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I just received this very important appeal. Coming as it does on the heels of 20th Century Fox’s closing of its longtime research library (news I broke on July 1st), I despair for the way that Hollywood doesn’t seem to give a damn beyond lip service about preserving its movie history. But for the American Film Institute to not make a No. 1 priority this work on its catalog of every film ever made is not just unthinkable but also unfathomable. Every AFI donor should be up in arms over this (update at bottom):
To: Nikki Finke/Deadline Hollywood Daily
Our names are Cathy Root and Vicki Botnick, and until 25 Jul 2008, we were Associate Editor and Copy Editor, respectively, of the AFI Catalog. The Catalog was started in 1968 as a preservation project to record every American film ever made. It was a particularly beloved project for film researchers, and much praised by industry insiders such as Kenneth Turan, who called it “nothing less than an authoritative Oxford English Dictionary of American film.”
Today, the Catalog has been eviscerated. After years of promising funding and fund-raising, while systematically cutting staff and budgets and thwarting our attempts to raise money, the AFI laid off nearly all of the staff, leaving only two full-time cataloguers and the Executive Editor.
The entries, beginning in the 1880s, had reached 1973, by any measure an odd year to end the project’s sweeping scope. With the skeletal staff, there is little hope of completing the 1970s in any timely fashion. Although the AFI has promised to try to raise funds, and has obtained a $150,000 grant from the Ahmanson Foundation and a $50,000 grant from the Norris Foundation, to our knowledge, there has been no outreach to the prominent members of the film industry.
We know that the AFI, like all institutions right now, is suffering financial hardships. But the way in which this important, lauded project has been gutted, the way in which it has been handled and the disingenuous manner in which it has been framed, is galling to those of us who have given most of our professional lives to this worthy project.
Here is an excerpt of how the new AFI president, Bob Gazzale, represented his actions:
“I see this as a temporary challenge – another hurdle at a time when government support for the arts is in decline. Know that the AFI Catalog, and in fact, building a more aggressive means for its completion, remains a priority of the institute… our goal is not to just finish 1974. It is to finish the Catalog.”
We’re concerned that the AFI Development Department has not initiated a campaign to raise money for the Catalog. A public appeal for funds to reverse the staff cutbacks needs to be made immediately if the Catalog is to continue. It takes approximately eight months to train a new cataloger, and consequently, retaining the old staff would be optimal.
We are appealing to you to publicize the financial crisis at the Catalog, hoping that if public is aware of the situation and truly values the Catalog, someone will come forward to save the project. If not, it is unlikely the Catalog will exist beyond Jul 2009.
Thanks so much for your attention.
UPDATE: An AFI insider emails me that “it is true – and regrettable – that the Catalog has been cut back. The sole reason is that funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities supporting the Catalog has been eliminated this year. But even under the pressure of government cutbacks, AFI has not stopped work on the Catalog. The AFI remains committed to the project and, in fact, AFI worked hard to find several foundations that stepped up and increased their support for the program. I can tell you that the current leadership of the AFI — led specifically by its new president, Bob Gazzale — is as committed to AFI’s longstanding mission to protect America’s film history as any group of people on the national arts scene today.” …Sorry, but I’ll only believe that when I see the finished catalog.
- Does Boss Use Fox Film Research Library?
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- WHAT A DAMN SHAME! 20th Fox To Close One Of The Last Studio Research Libraries
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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FYI, for those who are confused: The AFI Catalog is NOT the same as IMDB, not even related. It is definitive and incredibly detailed, the mother of all film databases. Naturally, producing it requires a long-term commitment to research and verification. Unfortunately, due to AFI management’s warped priorites and unreliable support, a necessarily slow process is taking FOREVER and now it looks like it will NEVER be finished.
AFI hasn’t cared about its stated mission ever since government money dried up and Jean Firstenburg decided it was uncouth to ask her Hollywood pals to donate a fraction of their profits to support a national center for preservation, research, archives and so forth. She changed the original AFI statement of purpose from “advancing and preserving the art” to “celebrating excellence” — facilitating Hollywood circle-jerks, playing dress-up with the stars and whoring out AFI’s good name.
When I worked there I was shocked. Their archive (going back to 1967) was a disaster; there was no staff supporting or organizing it. ONE diligent librarian did as much as humanly possible (and she just got fired). AFI Catalog research was always underfunded, always limping along with barely enough. Pat Hanson, the head of the Catalog effort, is top-notch, and has persevered through it all, and continues even now. She deserves better.
