The Motion Picture Institute’s soundstage comes to life as students crew up on an in-class film production. Sets are constructed and actors are brought into class. Students light, shoot, and record audio in a simulated production environment. This course provides immediate “hands-on” training with students learning to run a film set. Students become proficient in camera operation, studio lighting, and digital sound recording. Students learn key set commands, interdepartmental communications, paperwork related to camera, sound, script continuity & assistant directing. Small group tutorials, production assignments and departmental rotations offer students crucial production training.

Lighting a film requires both an artistic and technical understanding of its application. For this reason, this course teaches students how to use specific small and medium size fresnel, florescent, LED, HMI, practical and reflected light sources and modifiers to achieve a desired look. The most commonly encountered lighting scenarios, problems, and solutions are explored through the lighting of an actual film set or location. Students learn to handle grip and electric gear including frames, a Matthews and Fisher dolly with track, and set up a power distribution grid. This course utilizes specific clips from well known films as a model to demonstrate how a particular look is achieved using light and instrumentation. Students are graded on lighting assignments.

This course teaches students location sound recording techniques. Beginning with the tech scout of locations, student select hardware for the job and prep gear. They learn on set skills for slating, microphone placement, using wireless and time code systems, boom operation, monitoring, setting levels, dealing with difficult location situations, proper care and maintenance of equipment, detailing sound logs, and sound mixing techniques. Using Davinci Fairlight students learn to edit and mix audio tracks for dialgoue, fx, foley, ADR and music. Students learn the entire audio pipeline for delivering a completed stereo mix for film. Students are graded on equipment proficiency and short audio recording assignments.

This course provides advanced training as a motion picture camera operator, camera assistant or data manager. Students learn to identify the latest in motion picture camera and lens technologies in the professional market. Special attention is given to the various features of specific camera models and the critical factors for selecting a particular system for a production. This also includes techniques for checking lens quality and how to evaluate the lens before entering the field.

Students learn essential field skills for conducting a camera prep for both film and digital cameras as well as the daily set routines for the camera operator, 1st and 2nd assistant camera positions. Emphasis is also placed on evaluating color rendition in the use of reference field monitors and LUTs (look up tables). Students learn how these tools are used and their impact on maintaining the vision of the cinematographer from exposure to post production.

There are a multitude of productions that film professionals will do in between the larger projects when they are just starting out. These types of productions range from low budget commercial spots for the web, weddings, music videos, testimonials, depositions, local sporting events, charities, corporate communications, recitals, and how-to videos. These types of productions have slightly different dynamics and require a modified approach to make them both efficient and profitable. This course teaches students a variety of techniques for planning, shooting and delivering a quality project for these small scale productions where the crew size ranges from one to ten persons.

In this course previous student work is reviewed. Camera work, lighting, and sound is analyzed to teach students to develop a critical eye for evaluating how a shot was achieved and why it worked or didn’t.

Every element in a the frame should be intentional. The job of the production designer is to interpret the script and the director’s vision for the film and translating it into physical environments in which the actors can develop their characters and present the story. This course takes students into the world of the production designer and art director as they learn the various job duties and responsibilities of these roles and the craftsmen that work under them. Topics include: art department personnel, script breakdown, finding a look, researching, concept drawings and art references, color palettes, color theory, location scouting, transforming locations, set design, set construction, set dressing, propping, prop and mold making, scenic art, costume design, planning and scheduling, and working on set. Students are tasked with applying these skills to in class assignments and thesis film projects.

Each student is required to work on a capstone project. Students are given the option to direct a thesis film, write a feature length or episodic television pilot, or work in a key crew position on a thesis film where they will develop and improve essential production skills. This course is conducted in a conservatory style curriculum as students will select their area of focus and must work independently outside of class in that role. As students must work on each others’ film projects, class time is devoted in part to production meetings and producing topics.

Course lecture topics include: location scouting & management, casting, assistant directing, production coordinating, transportation, managing a production office, cast and crew deal memos, start paperwork, time cards, writers’ agreement & copyright assignment, clearance and copyright. Students are graded on in class participation and reports related to their capstone projects.

Thesis projects (film, screenplay or crew) are scheduled outside of class during the third and fourth terms. Students are REQUIRED to attain greenlight status before they begin principle photography. Thesis films can be of any type (narrative, documentary, music video, commercial, experimental, etc.