IT happens all the time: creative kids with dreams of becoming directors or multimedia artists (everything is multimedia these days!) get stuck trying to pass all general subjects in the first two years of college before they can get to the fun stuff like Introduction to Film or Photoshop 101.

Chances are, they end up writing more papers, sitting in on lectures on the theory of visual design, instead of producing something they can post on YouTube or deviantart pages.

Team Manila, Quark Henares and The One School are putting up SHIFT?the School of Intermedia Arts and Film Technology.

This is what Lex Ledesma of The One School describes as ?really renegade, really avant-garde? place of higher learning. ?Not everybody was meant to study in the traditional methods,? Ledesma explains. He uses what he has learned from The One School and the School of Fashion and the Arts to prepare for SHIFT.

He calls it ?personalized education,? where there are less paper tests and more project-based grading, and with a smaller student body.

In April begins a short course on Introduction to Digital Filmmaking to be headed by Quark Henares. There?s also a short course on Introduction to Graphic Design to be headed by Team Manila.

Degree courses will be offered starting June for a six-month certificate course, a one-year diploma course and a two-year associate degree.

New breed

?They represent a new breed of artists,? says Ledesma of Quark and Team Manila. ?They have a body of work that runs the gamut of their art, and are passionate about educating the next generation of artists.?

Quark, who has been teaching at Ateneo, says he doesn?t think he?ll ?ever stop teaching classes there. It?s just that, from seeing The One School and SOFA, I really like the way Lex approaches education with his more maverick, mentor-type, community-based approach. It?ll be nice seeing the students through the two to four years they?re in the school, and not just teaching them for three months and then letting them be. Also, Ateneo is more research- and theory-oriented, and I wanted to be in a school that was more about production.?

Jowee Alviar of Team Manila says, ?Team Manila wanted to be part of an open-minded education program and see that with The One School. The One School is also the right size to start a graphic design program; we wanted to be more hands-on in teaching theories in graphic design and mentoring students individually.?

And who better to train the next generation of multimedia artists than some industry heavyweights?

Team Manila has redefined the concept of the visual arts in the country, and Quark?s resume includes commercial and independent films, TV commercials, music videos, and TV work.

Pens down, pass your papers

Lex Ledesma is geared towards motivating students to produce and to teach them the business of creating art. That?s his expertise. Most of the time, an artist doesn?t know how to sell his/her art. That?s where Lex plans to come in with his experience in business and The One School.

Alviar says he plans to ?bring out the voice of the individual through graphic design. The student will learn methodologies and discover his/her own methodologies in solving projects.?

Quark wants to equip you for filmmaking. ?When one posts a short film he or she might incorporate some motion graphics in it. Then you can make a website for it, with pictures and graphic design elements. Then he or she might make a viral to market it, utilizing marketing and advertising skills, then probably release a soundtrack to be played on the radio or downloaded online or something.

?Making a living, or having your voice heard on the YouTube is something that takes more than understanding of mis-en-scene and montage and other what-have-yous traditional film schools teach.?

Call 632-8174391 or 96.

You might be wondering ?Are you meant for SHIFT?

Quark: We?re looking for unconventional kids, who aren?t afraid to dream. Those who aren?t boxed in this future the world tells them they must be in. We?re looking for students who like sharing ideas, and working with people to achieve their individual vision.

The last thing we want is for this school to be an easy way out?a diploma mill. In many ways I think SHIFT will be tougher than other communications courses, but if this is what you love, we promise you you?ll be immersed in this world.

What subjects can you expect?

Jowee: Subjects will be towards topics like Typography, Image-Maging, Composition, Print Design. These are the topics that will help strengthen the student?s skills. We also believe in a dialogue between students and teachers in the classrooms and outside. Not just giving out assignments. It?s a lot more interactive than that.

Quark: The first SHIFT class, this summer, is really basic. It?s for people who love film but know almost nothing about how to make it. So everything from shot sizes to shot movements, to types of cuts to mis-en-scene will be taught. I?m planning to guide the students through everything, from making a one-minute silent film to making music videos to writing short scripts to making a 10-minute short with dialogue. It will be fun!