Stop giving money to AFI. There are plenty of other organizations that can use your money.
Overheard at a party this weekend:
“Gazzale was hired in order to put the horse down.”
Considering the good workers that were let go, Affy may be right, and that 5-year prediction may be true. I’ll bet its quicker than that.
Shoddy, shoddy human beings, to do this to loyal workers, and to an Institute that held such promise.
As many times as I heard Jean and other leaders talk with such pride about 1967 and President Johnson and the fucking Whie House Rose Garden and signing AFI into being and what an incredible gift was created – did they even listen to what they’re saying?
People want to point to Firstenberg as the culprit in all that is wrong with AFI, and I’ll go along with that to a great extent, but know too that the Institute is governed by a Board kept in the dark about most of the Institute’s real issues, and for the most part they don’t really want to hear bad news anyway. And why would they, when they get to have weekend-long board meetings at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (to this day I get angry when I remember Firstenberg cooing in a meeting about how her penthouse suite at the hotel had an elevator in it), so why would they want to have to actually make tough decisions? Top of this heap is the Chairman himself, Howard Stringer.
The late Leonard Schrader, beloved writer and teacher, once told me a story about Stringer. Leonard was for several years the head of the Screenwriting program at AFI. Once when attending a Board meeting in LA, he and the first Conservatory Dean (not that boob who’s there now) tried to bring up the need for Conservatory scholarships, but were silenced by Jean and basically not allowed to speak at the meeting at all. So when it ended, the two of them scrambled out of the hotel and caught up with Sir Stringer as he was walking to his car. They tried to express to him this scholarship need, and Stringer turned to them and said “Well, you can’t expect to own a Cadillac if you can’t afford the payments.”
Nice.
The majority of Fellows at AFI are rich white guys…go figure.
So much potential, so little vision.
I am a recently terminated AFI employee. Although I am not bitter, I would like to share some observations.
In fiscal terms, these recent ‘lay-offs’ make no practical sense at all. Most positions will demand immediate re-hire for conservatory operations to continue at even last year’s capacity, let alone an all-time acceptance high for this academic year.
Next, most, if not all employees that were ‘let go’ recently had some degree of dispute, or contention with their Supervisor or AFI management in general… bye bye
And finally the worst, most disheartening note of all… the environment of fear. Right from the top, good ole’-bob himself. Consistently lies, and cajoles to get that last smidgeon of effort from whomever, before the axe falls, so he can save a whopping $33,000 a year?!… a tenth of his annual tide?!
Enron meets (not so) not-for-profit! lol!
All lastaff should leave AFI… leave bob, bruce, and nancy alone with no AC, heat or anyone to blame but themselves, stinking of greed and avarice.
AFI just nneds to get through the film festival in November – replete with many questionable changes in venues and losses in sponsorships — and then the shindig is over. Ge west young cineastes to IFP and LAFF.
It seems that there is one fine word to write here…GREED. It goes deep…gross….
All Foul, excellent point about the Board. They believed everything she told them and she was never held accountable for anything anyway. After the year that there was a freeze put on increases because the deficit was so bad and the board raised an “emergency” $400,000 to stem the tide, something should have been done. I don’t understand why they have been silent all these years.
I have to disagree with the folks who are jumping to the librarian’s defense. Have any of you seen how some (all) of the film history that AFI has been entrusted with is treated? It’s like a hobo camp in there. Agreed, the way it all was handled was appalling but many of the cuts were absolutely needed. But I don’t understand how it is that the head of development still has a job.
Affy got it right. Somewhere along the way from the noble well-funded days of 1970s to the present situation, AFI execs who survived realized they had a good thing going, making $200K+ salaries with very little accountability to Jean or the board. (Jean was always more interested in busting balls for arbitrary issues that she happened to fixate on, not the generally sad state of the institute, falling to pieces (literally) around her) So, the main focus of the ‘leaders’ has been scratching each others’ backs, making excuses, working the smoke and mirrors and (above all) protecting their salaries and perqs.
The people laid off last week were’nt so special, but they were all responsible, productive employees who did their jobs as well as or better than could be expected in the conditions provided by AFI. AFI got what it paid for. While among those who survived black friday, who remain, including directors of Development, Internet Ops, IT, and Conservatory, are some of the least productive slackers at AFI. What’s an impartial observer to think? It doesn’t look good.
