Film Camp » Back To One!
Film Camp/ Back to One! gives students the knowledge and experience to begin their journey in filmmaking.Taught by instructors who have worked on major motion pictures, national commercials, and with Speilberg, Disney, Tyler Perry, PBS and more, students learn how to script, direct, produce, cast, light and shoot their own short film. By the end of the nine intense sessions, participants will have the tools to express their creativity on the big screen. For them, movies will never be the same. All they need is ... "Action!"
Be sure to check out our growing collection of videos from the camp on YouTube.
Film Camp Curriculum
Session 1 / Feb 9th
4-4:30 Diane Lang involves students in activities to generate creativity.
4:30-5:00 Diane Lang, Mike Buchanan (writers of Micah’s Child, Treasure of the Four Lions and The Fat Boy Chronicles, Last Bullet) and Jason Winn (director of national commercials, Last Bullet, worked with Disney, Universal, PBS) give overview of class and discuss importance of story in filmmaking. Give examples of loglines and conflict within them. Students practice writing loglines and share with class.
5:00-5:30 Students dissect 5-minute scenes, paying attention to cuts, angle, lighting, sound, set, costume, post, and intro. Each student writes a short scene.
6:00-6:30 Revisit idea development, effective storytelling and script writing. Choose teams to form your own “film company” and begin your script. Decide who will write script. Look at www.celtx.com
Create FACEBOOK page. Communication is vital.
Outside of class: Continue to study film phraseology and read assigned scripts.
Session 2 / Feb 11th
4:00-5:00 Screenplay writer Michael Lucker (Vampire in Brooklyn, 101 Dalmations II, Mulan, Emperor’s New Groove, assistant to Steven Speilberg) discusses scriptwriting.
5:00-5:30 Mike and Diane play 5-minute clips from movie (students will have copies of the script), and listen to director’s commentary.
5:30-6:30 Choose roles within team: director, producer, AD, camera, writer, casting, AP. Discuss script structure. Using www.Celtx.com students create scripts.
Scripts must be completed by Session 3.
Session 3 / Feb 18th
4:00-5:00 Angela Gnome (Assistant Director for Tyler Perry, worked with Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, many others) speaks of the importance of preproduction and working under time and money constraints.
5-5:30 Teams do final revisions of scripts.
5:30-6:30 Students practice directing techniques and camera work. CASTING CALLS!!!
Homework: Watch borrowed movies and director commentary.
Session 4 / Feb 23rd
4:00-5:00 Casting. Very important!!! Get commitment from actors!!
5:00-6:00 Lyt Capell (award-winning director of photography) discusses lighting and camera techniques
6:00-6:30 Discussion of script breakdown. Teams begin to storyboard the scripts.
Session 5 / March 1st
4:00-5:00 Savvy Lorestani (Paula Peril, My 16th Summer) works with students on directing and blocking of scenes from your scripts. .
5:00-6:30 Students rehearse, shot list, call sheets, production lists, location permission, and costume/makeup. Plans for filming is imperative. Practice on location. PLAN EVERYTHING NOW!!!!!
Session 6 / March 2nd
4:00-6:30 Filming and blocking of scripts. Professional directors offer advice on lighting and sound. While one group films their short, one group will help with them while other group will help film “Behind the Scenes”.
Session 7 / March 3rd
4-6:30 Jason reiterates key points of film directing.
Filming continues. Groups not filming will help others.
Session 8 / March 4th
4:00-6:30 Complete filming.
Session 9 / March 9th
4:00-5:00 Watch raw footage of films. If possible, special effects expert Bob Shelly (Ghostbusters, Desperado, and others) discusses his 20 years of special effects work in feature movies.
5:00-6:30 Evaluation of camp. Discussion of film editing. Pizza party. Plan viewing.
TBA : Students invite guests to view their completed films. Each guest leaves with a DVD of students’ productions.
Circumstances permitting, a weekend visit to Riverwood Studios (Fried Green Tomatoes, Sweet Home Alabama and many others) will be arranged.