Berkshire Film & Media Commission Filmmaking Classes
With IS183 Art School of the Berkshires.
By: BFMC - Jul 16, 2011
Free movie-making discussion series begins Tuesday, July 19, with panel of film industry professionals on "Pre-Production."
The Berkshire Film and Media Commission and IS183 Art School of the Berkshires announce an innovative, new collaboration to offer filmmaking classes, workshops, and seminars at the art school's facility in Stockbridge.
Free movie-making discussion series begins Tuesday, July 19, with panel of film industry professionals on "Pre-Production." This collaboration will also include a specific course on the Art of Storyboarding and an intensive Screenwriting workshop.
Next Tuesday's Roundtable Discussion on Pre-Production will touch on ideas and concepts, story development, art direction, screenwriting, storyboarding, location scouting, and producing. Film industry participants include Robert Taylor, who was a longtime art director for Douglas Trumbull, who helped design attractions for Luxor in Las Vegas and whose film work includes Judge Dredd, Eraser, and Event Horizon, as well as the Book of Pooh for Disney television, and Berkshire Film executive director Diane Pearlman, who has extensive credits in children's entertainment and, as executive producer and general manager of the visual effects firm Mass.Illusion, worked on such films as The Matrix, What Dreams May Come, and Starship Troopers. Evan Gregg, founder of The Location Reservoir, will talk about location scouting.
Participants in the Production roundtable discussion on July 26 include cinematographer JP Lipa, who works as a director of photographer and assistant director on films and commercials, and who shot the last known footage of Michael Jackson for the film This is It; filmmaker Marc Maurino, whose short All in the Game recently screened in the Berkshire International Film Festival, and who recently sold a feature film script to CBS Films; and Limelight Productions founder William Beautyman, who will address equipment needs on set as well as his role as a gaffer (on-set electrician). Panelists for the Post-Production discussion on August 2 are still being finalized, but will include visual effects producer/supervisor John Nugent, founder of Sandbox FX, who has worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Surrogates.
The three Make a Movie roundtable discussions are free of charge; pre-registration through IS183 is required. Call 413.298.5252 ext. 100 to reserve.
Art director Robert Taylor will return to IS183 for the remaining four Tuesdays in August to teach The Art of Storyboarding. This course runs on August 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at a cost of $132. In the fall, IS183 will also offer a 12-week screenwriting workshop taught by Stephen Glantz, who has worked in film and television for more than 25 years as a writer, editor, and producer.
Berkshire Film's Diane Pearlman explained that education is among the top priorities of the commission. "We have an established base of film industry pros in this region, and they have years of experience and knowledge to share with the community," she said. "Offering courses through IS183 is a perfect fit, as film is an amalgamation of so many of the arts. The various phases of the filmmaking process involve writing, drawing, photography, new media skills, graphic design, and even sculpture when creating models for sets and computer graphics."
"All Make a Movie panelists are industry professionals who are volunteering their time for this series, and we're pleased to be able to present this first course free of charge to the community," said Pearlman. "Ongoing courses in moviemaking skills can eventually help create a skilled workforce, which would help attract more movie productions to this region."
Hope Sullivan, executive director of IS183, said, "We are thrilled to be working with another community partner, the Berkshire Film and Media Commission, to connect the Berkshire community with the wealth of creative talent that resides amongst us. We're strong supporters of Berkshire Film's efforts to bring the film industry here and committed to offering educational opportunities in this visual medium."
To register for film courses offered at IS183, or for more information on the art school, please call 413.298.5252 ext. 100 or visit IS183.org.
The Berkshire Film and Media Commission was established in 2009 to serve as an economic and cultural engine in Berkshire County by promoting and facilitating local filmmaking and new media opportunities. For more information on Berkshire Film, please visit www.BerkshireFilm.com or contact Diane Pearlman: Diane@BerkshireFilm.com; 413.258.4223.