Most disappointing is that Nancy Harris (COO), who downsized with a smile, like such a corporate pro, allowed herself to be completely snowed by the AFI executive establishment; so her big reform amounts to business as usual at AFI: sacrifice the workers for the lazy bums at the top. It’s how American business works nowadays, right? And you can’t hardly call AFI a non-profit any more. (May I suggest ‘prostitute’ ?)
btw, AFI hasn’t published an annual report for years, but you can go to:
http://www.guidestar.org/
to find some of the dirt which must legally be kept public.
Finally, shame on Gazalle for the climate of deception and fear he created in the months before black friday. I hope distrust haunts him for a long while. Other commentters here have described the frustrations of working at AFi, but one factor that made the place tolerable was a family vibe. Now that’s history. Yes indeed, it’s time to put the old horse down, but the folks in the gilded carriage are going to keep beating that poor lame beast until she can’t take another step, then try to sell the carcass as prime rib.
I would give anything to have the powers that be subpoena Bruce. I think the IRS and former big money supporters would be fascinated by the “creative accounting”. With all of this going down, it would be nice to just have everything out in the open, clean it up, and see if the shine could be restored to the AFI name. I know I will miss having it there (or the illusion it really was). Plus, as the programs are cut and the status dwindles, I feel that carrying a degree from AFI will no longer be the force that it once was for the graduates.
A quick check of AFI’s 2005/6 financial records reflect that Mr. Gazzale, as Director, AFI Productions earned $160,497 as employee compensation for writing and producing the AFI productions. What concerns me is that he also charged AFI $181,359 in writing and producing fees as Eighty Days Productions from his home address in Sherman oaks, for a cush total of $341,856. Isn’t that what we were paying him to do?! wow, I just wonder what last couple of years’ reports would glean?
(Full disclosure: I was asked to leave AFI one week short of graduation in 2003. In an anonymous email to the Vice Dean Sheila Sullivan, cc’d to all students and staff, I said “how you ever got this far is a mystery to each and every one of us that hate you.” Such candor, and in retrospect immaturity, wasn’t much appreciated and I was sent packing.)
I have never been a part of a more corrupt institution in my life. The place is utterly rotten to the core. That the lights continue to function is remarkable. Five years later I can still vividly recall a long list of inadequacies and shortcomings.
An utterly contemptuous, disrespectful and thoroughly awful group of people. I am sorry for the closure of the film catalog, but it comes as no surprise. The whole institute needs to be shuttered, the staff fired and the organization as a whole reconsidered.
Sad, but true.
Seriously, people… who the fuck cares about AFI?
Yes, it is a corrupt place… yes, there are about $30,000 worth of original George Hurrell prints hanging out in the most unsuitable place, collecting dust and rat pellets….yes, they have just upped and given their photo opportunities to Getty Images, thereby selling one of their best assets down a swampy river ( watch this one bite them in the ass in years to come.) Yes, yes, yes to all of this.
Their new CEO is like a bull in a china shop at the moment, thrashing about trying to figure out his way, destroying all sorts of potential in the process.Bless his cotton socks… but hey- It’s not your problem anymore former employees!
Do you honestly miss that stinky building and the septic bathrooms?
What about the rats that festered in the Warner building? Lack of parking spots or trees that dripped sap on your new Toyotas?
How about answering to some mediocre loser supervisor, whose only job was to send bitchy, multiple cc’d emails, just to give the illusion that he or she actually *did* something other than mentally masturbate all day long. Do you really miss all of that? If Bobby G. wants to run his ship that way, I say let him. He did many of us a favor in letting us go.
My suggestion to all of the former employees is to give thanks. You are free. You have a notable name on your resume… so quit yer bellyachin’ and go find something better. You can and you will… I did.
The word around here is that the bloodletting is over, so I guess that I have weathered this storm, but I really must say that this place will never be the same. Let’s face it, some people had to go, and I don’t mean to get personal, but what they did to Shannon and Kim was absolutely unconscionable! They were a couple, and AFI knew that…they were also some of the most professional, helpful and enthusiastic people that I have ever known. At least we all know they will each do well out there.
It’s ironic how I have been so fearful over the past few weeks for my own livelihood, how bad I wanted to keep my job here, and how scared I was at the idea of loosing it. Now, to be perfectly honest, I don’t even want to be here at all anymore. Yes I will continue my duties, and draw my paycheck, but not with any of the same sense of pride or confidence that I did just one month ago.
