2-Day Directing Workshop

Directing
At the core of the Four Week Program, this Area of Study introduces students to all major aspects of filmmaking. Students will learn concepts to help achieve maximum psychological impact by studying the director’s decisions in camera placement, blocking, staging, and visual image design. Students will be challenged to think comprehensively about their film projects in terms of the economic realities of low-budget student production. Using their own film projects as prototypes, students will learn to break down their film scripts in terms of story and emotional beats, shot selection and composition, and budgeting and scheduling. This Area of Study will be the forum for preparing, screening, and critiquing three short films.

Screenwriting
This Area of Study introduces the established tools and language used in writing a film project. Students will take a story from the initial idea to script with an emphasis on the fundamentals of visual storytelling. The intersection of story structure, theme, character, tension, and conflict is examined through detailed scene analysis. The in-class discussion provides students with constructive analysis and support. Students are encouraged to tell their stories visually, rather than relying on dialogue.

Cinematography
Students undergo intensive training in the use of HD digital video cameras and their accessories. Through hands-on workshops and film tests, they will also learn fundamental lighting techniques. As they progress through the workshop, they learn how to support the mood of the story with lighting choices and  experiment with expressive lighting styles.