Folks from the Asian Arts Initative passed on the following opportunity:
A CALL FOR YOUTH APPRENTICES
Under the guidance of award-winning independent filmmaker Gary San Angel, four youth apprentices will participate in an intensive weeklong video-editing, documentary-making workshop during August 17-21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The program is completely free. In fact, upon satisfactory completion of the workshop, each youth apprentice will be paid a $100 stipend.
The apprenticeship is open to all youth 13 to 21 years old. Asian Americans are especially encouraged to apply. Some video-editing or related experience is required.
Please complete the application (which is available from the Asian Arts Initiative website) then drop it off at Asian Arts Initiative (1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107) OR e-mail it to toni@asianartsinitiative.org.
Application deadline is August 10, 2009. If you have questions, please contact Toni at (215)557-0455.
3 Things to Consider Before You Begin to Learn Filmmaking
Directing and making movies is a lot of fun. You can learn filmmaking in a short period of time and begin filming for fun and profit if you like. However, before you invest in an education and learn anything else about filmmaking there are 3 things you should consider.
Budget
Filmmaking is a lot of fun, like we said earlier. However, but budget are you going to set on your films? This is a question you should answer before you even start filming. Keep in mind you’ll need to pay for actors, props, directors, editors, lighting and so on. So before you invest a dollar into your film, decide on your budget so you know what you have to work with.
Equipment and Computer Programs
You don’t need the newest highest price HD camera to make a great film. However, usually the better the equipment you have, the better quality of film you will produce. Consider your computer and what kind of computer programs you’ll need for it. Make sure you invest in good editing software. You can shoot a terrible film, but a good job editing will cover a multitude of sins.
What’s The Plot?
Don’t mess this one up. If you want to learn filmmaking, you should read a few books from some great film directors. They share their stories on how to come up with a good plot and it’s really quite interesting. Decide if you want a comedy, drama or action. Then pick the actors you believe will fill the roles you have written the best. Keep in mind, the plot concept can take longer than the actual filmmaking itself. Do you think Star Wars was put together over night? Not likely. Developing a plot will consist of sitting down with a pen and paper and “thinking” all over your paper. Some of the best authors and directors use this technique. You should too.
When you just start to learn filmmaking or enter a Film College, these are not ideas often thrown at you. However, you should consider these 3 concepts before you begin your film career to see if filmmaking is even right for you.