You will all know who I am soon, as I plan on leaving AFI within the month.
there are a few people who still care…
Bob Gazzale was hired to lead AFI into a new era. Unfortunately Bob has also hired Nancy Harris, an outsider and a commonplace corporate restructurer. By virtue of being an outsider she has value in bringing fresh eyes to a situation. This however is also her greatest weakness; she does not have an intimate understanding of the staff, non-profit film, film festivals and film schools. She can only make swift judgments based on first impressions and the perceptions of those she’s surrounded with. The festival may the next to fall based on her restructuring and the questionable leadership.
The natural question that follows is who is she surrounded by? Is she at the lunch truck with the rest of us? My impression is that she’s hanging out with management.
Anyone who has spent time working at AFI will know that management is filled with departmental politicians whose main preoccupation isn’t the advancement of their departments but the preservation of their high salaries and status. These politicians have survived off the strength & talents of their workers. Without the honest hard work of these employees the departments would surely fall apart because their leaders are “far too busy” doing…well to tell you truth I really don’t know what they do other then hold meetings to learn about what’s going on while their far too busy to be bothered.
My point is that management, who is out of touch with the nuts and bolts of their departments, are the one’s shaping Nancy’s perceptions and thus the strategies she will employ in restructuring AFI. At the top of their list is self preservation. Meanwhile all the hardworking employees become numbers in a number game. (see “Metropolis,” 1927). So it comes as no surprise that some of the good & hard working employees are getting fired along with the lazy & uninspired.
Let us put our immediate emotions aside and ask ourselves the main question at hand; is playing the corporate re-structuring number game really going to bring AFI to prominence beyond it’s current state? The answer is no. I say this with a clear conviction because of what has happened to the film industry over the last several decades. With the corporate takeover of Hollywood during the 70s and 80s the men and women bred from movie sets, who fought their way up the studio ladder, were removed from power and replaced with the commonplace corporate executive whose only concern is how many widgets they sell, whether c, pet rocks, or movies. This shift in leadership has led to a direct decline in the quality of films being made because the smartest choice on paper doesn’t make for the greatest artistic success; what I call the human factor. So while Nancy and Bob play games on paper to make AFI look more profitable and cost effective they are essentially securing it’s mediocre future. It’s not that the paper games can’t work, it just that in order to fully harness talents of AFI you must know the people that breathe life into it everyday.
Why must we look upon the 70s as a bygone era? AFI is an institution that nurtured the careers of David Lynch and Terrence Malick so why should it be reduced to an awards show and lists that neglect world cinema?
Dare I say what we needed in a new leader with radical ideas and radical decisions based on an intimate knowledge of what makes AFI great and what makes AFI weak. Someone who is willing to be a martyr if need be, willing to throw it all away just for a shot at shaping the artistic future of American cinema and American culture and AFI.
The Dean of the Conservatory changes the curriculum like a baby changes diapers. No wonder the Fellows are confused about what courses they need to graduate. The Dean and the Executive Vice-Dean need to take a refresher course on Graduate school policies.
I’m glad I graduated and am finished with AFI. Some of the classes were ridiculous. The Advanced Art & Craft of Producing-Narrative Entertainment, with Robert Cort, was a joke! What kind of pertinent information am I going to learn from a guy who executive produced, “Kazaam”?
Another waste of time was Barry Sabath’s, World Approaches to Film class. We had to watch films with subtitles in an overcrowded theatre (TASR), and then listen to a boring lecturer. Many of us had to watch the screen standing up. Some of the prints were in bad condition. I don’t who picked the name for the class because the films didn’t represent the world. I never saw any films from Mexico, South America, Africa, Australia or Canada. They might as well change the name to European and Asian Approaches to film.
Wake up a smell the coffee, AFI. With all of the budget cuts in various departments, Gazale should have enough money for some better Faculty, bigger classrooms and theatres.
