This lab introduces place, memory and identity as subjects of cinema and a means to making films.
This lab introduces place, memory and identity as subjects of cinema and a means to making films. Situational life experiences are invariably important to our creative endeavours, whether explicit or otherwise. They drive the questions we pose – or those we avoid addressing – through our work but, perhaps more importantly, the questions we consider about the possibilities and limits of artistic communication itself.
This course introduces students to the questions, practices and challenges of filmmaking today, and touches upon the porous boundaries between fiction and non-fiction.
Applicants must apply with a treatment for a short film (maximum one page) involving subject matter that can be filmed in Doha over a two-day period during the dates of the lab. Preliminary script development with the Doha Film Institute’s Education team takes place in advance of acceptance into the lab, when applicants will be assessed on their ability to develop and expand their ideas into a coherent treatment.
Hours
This is an intensive, eight-week lab.
During the classroom period (weeks 1 through 3), sessions take place five days a week.
Saturday: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Sunday through Wednesday: 4:30 to 9:00 PM
During pre-production and filming, participants may be asked to make time outside these hours, including on weekdays during the daytime.
Dates: 16 April to 11 June, 2016
Language: Arabic and English
Group Size: 12 participants
Application Deadline: 2 April, 2016
Production
This course offers a non-thematic approach to helping participants through their film projects. It covers the artistic, technical and practical considerations of making a short sound film (narrative, non-fiction, or experimental). In the first weeks, students will develop ideas for a 7- to 12-minute project. Four of these projects will be selected for shooting during a pitching session with a panel of judges. Students will gain the skills needed in the production of HD film, from concept to shooting, and will act as crew on each other’s films.
Instruction includes discussions on how to shoot a short film; pre-production preparations; sync shooting, HD-video procedures and sound recording; operation of HD camera technology; lighting and grip equipment; planning your film; casting; visualisation strategies; analysing dailies; and post-production. By the end of the course, students will have shot, evaluated and edited all footage and screen it for the class.
Technical Training
As an integral part of the course, several workshops are held addressing the laws of optics, lighting, sound, writing and editing. Each student will participate actively in exercises essential to achieving in-depth knowledge of film production, as well as a commitment to cinematic language.
Film Analysis
Participants select a short work or part of a longer work from a provided list of films, analyse it closely, and present their analysis to the class. The aim is to look at a finished work in a way that considers the decisions that went into making it. Analyses should address the overall structure and/or architecture of the piece, and provide a close analysis focusing on a specific aspect of a short sequence, such as camera language, montage or sound. The analysis should be illustrated with examples and rehearsed, so as not to take longer than 20 minutes.
Materials
Students have a working schedule balancing the close study of selected films as well as production of their own work. Course materials include films and texts, which will inform frequent and extensive class discussions. While investigating the social and political context of cinematic works, these discussions will ultimately result in intimate dialogue about each student’s work.
Evaluation
Projects will be evaluated based on aesthetic and technical terms. Technical concerns include exposure, focus, composition, etc. Aesthetic concerns vary with each group and with each project. Some important factors are originality and engagement of the work, development of the idea, relation of style and content, and an openness on the filmmaker’s part to explore ideas from different angles.
Class Participation
The importance of participation in this class cannot be overstated. Students should be prepared for every class and should always have their materials with them for presentation, discussion and in-class workshops, and should be prepared to contribute ideas or ask questions in every class. They should have both the self-discipline and the determination necessary for successful creative explorations and film production. They should show initiative, take responsibility for their own work, and be able to solve problems when plans do not turn out as expected.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One: Film Theory
Week Two: Cinematography Workshop and Shooting a Collective Film
Week Three: Pre-Production Part 1
Week Four: Pre-Production Part 2
Week Five: Pre-Production Part 3 *Lead Mentor Absent
Week Six: Shooting your Projects
Week Seven: Post Production Part 1
Week Eight: Post Production Part 2
This course introduces students to the questions, practices and challenges of filmmaking today, and touches upon the porous boundaries between fiction and non-fiction.
