Digital Film Overview

Our digital film school offers special hands-on intensive 12 week Evening Digital Filmmaking workshops in New York and Universal Studios, Los Angeles.

Each film school student directs two exercise projects of increasing complexity, and a final project in DV and edits on Apple Final Cut Pro stations. The Evening Workshop is the ideal program for individuals who must balance filmmaking with other responsibilities. Designed for students with little or no filmmaking experience, the course meets three evenings a week from 7:00 - 9:30pm, and some weekends. At our Universal Studios film school, the Evening Filmmaking Workshop meets three evenings per week from 7:15 - 9:45 p.m.

DIRECTING ON DV
Our film school students are taught the language of filmmaking and the director's craft as applied to the digital format. Aspects of mise-en-scene, visual storytelling, continuity-style coverage, directing actors and writing visually will be emphasized.

HANDS-ON DIGITAL CAMERA AND LIGHTING
Classes will help film school students master the digital medium including white balance, shutter speed, focus, video latitude, gels, and filters.

DIGITAL EDITING
Students will learn to "log and capture" their digital footage into the Final Cut Pro editing system. Creating a time line, inserting footage, special digital effects, and building a digital soundtrack are among the subjects that will be covered. Editing instructors will be on hand to consult with students on creative and technical aspects of their individual projects throughout the editing process.

SOUND RECORDING
Students learn to get professional quality sound for their projects with microphones and accessories.

OBJECTIVES

PROJECT ONE: CONTINUITY STYLE DIRECTING
Digital film school students will explore film grammar while using the DV camera. Students are taught to plan and shoot "coverage" of a dramatic or documentary subject. Students will be taught how different camera angles, camera movements, focal lengths, lighting and blocking actors combine to bring the scene together seamlessly in the editing room.

PROJECT TWO: THE DIGITAL FACTOR/DOCUMENTARY
Students will explore the unique properties of the digital format. Students will plan their projects meticulously, and then improvise and utilize the best aspects of the digital medium. The light weight of the camera makes for great ease of hand-held camera movements. Low light level shooting is possible in such a way that the camera can record very sharp images in a wide variety of environments. Digital film school students will take their digital cameras in to places where film cameras and film crews would not have easy access. Experimentation in the editing room will be encouraged as students explore the advanced functionality of Final Cut Pro.

PROJECT THREE: FINAL DIGITAL PROJECT
The Final Digital Project may be in documentary, fiction or experimental form and up to 10 minutes. The portability and flexibility of digital video make it an excellent format for documentary filmmaking, while the unimposing size of the camera and the ability to shoot in low light levels with small crews allow for a new intimacy working with actors in dramatic projects. Students interested in experimental projects and/or music videos will find limitless creative possibilities in digital formats.

Our Evening Digital Film school students will edit their final digital projects during the third month of the program which will culminate in a final screening open to actors, friends and family.