For
Adults
(Open to anyone age
18 and up)
6pm-9pm evenings in early
June
Class limited to maximum of 12 participants!
(minimum of 4 must enroll to have class)
For
Teens
(Open to anyone age
12-18)
9am-5pm all day in
mid/late July
Class limited to maximum of 20 participants!
(minimum of 10 must enroll to have class)
MORE DETAILS and links to registration forms
at
http://www.english.und.edu/2009MovieCamp.html
Co-sponsored by
UND
Department of English
UND
Department of Visual Arts
[This page last
updated on May 20, 2009]
Schedules
June
1-12, 2009 (adults)
July
20-24, 2009 (teens)
Monday
through Friday Afternoons
Week 1: Writing for
the Screen
Adult workshop Mon-Fri, June 1-5
6:00 - 9:00 pm nightly
Teen workshop Mon-Tue, July 20-21
9:00 am - 5:00 pm daily
Week 2: Production
and Editing
Adult workshop Mon-Fri, June 8-12
6:00 - 10:00 pm nightly
Teen workshop Wed-Fri, July 22-24
9:00 am - 5:00 pm daily
NOTE: only scripts written or revised
during Week 1 will be considered for production in Week 2
Registration:
· $185 for full 2-week adult workshop
(SAVE $20!)
· $ 80 for Screenwriting only
(June 1-5)
· $125 for Production only (June 8-12)
· $205 for 1-week teen all-day moviecamp
(July 20-24)
· 185 earlybird
discount price if registered before July 1!
(Make check payable to UND)
Include: name, address, school & grade, parent or guardian
signature, and emergency contact info
Mail registration with
payment to:
SUMMER MOVIE CAMP,
UND English Dept. mailstop 7209, Grand Forks ND 58202
MORE DETAILS and links to registration forms
at
http://www.english.und.edu/2009MovieCamp.html
CLICK HERE for printer-friendly Registration Form to fill out and mail with
payment.
Registration for either one-week session includes instruction,
textbook, DVD of class movies, and 2 tickets to a World Premiere screening of
the class movies planned for the weekend of July 31st (time &
place TBA). Additional copies of the DVD may be purchased at $10 each.
Registration includes two tickets to the premiere screening.
A workshop of the UND English Department in co-operation with
the UND Department of Visual Arts
Merrifield Hall classroom and Hughes Fine Arts Center video
editing lab
REQUIRED TEXT:
Christopher P. Jacobs, “Instant
Film School” – No-budget Moviemaking with Digital Video (supplied to
workshop participants)
INSTRUCTORS:
UND English Department senior lecturers Christopher P. Jacobs and Kathleen King
Kathy Coudle King has written a number
of screenplays, and has both written and produced numerous stage plays.
Christopher Jacobs has completed six feature-length digital movies
since 2002, and numerous short films since age 14.
TEN GOOD BOOKS TO HAVE ON YOUR SHELF:
Alexander Mackendrick, On Film-Making ISBN # 0-571-21125-9
Dale Newton and John Gaspard, Digital Filmmaking
101 ISBN# 0-941-18833-7
Laurent Tirard, Moviemakers' Master Class ISBN # 0-571-21102-X
David Howard and Edwared Mabley,
The Tools of Screenwriting ISBN #
0-312-11908-9
Denny
Martin Flinn, How
NOT to Write a Screenplay ISBN #
1-58065-015-5
Syd Field, The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver ISBN # 0-440-50491-0
John Gardner, The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers ISBN # 0-679-73403-1
Rick Schmidt, Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices ISBN # 0-14-029184-9
Bret Stern, How to Shoot a Feature Film
for Under $10,000 and not go to jail
ISBN # 0-06-008467-7
Michael C. Donaldson, Clearance &
Copyright ISBN # 1-879595-72-X
OVERVIEW
“Film as literature” has long been recognized as a valid subject
for serious study in an English Department, but has generally centered on
analysis of existing works, whereas creative writing classes foster mastering
the forms of short stories, poems, essays, and novels.
This is intended as a concise but comprehensive course on using
recent digital technology for personal self-expression in the dominant literary
form of the past century—moving pictures—starting with the written word (the
screenplay).
SYLLABUS
The class may view one or more episodes of “Project Greenlight.” One or more feature films with DVD audio
commentary tracks may also be assigned for home viewing. Locally made and student movies may also be
shown and discussed as examples of motion picture production realities and/or
what can be done with limited means. Each student will write one script, from
which the class project(s) will be chosen. If a substantial number of students
have previous moviemaking experience, the class may divide into two or more
smaller groups, each making its own short movie or (depending on scripts
submitted) doing selected scenes for a longer movie. Dedicated participation is
critical, as the main project for the class will be a group effort. There will
be no exams.
Class meeting schedule
(Adult writing workshop will be condensed into three days, and participants can
use the rest of the week to get a head start on preproduction
arrangements)
Tentative syllabus (subject to change):
WRITING WEEK
·
Monday - basic elements of screenwriting for a low budget; screenplay
format; brainstorming story ideas
–HOMEWORK: write screenplay
·
Tuesday – write screenplays
–HOMEWORK: revise screenplays
·
Wednesday – revise and polish screenplays
–HOMEWORK: watch a movie on DVD twice, the second
time with the audio commentary (title TBA)
·
Thursday - the producer’s responsibilities for organizing the project so
it can be completed; read screenplays and discuss preproduction
needs
–HOMEWORK: continue preproduction
work as needed and/or watch another movie on DVD with audio commentary track
·
Friday - effective and efficient methods of shooting scenes and working
with actors, planning in advance for continuity editing; choose screenplay(s)
for production
WEEKEND HOMEWORK – work on
production(s) independently, if desired
PRODUCTION WEEK
·
Monday - basic principles of camera composition and lighting for a “film
look”; angles, lens focal lengths, camera movements, tripods, etc.; begin
production of the class script(s)
·
Tuesday - finish production
·
Wednesday – last-minute shooting; evaluating raw footage and possible
post-production “fixes” for faults; editing the footage for maximum impact
·
Thursday – completing “roughcut”; adding sound effects, ADR, and music
scoring
·
Friday - final editing, viewing and evaluation
Depending upon student interest,
previous experience, and equipment availability, the class may make either
several short small-group productions or one longer full-class production. The
final completed project(s) for both the adult and teen workshops will be
screened at a world premiere at the historic Empire Theatre in downtown Grand
Forks, starting at 2:00 pm Sunday, June 29th.
CONSIDERATIONS TO THINK ABOUT
·
Develop story ideas from recent
news stories, personal experiences, favorite movie genres
·
Be sure to take into account how
you might actually produce the concepts you have in mind
·
Make an outline of your basic
plot development (setup, confrontation, payoff),
then fill it in with descriptions of the action, and finally
the dialogue
·
Contact friends and
acquaintances about using locations and/or props
·
Set aside a realistic amount of
time for shooting and editing
·
What sort of close-ups, inserts,
and cutaways might add interest or dramatic impact to each scene?
·
What sort of transitions between
scenes will make things easier for the audience to follow?
·
How might music and/or extra
sound effects help intensify your scenes?
ADDITIONAL READINGS
FREE SCREENPLAY FORMATTING
TEMPLATE for MICROSOFT WORD
(To download, right-click and select
“save as”
-- then choose the folder on your hard
drive where you want it)
REFERENCE MATERIALS
Notes for the
UND “Intro to Film” class
Low-budget
and no-budget independent movies made in this region