I’m a fellow at AFI; while I have to say I agree with many of the comments posted on this board the last one in regards to Barry Sabath’s world cinema class was way off the mark. Many of us felt the class was a sanctuary away from a lot of the bureaucratic bull$hit taking place at the conservatory. The venue wasn’t the best, but it’s recently been moved to a larger theater with much better projection. The only reason some students had to stand was because students from previous years still attend the screenings because they have such affection for the class, the instructor and the cinema. And the idea that someone expected the class to cover the whole spectrum of world cinema in two semesters means this person was coming in with ridiculous expectations of AFI in general. The course never meandered and was always focused on what’s best for the fellows . The prints were usually flawless and Sabath always worked the administration to assure that we would only watch prints and not DVDs. And “Manuel” must have missed many of the classes because we watched films from Africa, Central American and South America. The only time I thought the class wasn’t interesting was when people like “Manuel” commented on the films and ruined our discussion. I honestly couldn’t have made it through two years at AFI without Sabath’s mentorship or his class.
For whatever some of the disgruntled former employees say, the Conservatory has always been about building a community of filmmakers to create films and the strongest thing about it is the fact that you get to work with people that you wouldn’t have had a chance to without it. Even before I attended I knew you shouldn’t be expecting the best facilities or the best management, you’d have to give just as much as the conservatory gave to you. In the two years before I came to AFI I shot 1 film, I shot 6 projects during my time there and got to work with people who are as committed to the process as I am. The major complaint I have about AFI are the faculty members and students who don’t care enough about AFI to put their heart into it. They sulk around campus avoiding contact with fellows and treat them like children.
I disagree with Manuel. The conservatory is one of the stronger parts of the AFI system. For my money, the aforementioned World Cinema class was one of the best courses I took during my tenure. Sabath was a fantastic teacher trying to expose us to cinema outside of the “Kazaam” realm. And while I never took Bob Cort’s producing class, as it was outside of my discipline, he is also the man responsible for successes like “Runaway Bride” and “Save the Last Dance”. Hard to believe one could learn nothing from him.
Is the conservatory flawed? Definitely. Are there a couple of raging douchebags in the chain of command? Of course. But on the whole is their heart in the right place? Absolutely.
Time shouldn’t be spent attacking the conservatory. On the whole they are doing the best they can with the resources given. But I do believe that is one of their problems, they just aren’t given the proper resources — much like the catalog.
Previous commentators are correct. Regardless of who is at fault, for the varying problems, something is amiss when it comes to AFI finances and development. As long as employees are worried about maintaining their livelihood (whether they’re making $30,000 or $300,000), decisions are not going to be made with an artistic intention of preserving and exalting film.
And isn’t that is what the American Film Institute SHOULD be about?
Look, after 20+ years of leadership from the Iron Lady of AFI, the place got bloated. I know all of the people that were let go. It’s a real shame the catalog staff got shit canned. But that program isn’t dead, as soon as they find money, it’ll be back…it might just be a bit. It’s a shame Caroline got axed, good people, put her heart and soul into it. Screen Education, another shame. Mitch and Frank are about as dedicated to that Mission as anyone could be. And it was a GREAT program, it was making a difference, it was training the next generation of filmmakers!
But look, there was some bloating that happened too. Patty Johnson, I mean come on people. Did anyone here every actually have to work with her? It was painful. Further, she didn’t give a shit about the Mission. It was a job with a good title she could tell her friends and family. Allison Deknatol. Nice person, but come on. These two are the best a world renowned School can get?
And then there was Shannon and Kim. Shannon knew his stuff, but he acted like he was the only one in town that knew it. Someone shoulda reminded him that he was in LA…no shortage of projectionists in that town. I woulda cut his childish, pain in the ass loose years ago. Kim new everything Shannon did, yeah right.
The next phase has to be Devo…John Campbell…hell I’d rather work with a crew of Patty Johnsons! If the real reason for letting these folks go was budgetary…then that means they got no money in the budget, which makes me wonder why the fuck Campbell has been doing up in his office?
And I’ll give you another one. Amy G. She’s the one doing the Marketing for the Institute? You gotta be kidding me. I’m sorry, but sending out DVD’s of the 100 Best…to local TV stations in Boise is not Marketing. What a joke. She wouldn’t know marketing if it bit her in the ass.
Who else did I miss? Oh yeah, Eric. Well, whatever. He could have used an attitude adjustment, but that’s managements fault, not his.
And then there is that buffoon as Dean. Everyone loved to hate on Ole Sam Grogg when he was around – Sam was easily the best Dean that school ever had – hell, he’s probably one of the best Dean’s in the country!
