Posts Tagged Digital Filmmaking Programs
Shooting and Editing From Soup to Nuts
Digital Media Academy News + Events | April 22nd, 2010 by Lee Manansala
My classmates and colleagues and I have a particular way of speaking to each other when we discuss film and filmmaking, and after three years of film school the language we share is fairly rich and fairly idiosyncratic. One of the expressions we like to use is “from soup to nuts,” which means from beginning to end (back in the early 19 somethin-or-others, a meal at a restaurant started with soup and ended with nuts).
How long is the movie, from soup to nuts?
How much is the camera package going to cost, from soup to nuts?
Wow! She took first prize at Sundance!? How much did she win, from soup to nuts?
You get the idea. You’ll notice that the three examples I gave all have to do with money. That’s because, to be perfectly honest, film school is an expensive endeavor. I’m sure I speak for all my classmates when I say that we wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. We’re doing what we love, we’re getting better at doing it, and we’re surrounded by people who support and believe in our work, and we know that once we enter the professional filmmaking world we probably won’t be in such a comfortable environment. That’s not to say, though, that everything about filmmaking is prohibitively expensive. The actual equipment one needs to make a film, from soup to nuts, is very affordable. Chances are, you already own the major components. They are:
A video camera:
Most new video cameras shoot onto memory cards. The new handheld, consumer grade cameras yield a really impressive image, and they shoot in HD, but cameras that shoot on standard definition mini-DV are great, too. They’re just as easy to use, they have all the ports necessary to edit footage, and the fact that you’re shooting onto tape gives you the added security of having actual masters, meaning a tangible copy of the original footage you can archive.
A computer with at least 100 gigs of hard drive space:
For the Digital Filmmaking for Teens courses we use Apple computers because Final Cut Studio, the editing and finishing software we teach, only runs on Macs. I personally have a MacBook Pro with 4 gigs of RAM, and it edits High Definition footage like a champ. Before that, though, I had a PowerBook G4, and if I didn’t start getting professional editing work that requires a more robust processor I’d still be using it.
For now, a computer with a lot of hard drive space, at least 100gigs, will suffice. But once you start getting serious about your film projects, you’re going to want to invest in an external hard drive. Something in the 250 gig range is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure that the drive spins at 7200 rpm and that it has a FireWire port (as opposed to just a USB port). Glyph hard drives are really reliable and come with a great warranty. Here’s the drive that just about everyone at NYU used during first year. You’ll notice that it works out to less than a dollar per gig:
Editing Software:
We teach Final Cut Studio at Digital Media Academy, and it is in my opinion the best editing software on the market today. The interface is very intuitive because most of the editing is done on the timeline; you trim the clips, move them to where they belong in the story, and before you know it you have a movie. Final Cut Studio comes with the programs Color (a great color correction tool), Compression, Live Type, and DVD Studio, which is such a powerful program that I’d pay up to $500 dollars for it if it were sold separately.
Blank DVD’s:
To screen your movie! Look for bundles of DVD-r; they also work great as back-up storage media.
And that, from soup to nuts, is what you need to make a movie: a camera, a computer, editing software, and blank DVD’s, and much of this equipment can be purchased at DMA at a considerable discount. In my classes, I make it clear that the important part about making a movie—the writing and storytelling—is free. It’s entirely within you. Now, with cameras, computers, and editing software at such reasonable prices, the expensive part isn’t all that expensive, either.
I am teaching DMA’s Digital Filmmaking for Teens courses at Harvard and Brown University this summer.
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Editing in the real world.
Digital Media Academy News + Events | March 23rd, 2010 by Instructor
By Jenn Garrison, Filmmaking for Teens/Adults and Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Instructor
I have been teaching for DMA for almost 6 years now!
Wow! I always love the experience of working with the enthusiastic students that come to the variety of DMA classes I teach. I primarily teach Final Cut Pro courses as well as narrative film-making for both adults and teens.
When I am not teaching for DMA, I continue to shoot my own projects as well as teach and edit projects for some of the major studios here in Los Angeles.
I’ve taught editors how to use Final Cut Pro at Paramount, Sony and even NBC/Universal.
Over the fall, and currently, I have been cutting webisodes for networks like NBC/Universal and Mun2.
I love bringing samples of my professional work into the classroom when I teach, to better show my students what I face in the “real-reel” world media making environment. Some students want to pursue careers in Hollywood, some just want to make their vision come across the screen. Either way, I am there to help them however I can.
For this blog, I wanted to share some examples from one of the more recent editing I’ve done.
They are nothing fancy, and something that anyone who learns Final Cut Pro in DMA’s courses can certainly tackle. Enjoy!
Docusodes (a new genre for the web) created for NBC’s new show “Parenthood”
Sony Renews Official Sponsorship of Digital Media Academy
Digital Media Academy News + Events | April 6th, 2009 by David
Sony Continues To Provide Professional HD Video Equipment For DMA Film and Video Courses Given At College and University Campuses in U.S. and Canada
Campbell, CA — The Digital Media Academy (DMA), a leading provider of film and video training for educators, adult learners and teens, announced today that Sony Electronics has renewed its official sponsorship and will remain the exclusive supplier of video equipment for DMA’s courses. Sony provides its most current state-of-the-art professional high-definition video cameras and other equipment for use by students in DMA consolidated classes, which take place throughout the summer on college and university campuses including Stanford, Brown, Harvard, U of Chicago, U of British Columbia in Vancouver, U of Texas, Austin and many more.
“DMA is thrilled to continue its successful relationship with Sony as a corporate sponsor,” said Dave Livingston, Director of Instruction for the Academy and its programs. “We’ve made our name providing beginner to advanced training for teens and adults, using the latest and greatest industry standard tools. This relationship puts the cutting-edge, professional Sony video technology, including the HDV™ series of digital video camcorders, directly into the hands of our film and video students.”
Sony’s high-definition camcorders are the choice of professionals working in a range of video applications including electronic field production and newsgathering, and event videography, as well as leading university film and video programs.
“Training programs like the Digital Media Academy are an important part of Sony’s educational focus,” said Shari Sentlowitz, Sony’s Education and Government marketing manager. “We are committed to preparing the next generation of industry professionals and educators, and we’re pleased to continue to be the exclusive video products provider to DMA’s film and video courses.”
About the Digital Media Academy:
The Digital Media Academy (DMA) is a nationally-recognized organization offering hands-on learning in a broad range of digital media technologies. DMA offers a wide range of courses targeted at kids, teens, adults and educators, Founded in 2001 by a group of professionals from Stanford University, DMA is known for its premier summer programs hosted at prestigious destination campuses nationwide. In addition to its summer programs, DMA provides on-site training to schools and companies throughout the year. For more information, go to http://www.digitalmediaacademy.org or call 866-656-3342.
