he holds in common with the rest of the filmmaking community, taking part in a much larger entrepreneurial tradition in the industry.

Although we’ve often written about the value of our Digital Backpack for film programs, VideoBlocks for Education knows that digital literacy is a cross-disciplinary issue important to all educators. A screen can never replace the value of a learned instructor or an engaged classroom; however, video is the future of education—as both its content and its medium. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of four academic departments that benefit from video education and stock media that aren’t film programs.

Here at VideoBlocks for Education, one of our company’s core values is that “we heart data,” which is why we began to wonder after looking at the numbers from The Hollywood Reporter’s most recent film school rankings, what exactly does it mean to be on the top, and how do schools get there?

The decision is in from our guest judge, cinematographer and director of photography Arthur Albert, and VideoBlocks for Education is excited to announce the winner of our 2015 Student Film Contest. Applauding the film’s “sophisticated cinematography and real storytelling ability,” Arthur Albert extends his congratulations to Adonis Lugo and his cast and crew on their winning short, “Sally’s Playtime.”

As higher education’s embrace of digital media marches forward, it’s important we not lose sight of the research in which it is grounded. Digital literacy is not to be confused with the adoption of technology for the sake of technology or the veneer of campus aesthetics.