Easter Series 2023: Round up

25 April, 2023

Screen and Film School were delighted to host our third annual Easter Series earlier this month. A week-long series of interactive virtual workshops, hosted by our Brighton, Manchester, and Birmingham colleges.

With over 300 eager sign-ups, the stage was set for a series of sessions spanning various specialisms within the industry. From cinematography to scriptwriting, editing to set design, attendees were treated to a wealth of knowledge and insight from some incredible industry professionals. The energy was electric and the creativity was contagious, as participants soaked up all the inspiration they could handle. If you weren’t able to make the sessions, check out our round-up below.

“The classes were excellent, and really informative. It was great to gain some additional insight from industry professionals who answered our questions and helped us understand their roles betters. I really appreciate the chance to be able to learn about the industry I want to go into.” – Easter Series Attendee

Introduction to Cinematography, with Anya Krasnikova

Our Easter Series kicked off with a cinematography Workshop with Anya Krasnikova. Anya is an experienced cinematographer, and her resume includes feature films, commercials, music videos and much more. Fortunately for us, Anya is also a Cinematography Lecturer at Screen and Film School Brighton. We had a brilliant turn out and everybody was so engaged as they explored the roles of different crew members within the cinematography department and looked at the ways camera, grip and lighting can all be used to tell a story. Anya gave our students some great insights and top tips and we watched a brilliant short film which was then discussed in greater detail.

Screenwriting, with Sarah Drew

Day two of our Easter Series kicked off with a Screenwriting workshop, led by Screen and Film School Birmingham lecturer and screenwriter/producer, Sarah Drew. Sarah’s credits include her WW1 biopic Across The Line, which has been optioned by Cannibal Films and starts shooting in 2022. She also produced Justine by BAFTA-winning writer Jeff Murphy, a film that was nominated for a British Independent Film Award in 2020.

Sarah ran through all the key components needed for a successful screenplay, discussing the three act structure, how characters can be driven and then went on to share some of her own experiences. She also gave out some key tips for writing compelling scenes as well as her own checklist for improving scenes the group had already created.

Additionally, the group delved into the importance of subtext, showing their understanding of it through films such as Sideways (2004) and Inglorious Basterds (2009). Sarah explained to the group that the art of screenwriting is a lot of what happens beneath the surface. There was also some time for a quick Q&A to discuss the importance of a successful screenplay.

Set Design for Screen – Character, Story & Plot, with Sam Babrovskie

Day three of the Easter Series consisted of a workshop on Set Design for Screen, led by one of our talented lecturers in Birmingham and Manchester, Sam Babrovskie.

Sam used Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) as an example to emphasise how props and set design are integral to providing the audience with visual cues about character, story, and plot. Sam used her varied experience in the industry to set attendees with several tasks. They then shared several props from their home and evaluated what the props illustrated about their own character.

The group were then able to ask Sam a range of questions about the role of a production designer in film and TV, a Q&A which highlighted just how crucial production design is in bringing stories to life on the big screen.

Post-Production: Editing and Creating Visual Effects, with Chris Johnson

For our final Easter Series workshop, Screen and Film School Manchester lecturer and digital artist, Chris Johnson, led a post-production workshop that introduced our attendees to the magic of editing, by demonstrating how content can be transformed by using a variety of visual effects (VFX), when editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Chris talked extensively about his varied experience in the media and video game industries and how dynamic the post-production world is, with endless amounts of opportunity. Chris highlighted how there is currently a gap in the industry for editors, and emphasised just how potentially lucrative a career as an editor can be, due to the mass consumption of digital and online content that now dominates all industries.

As part of the workshop, the attendees were presented with three different examples of content including interview footage, a promotional video, and a video game. Chris then demonstrated the art of layering using lots of different VFX, whilst adhering to different visual styles and the briefs that had been given to him by each client. Throughout the workshop, the attendees had lots of technical questions about how to produce different VFX and how to operate the many features of Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Most of the students had experience of editing and as a group we discussed the pros and cons of using Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro, when editing different types of visual content.

Due to the amount of interest expressed from the attendees who hope to become editors, Chris concluded the session by advising them on how to get started in the post-production industry, how to source work, how to negotiate client contracts, and the importance of navigating ‘constructive criticism’ to grow as a digital artist.

 

A huge thank you to everyone who hosted and participated in the workshops- we can’t wait to see you all again soon.

 


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