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Education
Idyllwild Awards Scholarships for “Hollywood Ending” Writing Contest
For those 13- to 18-year-olds who already know they want a career in moviemaking, steadfastness in knowing what you want to do with your life at such an early age will get you far. But with Idyllwild Arts Academy’s (IAA) announcement to offer scholarships for the 2009-2010 school year to those students who take part in their “Hollywood Ending” contest, you can get even further ahead of the curve.
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Academy of Art Is Off the Beaten Path
Moviemaking hotspots like New York and Los Angeles are generally the first place a potential film school student turns when looking to learn more about the moviemaking process. The cities are host to a plethora of film schools, but you can find a few off the beaten path, too—like Academy of Art University. Located in San Francisco, the university has both BFA and MFA programs and is made up of many schools that target different areas of the arts and offers various courses that cover acting, cinematography, editing and screenwriting, to name a few.
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Kodak Filmschool Winners Shoot For the Sky
Four students, each from a major region of the world, have been named first-place winners in the 2008 Kodak Filmschool competition. Now in its ninth year, the annual contest recognizes outstanding achievements in cinematography by student moviemakers. This year’s winners include Devendra Golatkar from the Film and Television Institute of India, Mateo Soler from the Universidad ORT Uruguay, Aonan Yang from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Canada and Amparo de Miguel Viguer of ECAM in Spain. The winners will receive a trip to the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France, where their films will be presented in the Kodak Short Film Showcase.
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NCSA Becomes UNCSA
Some may not see a big difference between “North Carolina School of the Arts” and “The University of North Carolina School of the Arts,” but the school’s chancellor, John Mauceri, explains that the recent name change “is emblematic, in every sense, of a larger and, for us, deeply important shift in the attitude of our university and state leaders toward the School of the Arts.” The North Carolina School of the Arts became The University of North Carolina School of the Arts after the Governor gave his stamp of approval and signed it into law on August 8th (the bill had previously passed unanimously in the Senate and by a margin of 115 to 1 in the House).
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Vancouver Film School Fishes For YouTube Talent
Online video communities are emerging as ideal places for unknown and often untrained artists to display their work. The Vancouver Film School (VFS) took advantage of this pool of young talent by holding an online competition, in conjunction with YouTube, to award scholarships to three aspiring moviemakers. The winners—Christopher Harrell, Stefan Ramirez Pérez and Jorge Rolando Canedo Estrada—can look forward to a great year spent honing their skills under the direction of accomplished faculty at a school that prizes hands-on experience and produces artists who have the creative vision as well as the technical knowledge they need to gain a foothold in the industry.
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Toshiba and New York Film Academy Name Competition Winner
As part of the ad campaign for its new REGZA brand of LCD TV’s, Toshiba partnered with the New York Film Academy to hold “The One to Watch” Film Competition. Students and alumni of NYFA were invited to create a 29-second film that showed why REGZA is “The One to Watch.” Each film had to tell a complete story and was evaluated by a panel of judges (with representatives from both Toshiba and NYFA) based upon humor, originality and relevance to the contest.
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School of Visual Arts Announces MFA Program in Social Documentary Film
Is there value in creating art that is socially aware? The educators at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) certainly think so as they’ve recently announced a new MFA program in Social Documentary Film to begin in Fall 2009. “It’s our goal that graduates leave this program with films which engage larger issues, and perhaps even impact public policy,” says accomplished moviemaker and chair of the program, Maro Chermayeff.
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Kung Fu Panda Drop Kicks the Competition
Seems like all those promos must have paid off—first at Cannes, then the TV commercial onslaught—as Kung Fu Panda kicked some serious butt at the box office over the weekend, out-grossing Adam Sandler's new film, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, by 50 percent. The animated action flick, featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan, took in $60 million over the weekend—while Zohan earned $40 million.
Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull held strong in the number three position with $22.8 million, while last year's surprise topper, Michael Patrick King's Sex and the City, saw a more than 62 percent decline in ticket sales, with a weekend total of $21.3 million.
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Indiana Jones Whips the Competition
Indiana Jones proved he's still got what it takes—at least in box office clout—as the latest film in the George Lucas-Steven Spielberg franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, whipped the competition, with a box office total on track to be the second biggest Memorial Day movie opening ever. The film, which brings Harrison Ford back in the titular role alongside Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, brought in just over $125 million for the holiday weekend, putting it just behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which had a Friday-through-Monday total of $139.8 million in 2007.
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Lights! Camera! Geritol!
Are audiences ready for a rickety Indiana Jones?
Today’s stars keep themselves in better shape than ever before, and audiences seem to like that. In fact, box office receipts for recent flicks featuring some of our favorite aging action heroes are so encouraging that studio execs are practically rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the new Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) vehicles. Stallone certainly didn’t hurt himself when his more famous screen persona—Rocky Balboa—earned critical acclaim and a respectable $70 million in last year’s titular blockbuster, chasing doubts that the actor-director was simply giving himself a starring role in order to slow a career slide.
