At The New
Renaissance Florence Film School we offer week long workshops in every
aspect of Film Production. Our Workshops are designed as a professional
and creative laboratory for Artists who want to strengthen their craft,
deepen their artistic expression and expand their creative palettes. Our
unique learning environment utilizes the art and energy of the Past
Renaissance to help the evolving artists of the New Renaissance to reach a
more profound level of creativity and professionalism.
We have
assembled a staff of professionals from all over the world to mentor
students in their field of expertise and help them on their personal
journey to better define their own unique style. We seek to join the
divine aspect of humanity with the technological advancements creating
profound and meaningful art in all disciplines.
These Workshops are open to the community of Florence for a limited time.
Space is limited.
Summer Workshops: 2008
Screenplay Writing:
Workshop 101
~450 euros
July
7th -11th : Screenplay Writing:
This
class is conducted by a professional screenplay writers and
authors. Students will leave the class with a perfected Pitch, and
a completed Professional Short Screenplay or Documentary Script or
a Treatment for a Feature length Screenplay. Student will also
learn to recognize their own unique way of putting words and
images together. All completed Screenplay shorts will be reviewed
by our production company Infinite Human Productions for
consideration.
The
Workshop includes:
Writers’ Laboratory: 2 hours daily of intensive instruction and
experimental exercises where students will learn the foundation of
solid screenplay writing:
Students
will learn the foundation of solid story structure popularized by
Joseph Campbell mentor to George Lucas the creator of Star Wars.
Students will learn how to write Professional scripts and make
them highly personal and original by delvinginto their own personal journey as the hero in their story,
facing their shadow self anduncoveringtheir own unique story telling style and writer’s voice.Students will learn how to create rich full characters that
come to life as they move into their own unchartered areas of self
discovery and risk being unique!
In
the Field:
The
Writer’s Tour of Florence:
Students
utilize the art of
Florence
as a way of inspiring them to create rich and deeply personal
characters that will help the hero as they journey through their
life story. Students will pay respects to the writers who went
before them then enter into the secret world of symbols,
metaphors, and dreams that speak to the sub conscious of their
audience and learn how to translate them into their own artistic
vision to more effectively impact their audience.
Topics
Covered:
Perfecting
the Pitch
Mythic
Story Structure
Jungian
Archetypes
The
Hero’s Journey: Three Act Structure
Creating
Compelling Characters that drive the plot.
Weaving
Plot, Theme and Structure
The
Creative Use of Metaphor
Creating
Strong Dialog
The
Mechanics of Writing a Professional Script
There
will be a great deal of time dedicated forindependent writing assignments and completion of the final
Screenplay.
Acting and Directing for the Camera:
Workshop 102
~450 euros
July
14th-18th : Acting and Directing for the
Camera:
This
class is taught by professional Directors and Performing Artists.
Its unique focus is to bring Actors and Directors together to
learn how to analysis and break down Scripts, block and rehearse
scenes, find their marks and deliver their highest
performances in front of the camera. Students will have the
opportunity to perform on both sides of the camera to gain a
better understanding of the creative process and the collaborative
efforts involved in intuitive acting and directing. Students will
write, direct and perform a
short personal monologue which will be filmed and used as part of
their professional portfolio or as an audition piece. These
audition pieces will also be put into our data based to be used
for casting in Student Films, Theatre Companies and Professional
Films that are shot on location here in
Florence
. While the workshop is very challenging we also create a
nurturing, safe and creatively free environment where actors canexperiment and play!
Theatrical
Laboratory :
This
portion of the acting workshop will help actors unblock any thing
that may be stopping them from fully expressing themselves. They
will gently move through their personal restrictions gaining a
stronger sense oftheir
true selves and more confidence in letting go and trusting their
own inner voice. Actors and directors will learn to trust their
gut feelings about a character and go with their intuitive
interpretations.
Writing
Laboratory:
Students
will learn have the opportunity to create and write their write
their own monolog that best exhibits their talents.
Directing
Laboratory
:
Students
will work behind the camera learning how to the analysis script
for beats and movement of emotions, block scenes and frame shots
to best capture the mood, tone and drama of a particular scene. Actor
Whisperer: Actors and
Directors will take turns coaching one and other to help actors
reach their most relaxed and powerful performance in front of the
camera. Through the tools of intuitive directing Actors and
Directors will collaborate together to make create a comfortable,
relaxed working environment and deepen the understanding and
expression of the actor.