Speaking of the Conservatory…I like the red headed step child, another good guy. But totally gutless. Can someone tell me what graduate level admin experience this joker has? He got nice on the job training at the Fellows expense. I mean I’m sure his MA from AFI has really contributed…actually, it didn’t. He’s just another Hollywood failure that has to find something else to do when he realized he’s failed. Speaking of gutless failures, how long do they keep Chris around for? Are they actually going to wait for a sexual harassment lawsuit. That horny little bastard will finger bang any film making slut that comes his way. Total liability. Hilarious he’s still there.
All in all, it’s for the best. Some good people got let go, but perhaps the phoenix can rise from the ashes. I’m not sure Bob has the professional expertise to bring morale and trust back…and whoever this hired hand is surely doesn’t, but I’ll be cheering for him and his next lame 100 Most idea…
See ya at the Movies, bitches!
But please FormerAFI’er…don’t bottle it all up inside.
That kind of repression is bad for your health.
It’s good to vent your emotions…even after the fact…but wouldn’t it have made a better AFI, wouldn’t it (my god) make a better world, if we were capable of being honest ‘in the moment’ with co-workers when we feel like they’re not following the mission of the organization?
Which seems to be what you’re criticizing Shannon for?
It’s easy to see the failures of others it’s hard to look at where we could have been more pro-active in helping them out.
tiny rant time:
It seems like everyone’s so fucking desperate in this town to ‘make it’ that (per your pheonix metaphor) we choose to let our ethics burn, so as not to upset whatever we ‘imagine’ the status quo to be, only to choke on the fruits of our ‘success’
Which…have…you guessed it…already turned to ash.
That said, Firstenberg would have fired anyone who stepped out of whatever her arbitrary line was for that day. She might have her other merits, but because she was more concerned with looks than realities, she steered her ship into the jeopardy it’s in today.
Before of course passing on her command, and stepping into the life raft with half the supplies.
Maybe she’d have been a better leader if more people had had the courage to tell her the ship was headed for the rocks.
Even if it means your job…
It’s always a choice.
It has been years since I have worked at AFI and I can say that many of the employees there are great hard working people and a few that I consider my friends. Many of the employees I worked with did their jobs as best as they could, under difficult circumstances, and often went beyond their normal job descriptions.
Of coarse there were many poor employees who worked for the institute, some of who were fired and some that were not (I have read these comments and can’t believe that some people have named and criticized these people in such a public forum) but that is not unlike most jobs. I feel bad for those that lost their jobs, especially those people who have worked for years and given so much for so little. It is a tragedy that the infrastructure of the Catalog department has been compromised. I also think that some of the employees who were let go were considered problematic if only because they spoke up and tried to challenge how things were run. Let’s face it, most of our institutions are corrupted, AFI is certainly no exception.
I do want to believe Bob when he states “I see this as a temporary challenge – another hurdle at a time when government support for the arts is in decline. Know that the AFI Catalog, and in fact, building a more aggressive means for its completion, remains a priority of the institute… our goal is not to just finish 1974. It is to finish the Catalog”.
While I never worked with Bob directly to me he seemed like a good person. I can only hope that my simple assessment of Mr. Gazzale is accurate. Jean Firstenberg is an elitist who was barely concerned about the Fellows attending the Conservatory or the employees doing their job. What Bob has inherited is a totally mess I can only hope he can salvage AFI’s reputation.
The major problem for AFI from my vantage has been lack of funding. Whether this lack of money has been the result of a corrupt finance department (I have heard rumors) or because of lack of government grants for art related institutions or a lack of interest in the film community I cannot say but believe it is a combination of those aspects as well as others.
All AFI has is a name. People who have not had direct experience with the place have preconceived notions about its importance and grandeur. AFI has been feeding off those preconceived ideas for over a decade but its purpose and direction have gone astray. Perhaps this is the beginning of the process of steering the boat away from the cliffs it is hurdling to. Let us not forget what happened to the British Film Institute.
Through out the years there has been a gradual decline in the programs and services that AFI offers while the tuition for the conservatory soars to more then what most people make in a year working at AFI. A former AFI cataloguer once told me, who left years before this final hatchet job, that “AFI is a trade school for rich kids”. That description has always seemed the most accurate. I once thought about attending AFI and went to their Open House years ago, after working there I realized what a joke that idea was. I have talked to many of the fellows and I have listened to their praise and complaints. The common denominator amongst them is that attending AFI gave them the opportunity to meet people in the industry or with like-minded ideas. A $70,000 (low ball figure for tuition alone) social club where filmmaking is the trade of but networking is the real name of the game.