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Last Exit to Film Geekdom
Film geeks like to show off; it's in their job description. Whether it's debating the merits of Lars von Trier or discussing which Evil Dead film is the true masterpiece, it's just what they do. Well, thanks to entrepreneur Mike Ford, what they do has just gotten a bit easier to show off. Ford's UK-based company, Last Exit to Nowhere, sells T-shirts based on fictional companies and locations from films. And although the movies represented tend to skew a bit toward cult favorites (designs include the Winchester Tavern from Shaun of the Dead, the Urban Achievers from The Big Lebowski and Jaws' Amity Island), Ford says this was not deliberate.
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Harry Potter’s World Comes to a City Near You
It’s really impossible to hear something like “sorting hat” or “invisibility cloak” and not feel at least a little of the allure of Harry Potter's universe. When the films brought the J.K. Rowling books to life, it was through the costuming, set design and props. In 2009, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” will bring 10,000 square feet of artifacts from the enchanting films to 10 or more cities around the world over a five-year period.
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David Cronenberg Keeps It Short
The 2008 installment of the Make It Short Film Project marks not only the fourth year of the successful Canadian program, but also the fourth year that the film education event has roped in a big name director to help out. This year the project, which invites the public to participate in all aspects of producing a short film, will welcome indie legend David Cronenberg as an executive producer on this year’s film, The Plan. In anticipation of his involvement with the program, Cronenberg recently answered some questions regarding the award-winning Make It Short Film Project.
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Idyllwild Arts Academy Nurtures Young Moviemakers
Many film artisans only begin their professional training in college or afterwards, without any previous formal experience in moviemaking. But Idyllwild Arts Academy, one of three arts-based boarding schools in the country, believes it's the earlier the better when it comes to learning one’s craft.
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AnimationMentor.com Hits Its Stride
A few years ago, three in-demand studio animators—Bobby Beck (Finding Nemo), Shawn Kelly (Transformers) and Carlos Baena (Ratatouille)—joined forces to make their shared vision of a school that would prepare students around the globe for the rigors of a Hollywood animating career a reality. AnimationMentor.com, the 18-month online program they devised, opened its virtual doors on March 27, 2005. With just 350 students and five employees at the end of its first year, the school now boasts 700 pupils and a staff of 28.
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Burlington College Students Lend a Hand to Sundance Winner
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category went to Courtney Hunt's Frozen River. Helping to make the film become a reality were four graduates from the same film school: Burlington College. Graduates Nathan Beaman, Adam Lukens, Justine Bennett and Georgia Pantazopoulos, along with Matt Tanner who also took classes at Burlington, all worked as members of the camera and lighting crew on the prize-winning film. Additionally, Beaman and Lukens also worked on two other Grand Jury Prize-nominated films, Clark Gregg's Choke and Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Sugar.
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Enhance Your Education with SmartFlix
Looking to boost your moviemaking know-how, but not sure if film school is right for you? SmartFlix may be just what you’re looking for. A rental-by-mail service, SmartFlix specializes in instructional videos, and with a wide assortment of film-related titles, customers can check out videos on subjects ranging from screenwriting and directing to special effects to claymation and puppets.
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Hollins University Continues a Tradition of Talent
Since its inception in 1999, Virginia's Hollins University’s Screenwriting and Film Studies master's degree program has scored some major talent to teach its courses, including Oscar-winning Dutch moviemaker Marleen Gorris. The tradition continues this year with Mari Kornhauser, writer and co-producer of Zandalee, starring Nicolas Cage, and The Last Ride, with Mickey Rourke, who will be teaching Narrative Theory and Practice for Screenwriters. While Jan-Christopher Horak, acting director of the Moving Images Archives Program at UCLA, will be the professor of Film Analysis and Research.
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Colorado Film School Approaches Education from Every Angle
Colorado has a long history of film production, whether that is existing to serve the Western locales of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or the understated comedy of About Schmidt. It is a tradition and community that continues to be served today through the classes at the Colorado Film School. An offspring of the Community College of Aurora and the University of Colorado Denver, the school offers students a rounded curriculum in the way of both theory and production, explains school director Frederic Lahey.
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Top 10 Movie Cities 2008
MM’s eighth annual countdown of the best places to live, work and make movies
From Austin to Albuquerque and plenty of places in between, MovieMaker's eighth annual countdown of the 10 best places to live, work and make movies in the U.S.
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Patrice Leconte Goes “On Set With French Cinema”
New York film students now have the opportunity to learn from—and even collaborate with—three of France’s most revered moviemakers, as On Set with French Cinema, sponsored by Unifrance and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues this January with several events, including screenings and master classes, featuring accomplished French director Patrice Leconte (My Best Friend, The Man on the Train). Renowned moviemakers Benoît Jacquot (The Untouchable) and Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) are also taking part in this year’s edition of On Set with French Cinema.
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CDIA Makes Media That Matters
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At the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, students can pursue studies in Digital Filmmaking, Photography, Audio Production and 3D Animation in a setting that honors the tried-and-true traditions of moviemaking while utilizing the newest technology.
