Condensed film school???

mystico

mystico

Well-known member
I would like to know if anyone knows of an accelerated film school deal. I have 13 years of experience in another field but am getting into wedding and event videography. While I could continue learning by reading forums and perhaps attending conferences, a condensed-type film school would be nice. There has to be some 4-8 week or even 1-day event where people can learn the basics--like iris settings, lighting, camera-movement techniques, 30p vs 60p vs 60i vs 24p, etc. I have the $30 Film School book (don't remember author's name) and I'm looking for something like that in more of a classroom setting. Any ideas?

BTW, I live in the Austin, TX area.
 
go PA or grip on a film shoot for a few days. It's free, and you'll learn ALOT. You might even get paid. Also, sometimes you'll learn how to avoid major mistakes when you do your own stuff....
 
new york film academy (nyfa.com) offers courses for 1,4 and 8 weeks. there's a one week music video course offered too. i'd like to know if it's any good from anyone who's actually been there. they have like 4 different campuses around the country and a few in europe.
 
A few of the community colleges around here have Film Classes, some from basics to more advanced material... maybe its the same in your area?
 
I know they're offering video production classes this summer in Round Rock. I'm not sure what the program actually is or who's offering it. My mother-in-law was just telling me about it. Ooh, I just went back and checked the email she sent me... registration for the Skillpoint Alliance Digital Filmmaking class is now open. Class dates are still TBA but it looks like it's a week or less. You might wanna look into this. Sorry I don't have a link or anything.
 
BootCamp. Might not be film school but you will learn how to use your tool like none other. Thn you can take your knowledge you got and go for it. And you will make allot of mistakes but that is how you learn. Books are good, watch DVD's Rushs new DVD set look like that would be the best trick for you. It gose over everything. While it might not make you the Next Steven Sodaberg (Sorry I spelt that wrong) It will get you on the right track
 
Well, you might want to consider going the online route. I have a friend who lives in Queens, NY and takes an online class. Her instructor is in San Francisco. She loves it because its convenient and effective.

Heres a place to get started to just start looking around. But if this isn't exactly what you are looking for, I'd suggest googling "online film schools" and you'll be on your way.

http://filmplus.org/classes/title.html
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will deinifintely check into local shoots that are looking for crew members, online classes, and especially the Round Rock thing spooky. I have seen requests on craigslist before where crews were looking for members, so I will check there as well. Again, thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Learn, shoot, make a mistake, correct, learn, shoot, make a mistake...

Learn meaning some research on your own.

THE best way to do it.
 
NYFA has a reputation for being a joke, at least in New York. If you're in that area it's not hard to spot students, they're the ones shooting closeups of ants in union square.
 
A couple of years ago I did a NYFA "digital filmmaking" workshop. I really don't think it's a joke, although I'm sure it's not as intensive as some film schools. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

NYFA gets your hands on a DVX (and now HVX) day one, and gets you involved with writing, shooting, and editing (with Final Cut Pro) a variety of projects. In the 4-week course, you will produce a couple of shorts and a short documentary. The first week is classroom time, and during the remainder you will be shooting. You will direct your own films, and work as crew on your classmates' films. Overall it's a fun educational experience, if you have some time and money to spare.

Sure, you can IN THEORY learn just as much if you have a camera and are self-motivated. But with NYFA or some other film school, you get the social/classroom aspect, plus you are FORCED to work on projects in a pseudo-bootcamp atmosphere. It accelerates the learning. After four weeks, you should be pretty comfortable with the basics you want to cover.

Then you graduate to your daily, online film school . . . DVXUser. :)
 
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