Introduction to Documentary Film Production: From Pre-Production to Post
Reviews Average Rating: 5 out of 5
-
Emilie Peters I enjoyed the class immensely. Very informative and Lisa was a very excellent teacher and she's very cute and nice too. I do have a request tho that you have slides available for all three classes not just the first one so I may print out all of the material. It's a lot to write by hand. Thanks.
Other education that may be of interest to you:
Breaking Down The Business of Producing Virtual Reality & 360
We've brought in Zeke Thomas, a VR producer who recently did the 360 experience for HAPPY DEATH DAY for Universal & Blumhouse and who's clients include: Paramount Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Nerdist Industries, VidCon, Youtube, Outside TV and more. Zeke will be breaking down the business of VR/360 in this exclusive Stage 32 Next Level Webinar. Billions of dollars have been poured into Virtual Reality & 360 spherical capture, but is there really a business for this form of storytelling? If you're already filming in VR/360 or are interested in pursuing this medium, it's important to understand not just the craft, but the business of it.
Filmmakers: How to get Cinematic Images in Ugly and Small Locations—includes 6 case studies
Any independent filmmaker can tell you that one of the key rules to creating a successful film is to use what you got. This is especially true (and especially challenging) with cinematography. With a limited budget you’re likely not going to have the state-of-the-art equipment or perfectly lit soundstage to get the optimal shot. Often you’re going to have to make do with the locations the team was able to rustle up. These locations might be too small, might lack natural light, might be the wrong color. Well that’s too bad. If you want your indie film to look great, you’re going to have to be scrappy, adapt quickly, and be ready to pull a couple miracles out of your hat. Don’t think this won’t be noticed though; having the tools to make any location look great will not only elevate the film you’re working on, but also bolster your own reputation and prove your worth as a DP or director. It might not always be fully appreciated, but if you’re serving as DP, it’s down to you to take any shot and make it cinematic. Sometimes this might be as easy as setting up a fill light, but especially for low-budget projects, it’s often much more complicated. With a lack of access to sufficient resources, it can feel like reinventing the wheel to make any shot work. However, coming to set knowing the questions to ask and the tools at your disposal can make all the difference. What combination of a fill light, key light, and back light will work best? How can you use the props and materials that happen to be around to draw the eye to your subject? And perhaps most importantly, when should you push to make the shot better and when should you recognize that it’s as good as it’s going to be? Barry Andersson is an award-winning director and cinematographer. He has directed 5 feature films, many of which were released in theaters—his most recent film is being distributed by Lionsgate. Barry’s career as a cinematographer includes several television pilots, acclaimed short films, numerous commercials, and countless commercials and corporate videos. Barry is also the author of the DSLR Filmmakers Handbook. Barry has had to light and shoot more ugly locations than he can count and has developed a slew of strategies to tackle the challenges they bring. Barry will give you tips and tools to pull beauty out of the ugliest of locations. Barry will start by going through the basics of art direction and what expectations directors will have of you as a DP. Using case studies and practical examples, Barry will outline how to find and create depth in flat locations and how to use available lighting to your advantage, even if it’s not ideal. He’ll then give you ideas of how to find use available props and items you might not have considered to add dimension to your shot. Then Barry will discuss the importance of where in the location to place your talent to elevate or destroy your scene. Finally Barry will delve into the best way to choose the right lens for each shot. You'll walk away from this fun webinar knowing how to navigate any small space surprises once you get on set with your equipment. Praise for Barry's Webinar: "Very professional and Barry gave good advice" -Carol L. "Excellent webinar . Many great tips I can definitely use. Thanks!" -Ron H. "Barry has a bunch of great strategies that I'm totally going to use on my next shot" -Charlie C. "Super interesting and super practical advice. Thank you!" -Tina R.