AFI was a leader in Film Preservation and education once. Where is the AFI that gave us “Visions of Light” and “Hollywood Mavericks”? That gave us Lynch, Schrader, Malick, Zwick, Aronofsky, and a whole host of amazing cinematographers and other artists? Besides a great film festival and increased screenings of films through Arclight it is hard to see what value American Film Institute has any more. How can it become a relevant again? Perhaps it can’t but I will keep my finger crossed that it will.
By the way there is a large amount of invaluable material from donors like Martin Scorsese and Robert Aldrich that are rotting away in dusty, poorly ventilated, un-climate controlled nether regions on the AFI campus. Items like Scorsese’s hand drawn storyboards for “Taxi Driver” and a “King of Comedy” script with Marty’s notes written on the pages. Let’s hope that someone has got a clue about how to properly maintain these collections.
To: FormerAFI’er
Maybe some of the people that you mentioned didn’t have a pair of “knee pads” under their desks, to appease the scum of upper management. Maybe they didn’t feel like bending over and taking the bullshit and nonsense that these simpletons required.
Patti and Alison had leadership qualities and experience. Some people can’t, and are not meant to lead. For example… the AFI softball team, with their remarkable record.
AFI will always be flawed and criticized. Especially when they hire dwarfs to clean house.
The morale here is at an all time low. No air conditioning in the offices doesn’t help either.
I hope we talk about these blogs at the staff meeting next week.
I left this comment last week, but for some reason it never showed up…
Just for the record, since AFI has conspicuously made no announcements about it:
AFI has permanently closed its film preservation office, attached to the Library of Congress MBRS Division in Washington, DC, without warning, explanation or negotiation, and fired the professional staff.
The staff was down to 2 or 3 at most, since AFI has not done any hands-on film preservation work for many years (AFI chose to back-burner its preservation mandate long ago, the minute funding became somewhat challenging, despite their once having had a 12-person development staff under Jean Firstenberg’s party-with-the-stars regime.) Nevertheless, the remaining DC staff was well-respected in the preservation community and did important work as a conduit for many private collections and one-of-a-kind prints to reach appropriate film archives for preservation.
The “AFI” name has retained a strong association with “film preservation” in spite of the organization (essentially) abandoning that mission in the 90′s. At least they were smart enough to keep the DC office, since it was often the first place people called when they found a box of old film cans in Uncle Charlie’s garage after he died. The DC office was a valuable resource preciscely because, at one time in the past, AFI did a great job promoting public awareness of film preservation.
I also notice that the AFI web site has removed any trace of film preservation (they used to have a useful, if slightly outdated, set of info pages on the subject). It’s clear AFI wants nothing at all to do with the business of film preservation, even to the point of erasing it, 1984-style, from their history.
So, everyone do AFI a favor and spread the word: AFI does not “preserve and advance” anything except their own ass. If you give money to AFI thinking you’re helping to preserve films, GIVE YOUR MONEY TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. If you think AFI can help you with a film preservation issue or question, DON”T BOTHER ASKING AFI. AFI has withdrawn completely from the good cause of film preservation. Since work on the Catalog is apparently also being discontinued, I can’t really tell you what-the-f**k AFI does of any real importance for American film. (The Convservatory is just another overpriced film school for rich dummies who don’t realize that you don’t have to spend $80K for the privilege of shooting some lame student videos.)
Question/complaints? I suggest you contact:
bgazzale@afi.com
nharris@afi.com
…and ask them to tell you all about AFI’s great new mission and what they do for American film.
-wylie
It’s a shame AFI is abandoning the last of its preservation efforts, but this has been coming for years. AFI used to do a lot of work with preserving physical films, but it was an expensive endeavor. Saving nitrate film was around $.25 per frame. AFI discontinued that in the late ’90s/early ’00s. But it was eliminated quietly and with the hope that no one would notice. The efforts on the catalog continued and served as AFI’s new idea of what preservation was…forget about saving old films, but at least catalog them so the fact they at one time existed would be preserved. When AFI announced its new mission years back, preservation was absent from the mission statement all together. AFI had a history and reputation of preserving film and is one of the reasons people donate money. However, you can only ride so long on the past before people start to realize that it is no longer the case. And AFI has just squashed any hopes of continuing any presence in preservation. The Catalog as it stands has only gotten as far as the early 1970s so any further ‘slow down’ seems like a paltry effort.
Here’s the truth about those AFI movie lists
http://tinyurl.com/6ebqdo