Professional Filmmaking

In your first quarter, you will be introduced to nonlinear editing, basic camera operation, gripology, and lighting for video. Each course has been designed to dovetail into the next and offer the student a thorough understanding of the basic operation of the camera. You will be introduced to digital compositing techniques, three and four point editing, computer graphics, file management and format conversion. You will also be immersed into the world of visual storytelling by examining individual components, aspects and concepts concerned with the visual medium. You will be introduced to the role of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in film, how to format a screenplay, how to structure a screenplay’s plot points, and write visually for film. Specific detail is paid to the relationship between the screenwriter, director, and the audience. Emphasis is placed on understanding the basics of narrative, aesthetics, and the practical application of the techniques behind these theories.

In your second quarter, you will push forward into intermediate post production techniques and practices using the Adobe suite of software. In Location Audio, you will learn about the equipment, techniques, protocols and procedures used in on-site recording for film and TV, including the usage of shotgun mics, lavalier mics, field mixers and recorders. Your second term will also move into intermediate camera and lighting techniques, including studio and location lighting. You will continue to be immersed into the world of visual interpretation through intermediate camera techniques and advanced lighting scenarios. You will commence your writing education in term two with your second screenwriting class which will breakdown and clarify the requirements of good a script, including dialogue, subtext, and action lines. Each student will complete a short film script by the end of term with a competition to determine which student’s script will be produced in the following term with a mentor director and a small budget in place.

In your third quarter, you will start to explore some of the specializations in the film industry, including television production, music video, and short form documentary. The role of the Producer will be further examined to take control over the organizational and business requirements of running a set and or an independent production company. One student’s script from the previous term will be chosen to go into production in this term; this will be a mentored shoot with an industry professional guiding the production forward. All positions will be held by students, including director in training. The term will also see you develop skills at camera movement through the use of cranes, motorized heads and sliders, 3 AXIS gimbal rigs, handheld rigs and more. You will explore film history with specific focus on German Expressionism, Soviet Realism, Surrealism, and French New Wave.

In Cinematography, you explore a wide range of topics that allow the lighting cameraperson to control their medium using a small crew, which includes an overview of the camera department with job descriptions of the director of photography, camera assistants and camera operator. You will produce a short biopic documentary and write the film script for your personal narrative that you will produce in the next term. You will be set up with a live client through a regional technology incubator to complete a commercial corporate production that meets the requirements of your client. You will continue to work compositing and VFX software, taking on more complex tasks and applying colour correction and grading techniques.

In your fifth quarter, you will use all the expertise and knowledge that you’ve gathered in the first half of the program, to complete a major narrative film project. You will continue to dive deeper into visual effects and motion graphics, which are used in creating motion graphics and special effects in film and television. You and your class in a group effort will complete a half hour factual television production which includes the development of the project, the casting of a presenter for the TV show, the production and postproduction of the program.

In your sixth and final quarter of the program, you will explore the history, processes, technologies, theory, and business of film and TV production from multiple perspectives, including aesthetic and critical socio-cultural perspectives, in your Documentary Production course. You will take a course in digital marketing where you will be introduced to branding concepts, SEO, and copywriting, and you will build a personal /business website which will include your demo reel, client pages and a blog in preparation of your job search and or business start-up. You will research, develop and produce a long form factual documentary as a final major project in the program and prepare for your final show and graduation.