Applicants must apply with a treatment for a short film (maximum one page) involving subject matter that can be filmed in Doha over a two-day period during the dates of the lab. Preliminary script development with the Doha Film Institute’s Education team takes place in advance of acceptance into the lab, when applicants will be assessed on their ability to develop and expand their ideas into a coherent treatment.
Hours
This is an intensive, eight-week lab.
During the classroom period (weeks 1 through 3), sessions take place five days a week.
Saturday: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Sunday through Wednesday: 4:30 to 9:00 PM
During pre-production and filming, participants may be asked to make time outside these hours, including on weekdays during the daytime.
Dates: 16 April to 11 June, 2016
Language: Arabic and English
Group Size: 12 participants
Application Deadline: 2 April, 2016
Production
This course offers a non-thematic approach to helping participants through their film projects. It covers the artistic, technical and practical considerations of making a short sound film (narrative, non-fiction, or experimental). In the first weeks, students will develop ideas for a 7- to 12-minute project. Four of these projects will be selected for shooting during a pitching session with a panel of judges. Students will gain the skills needed in the production of HD film, from concept to shooting, and will act as crew on each other’s films.
Instruction includes discussions on how to shoot a short film; pre-production preparations; sync shooting, HD-video procedures and sound recording; operation of HD camera technology; lighting and grip equipment; planning your film; casting; visualisation strategies; analysing dailies; and post-production. By the end of the course, students will have shot, evaluated and edited all footage and screen it for the class.
Technical Training
As an integral part of the course, several workshops are held addressing the laws of optics, lighting, sound, writing and editing. Each student will participate actively in exercises essential to achieving in-depth knowledge of film production, as well as a commitment to cinematic language.
Film Analysis
Participants select a short work or part of a longer work from a provided list of films, analyse it closely, and present their analysis to the class. The aim is to look at a finished work in a way that considers the decisions that went into making it. Analyses should address the overall structure and/or architecture of the piece, and provide a close analysis focusing on a specific aspect of a short sequence, such as camera language, montage or sound. The analysis should be illustrated with examples and rehearsed, so as not to take longer than 20 minutes.
Materials
Students have a working schedule balancing the close study of selected films as well as production of their own work. Course materials include films and texts, which will inform frequent and extensive class discussions. While investigating the social and political context of cinematic works, these discussions will ultimately result in intimate dialogue about each student’s work.
Evaluation
Projects will be evaluated based on aesthetic and technical terms. Technical concerns include exposure, focus, composition, etc. Aesthetic concerns vary with each group and with each project. Some important factors are originality and engagement of the work, development of the idea, relation of style and content, and an openness on the filmmaker’s part to explore ideas from different angles.
Class Participation
The importance of participation in this class cannot be overstated. Students should be prepared for every class and should always have their materials with them for presentation, discussion and in-class workshops, and should be prepared to contribute ideas or ask questions in every class. They should have both the self-discipline and the determination necessary for successful creative explorations and film production. They should show initiative, take responsibility for their own work, and be able to solve problems when plans do not turn out as expected.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One: Film Theory
- Writing
- Aesthetics of editing
- Cinematography
- Film directing
- Sound design
- Working with actors and non-actors
Week Two: Cinematography Workshop and Shooting a Collective Film
- Laws of optics
- Lighting and grip equipment
- Camera formats and technology
- Camera movement and blocking
- In-class shoot
Week Three: Pre-Production Part 1
- Present Script
- Develop/Finalise Shooting Script (7-12 pages)
Week Four: Pre-Production Part 2
- Production planning (shot lists, storyboards, location, budget, and crew).
- Director’s concerns: Visual and sound strategies
Week Five: Pre-Production Part 3 *Lead Mentor Absent
- Organising shooting dates
- Casting actors and non-actors (scheduling auditions)
Week Six: Shooting your Projects
- In groups of four, students shoot their projects
- Crew members include director, cinematographer, assistant camera/gaffer, sound
Week Seven: Post Production Part 1
- Evaluation of dailies
- Syncing footage
- Basic timelin
- Rough cut
Week Eight: Post Production Part 2
- Final cut
- Colour correction
- Exporting the final film
- Screening of final films
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