Learn the skills necessary to create a short film using the medium of Digital Video.
Objectives
Over the course of 40 hours learn to work as an ensemble in order to write, direct, film, act in, and edit an original Movie.
Finding our Story
This is an Ensemble Digital Filmmaking course with an emphasis on storytelling, so we start by finding our story. We begin by examining all the different genres of films and media that our students encounter daily. As an ensemble (a group that contributes equally to a creative process) we create our story through a series of comprehensive writing exercises. As a group we now choose the genre of our movie, for example an after school special. Every student then silently writes a paragraph outlining his or her proposed message for an after school special. After every student has had an opportunity to pitch their story, they then democratically choose one plot to develop. To further our plot we continue to couple individual silent writing exercises with group sharing. By the end of this process we have finished outlining our movie and have created a completely original story.
The Language of Film
The next step of our process is developing the skills necessary to translate our story into visual images. It is essential to understand both the technical and artistic part of this process. Therefore we teach both. All the basic film terms and shot compositions are covered. The language of film may be universal, but first you need to learn the vocabulary. Once the vocabulary is understood students can progress to writing a shooting script and story boarding their movie.
Technique and Lighting
It is now time to get behind the camera. The basic operation of the equipment seems simple yet when coupled with bad impromptu lighting conditions, and locations it becomes much more technically daunting. We teach simplicity is the best policy especially when it comes to lighting setups, camera placement and camera movement. These tools are invaluable to student filmmakers in their pursuit of a professional looking finished product.
Acting for the Camera
Being in front of the camera is a nerve racking and vulnerable experience. It is extremely important that we feel comfortable with each other. At this point in our process having written a story together a sense of community has developed. Now it is time to cement these relationships in trust. Using drama based cooperation exercises we reach a comfort level where we can feel free to fully express our feelings in the artistic process. We also cover character development and acting for the camera.
Bringing it all together
For most the actual filming of the movie is the most exciting part, but it is also a lot of hard work. We must now apply all our new tools to film our story. The ability for us to efficiently work as an ensemble is crucial during this part of the process. We must artistically and technically bring our story to life. By following our shooting scripts, storyboards and on location direction we can efficiently film all the scenes in our movie in a timely fashion. There is no better feeling when the artistic juices are boiling and your film is coming to life. All the variables of your shoot just fit into place.
Post Production Part 1
The final step of our process is the editing of our film. It is said that movies are made in the editing room and there is much truth to this statement. Our editing section covers conceptual editing techniques that can be applied to any editing software. We use the Apple based Final Cut Pro Studio editing software. This a professional nonlinear editing program used in many Hollywood, TV and Independent productions. The process of editing can be enlightening. It gives the students the ability to create the entire message, feeling and look of their movie. It also lets them see how easily the message can be manipulated.
Post Production Part 2
By changing the timing, or context the emphasis of any statement can be changed. This ability allows the students to understand how easily this can be done. It is Future Filmmaker Workshops hope and intention that the students can use this knowledge to closely examine and scrutinize all the media they view. They will find that watching a movie or any program through the eyes of a filmmaker is an empowering experience.
