It used to be that filmmakers kept a 35mm camera hanging from their neck to take snapshots of life and keep their cinematic eye honed. In today’s WiFi world with smartphones, visual communication is more important than ever. The more cinematically articulate we are, the better we can tell a meaningful story. This workshop will focus on the use of the long take where the story is told with only one continuous shot - no editing, no pausing, all in camera. A surprise topic will be given and participants will be asked to consider how the topic is personally meaningful and how it can be told cinematically. Then they will go out and shoot a 60-second film. Once back from filming, we will talk about the films - the clarity of interpretation of the theme, the missed opportunities, and the “what ifs.” I call this “Think it, Shoot it, Share it.” The more you practice it, the better your visual storytelling will be.

In this workshop, I will cover the basic building blocks of cinema syntax: the wide shot, close-up, and moving shot. Learning how to use these three shots to tell a story is key to being cinematically articulate. Workshop participants will interview someone they don’t know using specific questions to put themselves in the subject's shoes, feel what they feel, and think the way they think. They will then make a three-shot two-minute portrait of the person they interviewed. I will cover how to make seamless cuts as they edit their films – cutting on movement, light, and energy. They will also learn how to record and create a soundscape using only background/atmosphere/sound effects to go with their portrait. In the end, these film portraits are not only about learning how to use cinema syntax but also about the power of cinema to connect us to each other.

The Filmmakers Challenge workshop is designed to challenge filmmakers to adapt quickly, think on their feet, and work within time and schedule constraints, giving them a taste of what they would encounter in the film industry. Workshop participants form teams. On Orientation Day, teams will be given a story theme and a list of ingredients outlining the parameters their film must follow. They will be given a schedule for the number of days they are allowed to write the script, prep, film, edit, mix, and finish their film.