On
Location Shooting:
Students
will also have the opportunity to film on location learning how to
work with crowd control and maintaining concentration with the
distractions of on location shooting.
Analysis:
Student
will then to play back their performances learning to constructive
analysis their work and use it as an impetus for self improvement.
Cinematography and Lighting:
Workshop 103
~650 euros
July
21st -25th: Cinematography and Lighting
Under
the guidance of a professional Award Winning Cinematographers
students will have the opportunity to develop their own inner
artistic eye. They will learn the basics involved in motivating
the frames by story using composition ,color line, symbolic
representation, and creating mood and tone through lighting.
Students will see film clips by diverse directors and have the
opportunity to analysis them and extract elements they would like
to incorporate into their own style.
Workshop
consists of:
Lecture
Series 2 hours daily.
In
The Field Assignments:
Students
will learn by observing the artistic developments and techniques
of the Master Artists through out the ages and how they developed
perspective, line, color and composition. They will see how they
representedthe
mundane and celestial worlds , their use of Chiaro Scuro
techniques to create lighting effects and shadows.
Students
will collect their own portfolio of visual images, analysis them
in class based on their effective use of the elements of
composition they will have studied.
Story
Telling with Imagery:
Students
will learn how to arrange their pictures into a sequence that
motivates the frame by a theme.
Analysis:
Students
will have the opportunity to constructive analysis their work and
see where they can improve on their style and technique and begin
to become aware of their unique way of perceiving the world around
them.
This
Class is perfect for Film makers and Photographers who wish to
perfect their technical skills and more profoundly develop their
own inner artistic eye.
Animation and Motion Graphics:
Workshop 104
~650 euros
July
28th- August 1 Animation and Motion Graphics:
Students
will learn the basics of drawing, creating animation and motion
graphicsand
developing story boards using a variety of skills, techniques and
soft ware. This is a perfect workshop for students who want to
gain an understanding of the multitude of possibilities that now
exist in the fields of Animation and Motion Graphics that can be
used to enhance Film, Web Sights and Multi Media presentations.
Students will be exposed to a broad palette of creative tools and
have the opportunity to create their own animated short which will
become an invaluable
part of their portfolio.
Overview:
Students
will be given a brief over view of the many animation techniques
used today. Students will learn how to animate text, short
stories, interactive animations and non-linear stories in flash
and photo shop. Students
will create storyboards to help organize and visualize their
animations before creating them. These storyboards will also be
helpful in future animation and film projects. Students can be
able to narrator their stories or create their own sound. At the
end of this course students will have a clearer understanding of
the art of animation
and the numerous ways it can be used to express ideas.
Intro
to Special Effects:
Students
will learn the basics of how to layer videos, apply motion
graphics, filters, sound bites, special renders, and create a
specific look for their films. Students will use Adobe After
Effects, Live Type, and Final Cut Pro. Students will participate
in demos and discussions focusing on the future of film. Students
will learn to express their own personal aesthetic by creating a
final project choosing their own graphic tools that best
communicate their message style and creative interpretation of
life.
Media
Lab:
30
hours of demonstration and hands on supervised learning.
In
the Field Tours of Florence:
Studentswill examine the Art Treasures of Florence and gain
inspiration from the original story boards created in Fresco.
Students will see how Master Artists conceived and implemented
their story telling skills into their great works of Art.
Students
will have the opportunity to draw form the multitude of artistic
work here in
Florence
for their own creative projects. For example Students may capture
the many statues in
Florence
and bring them to life through the art of animation!
Digital Video Production:
Workshop 105
~950 euros
August:
4th –August 8th:
Digital
Video Production:
Students
will be introduces to the fast changing choices and possibilities
now available in digital film production. Students will learn how
to choose the best cameras and equipment and make cost effective
choices for creating their own low budget professionally executed
films. They will learn how to achieve the highest professional
level for the lowest cost.
Then
Students will through hands on exercises and have the opportunity
to work with state of the art equipment learning how to conduct
interviews, capture motion, record sound and work in various
filming modalities. Students will have the opportunity to shoot
with state of the art video cameras and analysis their raw footage
in class.
Workshop
Includes:
Lectures:
2 hours daily on the Psychology of the Camera. Students will
explore how to best utilize the camera: angles, lens and framing
the shot to motivate their story.
Hands
on Camera Work:
Students
will learn and experiment with different modalities:
White
Balance
Shutter
Speed
Focus
Use
of Tripod
Use
of
Battery
and Charger
Video
Latitude
Use
of Microphones
Moving
Sequences,
Eye
piece and Lens
Close
ups
Wide
Angles
Making
Pulls and Zooms
Camera
Reports
Slating
In
the Field On Location Shooting around Florence:
Students
will shoot on location in
Florence
.