Cinematographers: How to Light YouTube, New Media, Digital Series and Web Series Sets Brilliantly and Quickly
With the influx of social media, new media, professional YouTube videos, webseries, digital shorts and digital television, the need for cinematographers has never been higher. But to get hired and stay hired, you need to know how to light quickly and efficiently! The truth is, you don't need fancy equipment and years of know-how to land jobs in this growing arena of content creation. However, with smaller budgets to work with, producers and filmmakers are looking for cinematographers that can move fast and not cost the production time and money. Veteran cinematographer Alex Darke, owner of Gilded Cinema and cinematographer for Larry King's Ora Media, is one of the most in demand DP's in the new media space. When he isn't working, which is rare, Alex is teaching cinematographers how to land jobs by understanding how digital cinematography has evolved in this new era. And now you can share in his knowledge in this exclusive Stage 32 webinar. This is a comprehensive class, so dig in. Alex will teach you how to navigate the business, how his tried and true techniques work with any equipment, how to light any set quickly, how to create striking lighting for wide shots and closeups, how to land jobs and keep getting jobs and much more. All skill levels are welcome to view this webinar and, again, you do not need special equipment. All you need is a desire to learn and get paid for your craft!
How to Nail the First Act of Your Television Pilot - With Pilot Downloads (Killing Eve, Atlanta, This is Us, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, One Day at a Time, The Expanse)
You’ve heard that the opening pages of your pilot script are the most important – hook your audience early and they’ll be invested in your show, fall short and producers, managers and executives might not even finish reading your script. At many companies, your script will be handed off to a member of the development team whose job is to just read the first act, then decide whether to pass or flag your script for further consideration. Having a great first act isn’t just a good way to get your pilot noticed; it might be the only way. When you watch a pilot, though, whether on Netflix, HBO or ABC, it can feel like every show is so different, it’s hard to see a pathway to success. Or even if you master one aspect of your opening act, somehow it can still feel like you’ve not done enough. In a TV pilot, that crucial first act is the most challenging because there is so much you have to do really well, really quickly: you have to introduce your characters, set up your world, and launch your story. What’s more, the first act sets your pilot on solid footing – nail this section and the rest of the pilot seems to develop and flow easily. Get stuck on how to start, and you might never finish writing the pilot that could launch your career. You’ve probably watched outstanding pilots where 10-15 minutes in you’re already making plans to binge the season. What do all those pilots have in common? What techniques do experienced show creators use to give them that early edge? And what exactly do producers, managers development execs and other professionals expect to see in a first act? We have the answers to those questions and much more. Anna Henry is a Producer and Development Executive who has worked at CBS, ABC, Nickelodeon, and multiple production companies, as well as a manager at Andrea Simon Entertainment. Her clients have worked on shows such as THE DEUCE, POWER, IN CONTEMPT, TOMMY, VIDA, SEVEN SECONDS, HUNG, CHICAGO FIRE, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, THIS IS US, and THE FLASH, and have set up projects at AMC, Amazon, Starz, HBO, Sony, Fox, EOne, ITV America, OddLot Entertainment, Corus, and others. Anna has projects currently in development around the world and is incredibly familiar with what goes into a great television pilot. Anna will analyze pilots more deeply so you can see the tools successful writers use to set their show on the right path from the start. She’ll discuss the ingredients of a pilot in general, including the basic structure, identifying the type or genre of your show, meta-themes, and crafting characters to serve as the audience's entry point. Anna will then delve into the key elements of a first act, as well as a great teaser or cold open, including using framing devices, and a strong out. She will go over tips to writing memorable character descriptions, using physical descriptions, elements of identity, and putting thought into how you name each character. She'll next focus on introduction scenes and using them to generate interest in your characters, using dialogue to establish their voices, and introducing relationships. A vital aspect of a pilot's first act is creating character moments, and Anna will go over effective examples of many different types of these moments, including meeting heroes, meeting villains, meeting supporting characters, establishing the right amount of backstory, and the benefits of having your characters argue. She will then discuss how to create exposition and communicate your world effectively, crafting a mystery and building the rules of your universe, as well as how to avoid overused crutches. Anna will then offer her take on implementing and incorporating tone and themes into the script and how to sneak them in subtly through details and character moments. She will finally lay out how to best use your first act to bring the audience into your story and world, where exactly your story should start, and how to launch your 'A' story and introduce your 'B' and 'C' stories. Examples will be used from one-hour and half-hour shows on network, cable and streaming platforms, PLUS! you will receive pilots for each after the class: THIS IS US - NBC ONE DAY AT A TIME - Netflix / Pop MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL - Amazon ATLANTA - FX KILLING EVE - AMC THE EXPANSE - Syfy / Amazon Praise for Anna's Stage 32 webinar: "The webinar was fantastic. I am writing my first one hour drama pilot so this webinar was packed with the exact information that I will be immediately putting to use in my rewrite. The slides were clear, concise and informative. The speaker was excellent at conveying the information I needed." -Bobby C. "It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H. "Comprehensive, insightful. Combined a lot of material I had heard snippets of on character, world dev, etc. but artfully stitched together in one presentation." -James F. "It was amazing, enlightening - completely. I learned soooo much - especially as a feature writer who's been asked to turn a feature script into a pilot!! Thank you soooooo much." -Kristin G.