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ASC Shines Spotlight on Student Moviemakers
With a nod to the future of moviemaking, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has chosen Andrew M. Davis of Chapman University and Sean Stiegemeier of the American Film Institute (AFI) as recipients of the Laszlo Kovacs Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography.
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The Digital Revolution Sweeps New York Film Academy
Jerry Sherlock plays with fire
For Jerry Sherlock, nothing compares to hands-on experience--the thrill of moviemaking while holding the camera and playing with fire. So he founded the New York Film Academy in 1992 with the hope of offering all ranges of artists the opportunity to get quality instruction in the heart of the indie scene.
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The Robert Rodriguez Effect
Forget Welles and Hitchcock. Today’s film students want to be the next Rodriguez.
When it comes to getting an education in film, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all option. But apparently the same can’t be said for a film school’s “model moviemaker.”
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Film Arts Foundation Still Growing Strong
After 30 years, Film Arts Foundation more relevant than ever in digital age
In 1976, the Film Arts Foundation opened in San Francisco with 15 original members. Today it's still growing-servicing more than 2,400 members-and changing with these digital times. Veteran and independent moviemakers find assistance through the foundation in all aspects of the industry, from education to distribution.
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Learning By Doing
At Jerry Sherlock's New York Film Academy, instructors prefer a hands-on approach
For most moviemakers, a career as a successful Hollywood
producer would be enough to satisfy the creative urge. But for Jerry
Sherlock, executive producer on John McTiernan's The Hunt for
Red October and a number of other Hollywood hits, the desire
to teach the craft of moviemaking was always a lingering desire.
He acted on that desire 10 years ago when he founded the New York
Film Academy.
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Film Education’s Maine Attraction
A Conversation with Int'l Film & TV Workshops Founder David Lyman
Anyone can tell you that America's moviemaking hotspots are
Los Angeles and New York City. But what about Rockport, Maine?
With the help of David Lyman, founder of the International
Film & Television Workshops, Rockport has become an important
outpost in the world of cinema education. In this interview,
Lyman discusses the benefits of his sleepy seaside town, and
how Mary Ellen Mark and Conrad Hall helped to make the program
what it is today.
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Of Cinema and Cargo Pants
Palm Beach Film School's Jim York provides words of wisdom for the moviemaker of tomorrow
Palm Beach, Florida may first bring to mind images of sandy beaches, palm trees, alligators and the Everglades, but more and more novice moviemakers are finding it is the perfect city to start learning their craft. The Palm Beach Film School (PBFS) has been largely responsible for this indie boom, bringing together the various members of Palm Beach's moviemaking community to provide its students with a top-notch education in the cinema arts.
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Training the Next Generation
Exploring the "professional difference" at San Francisco's Academy of Art College
With hundreds of schools now competing for enrollment, choosing the right film education program can be an exhausting process. Students looking for a professional approach to moviemaking-and the chance to network with seasoned professionals-might want to add San Francisco's Academy of Art College to their short list.
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Truly Moving Images
The Center for International Disaster Information announces a call to arms for film students looking to make a difference
Socially-conscious moviemaking is on the rise-from thought-provoking documentaries like Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts to dramatic adaptations of real-world atrocities such as those seen in Hotel Rwanda and The Last King of Scotland. But how does a film student break into this arena? The Center for International Disaster Information's PSAid Film Contest may be the answer.
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The New School’s Truth, Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth
The New School is about to graduate its first Documentary Studies class-and is gearing up for year two
Box office receipts confirm what The New School's assistant chair for documentary studies Annie Howell already knows: "Documentaries are hot!" This current trend toward truth in moviemaking has prompted the New York City-based university to create an all-new Certificate in Documentary Media Studies, a one-year, full-time, graduate-level program.
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The Business of Making Movies
1. Make a Film. 2. Develop a Career. Metropolitan College of New York's Dr. Faye Ran-Moseley gives an overview of the school's unique program
It's no secret that the film industry is part business and
part artistry. But when it comes to film education, a focus
on the latter has long been the norm. Metropolitan College
of New York (formerly Audrey Cohen College) is breaking the
rules when it comes to film education and leaving a string
of successful graduates in its wake. With an MBA program that
focuses solely on Media Management (not to mention a trip
to the Cannes Film Festival) Metropolitan College is redefining
the usual approach to film school with fantastic results.
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Writers University: A Name Writers Can Trust
The Writers Store dives headfirst into education with Writers University
With so many film education options out there, it's nice to see a name you know. After years of providing beginner and veteran screenwriters with the tools they need to be successful, Los Angeles' The Writers Store is jumping headfirst into the world of film education. With Writers University, the company is giving aspiring and professional writers alike the chance to perfect their craft-when it's convenient for them.
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The UCLA Professionals Program
Higher Film Education That Fits Your Schedule
Long known as one of the world's top film schools, UCLA's dedication
to education doesn't end with each semester's incoming class.
UCLA Professional Programs Coordinator Stephanie Moore
chats with MM about the curriculum and how the Internet is revolutionizing
the way film is seen and taught today.
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Posted 12.3.08 | Video Views Pick | 1 comment
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