Analysis:
Students
will play back their footage analysis their shot choices on how
well they communicated what they were going for as well as
receiving constructive feed back on any technical problems they
may have encountered. Students will have their film exercises
reviewed and critiqued by professional Directors who will help
them to improve their technical skills as well as empower their
unique style of capturing images.
Professional Editing:
Workshop 106
~650 euros
August
11th – 15thProfessional Editing
This
Workshop covers both the technical and aesthetic aspects of
editing. Understanding Story telling techniques and the basics of
dramaturgy is key in furthering the creative vision of the
director. Technical skills will be taught using the language of
film and the organization of raw footage and sound material.
Students will learn the concept of joining powerful images
together in a succinct fashion to tell their story in a fresh and
original manner. Students will learn how to use non-linear soft
ware final cut pro on Mac computers emphasizing the Art and Craft
of creating cogent sequences that serve the story. Students will
also learn how to use transitions, sequence motions and special
effects motivated by story, theme and metaphor.
Workshop
Includes:
30
hours of lectures supervised Lab time with hands on mentoring.
Independent Lab Time. Students not enrolled in the eight week
program may bring in outside work to edit.
Professional Sound Design:
Workshop 107
~650 euros
August
18th – August 22ndSound Design
For
a film to realize its' full potential to communicate ideas, a
Filmmaker
needs more than knowledge of camera angles, lighting and a good
Script.
Sound & music are
also key elements of how a film
tells
the story intended by the filmmaker. This workshop will provide
valuable
insights, by giving students a platform to enhance their
awareness
of sound & music, and practical tips on how to incorporate
sound
& music into their film projects.
Students
will learn:
-
how to recognize the impact of sound & music on a film's mood
and message.
-
how sound & music communicates ideas.
-
a brief overview of techniques used by professional sound
designers,
with
emphasis on modern digital technologies.
Activities
include:
-
exercises that demonstrate how sound & music affect
perception.
-
techniques on selecting sound & music for film.
-
hands-on experience incorporating sound & music into a film
project.
In
the Field:
Students
will tour
Florence
and learn to listen to the city. They will collect sounds around
the city of
Florence
to be used as sound effects.
Students
are encouraged (but not required) to provide clips from their
own
film productions for various workshop exercises
Film Marketing & Distribution:
Workshop 108
~750 euros
August
25th- 29th
Film Marketing & Distribution
Using
a unique approach to Creative Marketing this workshop will
teach the ins and outs traditional film markets and give
film makers a head start in how to get into the new global markets
that are now opening . Students will learn of the best
markets and distribution avenues for their films. They will learn
which are the best opportunities for funding, distribution, and
how to choose the best Film Festivals for their films.
Students
will also learn the latest techniques in multimedia viral
marketing to get their name and their work to their target
audience.
Through
hands on experiences of creating logos, movie posters and press
kits and promo trailers which will be published on our
U Tube Channel New Renaissance News. Students will collaborate in
creating a multi media eventhostedhere in Florence
Yoga, Arte and the
Creative Spirit:
Workshop 109
~250 euros
This class
incorporates therapeutic yoga postures, positive hypnotic
suggestions, meditation, advanced breathing techniques, and
creative visualization and to help you move through physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual blocks and more easily go with
life’s flow.
What students say about the course: These classes worked wonders
for me. The hypnotic suggestion reminds you to love yourself
always, (something that we need to be reminded of everyday), and
it opens you up to allowing positive changes to come into your
life. Even after the first class I began to feel better about
myself and my future and with time I found I was looking forward
to the future, with a sense of wonder and excitement about what
was going to happen to me next, instead of the fear I had been
feeling before. The classes increased my self-love and positivity
while decreasing my fear and negativity.
The visualizations focused on increasing our energy levels. These
classes gave me the helping hand I needed; gave me the energy I
needed to get to a new level of being where I could begin to help
myself; where I could meditate better, think more positively, be
more calm. Sometimes we just need a helping hand from the outside
to get us to this new level; to get past some of our karma. I
would recommend these yoga-therapy classes to everyone
"We are living in 1937, and our universities, I suggest, are not half-way out of the fifteenth century. We have made hardly any changes in our conception of university organization, education, graduation, for a century - for several centuries. "
Jules Vernes