Understanding the Distribution Deal - Breaking Down 2 Distribution Offers (With Downloadable Examples)
The ultimate goal for every filmmaker is to ensure that audiences see your film. You may want recognition, notoriety, or maybe as many “likes” as possible however, from a practical business perspective, you also want to make your investor's money back – or, even better, to make a profit. The path to reaching this sometimes-elusive-outcome is through the distribution process. And, in today's changing distribution landscape there are many different types of offers that can be presented to you as a filmmaker. Truthfully, understanding what you're signing up for with your film's distribution can be downright confusing. Getting a distribution deal for your film is exciting for you as a filmmaker. You've reached the holy grail and a distributor is interested in releasing your film so you can finally reach an audience. But, before you sign on the dotted line there are many factors you need to think of. Distribution contracts can show varying types of clauses that could potentially harm your film's chance at making a profit. And, let's face it, if you can show your investors a profit on their investment, they'll likely want to invest in more films with you at the healm. So, how do you know what clauses to look out for and what you can negotiate so you give yourself the best chance of not only gaining an audience, but also getting pad? For the last 15 years Bryce C. Campbell is one of the leading distribution and marketing executives in the industry who's overseen the distribution of several Oscar-winning films. Bryce got his start working at Miramax Films and Open Road Films and has worked on hundreds of independent films securing distribution and negotiating contracts. He especially excels in the digital distribution arena. Bryce is heavily involved in the post production aspect of filmmaking working collaboratively with the marketing team to provide data-driven insights on a wide range of marketing components such as one-sheets, trailers, and special events. One of his key interests is negotiating distribution deals with filmmakers and leveraging industry analytics to provide insight into box office potential for each project. And, he's bringing all these years of knowledge to Stage 32. Bryce will help you understand the different types of distribution options available to you in terms of theatrical, SVOD, Day and Date, Foreign and Digital. He'll help you manage realistic expectations when considering the potential for each of these with your film. You will learn how to design your budget and casting in harmony with distribution goals. Then will take you through the anatomy a distribution contract and analyze contract clauses for optimal benefit and to avoid pitfalls. You will learn how to apply this knowledge to negotiate the best possible distribution contract for your film. And, most importantly, Bryce will give you 2 real distribution deal contracts to review so you can understand what to look for and how to apply that to your own deal! "Mind blown. The examples are extremely helpful. I had no idea that recognizing some of the clever way things are written in the contract could potentially harm my chance to make money back on my film." - Mike S.
Understanding a TV Executive's Role (and Why It's Important For You)
It is clear that this is the golden age of television with one incredible series after another coming out on cable, streaming and network. If you're interested in breaking into the world of television, there is one key position that you must know the ins and outs of in order to understand the set - a TV Executive. An TV Executive plays a huge role in a television production, serving as more than a key developer of story, but also a liaison between various departments on set. We've brought in veteran executive Stuart Arbury from Ramo Law (Ramo Law has worked on Netflix's Altered Carbon & Chef's Table, ABC's This Isn't Working, Hulu's Battleground and more). Stuart himself began his career at Captivate Entertainment, Dimension Films and Canvas Media Studios. Arbury was the on-set TV executive for MTV's Scream TV series for two seasons, which was based on the classic horror film franchise. In this webinar, Stuart will walk you through an explanation of the television eco-system and share war stories of his time during Scream. Having worked with various department heads, Stuart will also share tips on getting started in Hollywood on a television production. You will walk away with a clear understanding of a TV executive's role and how it relates to your part of the business, whether you're a writer, producer, director, actor or crew.
Register / Log In
