Intro to Micro Documentaries

Presented by New York Film Academy

October 13th, 2022 - 6pm EST

Description:
Micro Docs (the very short documentaries seen daily in social media feeds) can reach a huge online audience. Some micro docs have done more to change the world than mass marches or even feature documentaries. In fact, they have become one of the most powerful and successful organizing and change-making tools available. Micro docs also function as digital journalism, digital marketing and explainer videos. Their purpose can range from sharing impactful stories and taking viewers to amazing places, while others are created purely to spread positivity through the digital world.

In this workshop, we'll explore what micro docs are through real world examples. How do these films fit in the new media landscape? What kind of reach can a micro doc have online? And what do you need to know in order to make your first micro doc?

About the Panelist:
The workshop will be taught by Andrea Swift, Chair of NYFA's Filmmaking Department and Documentary Division. Swift is a Cinematic Storyteller with over 20 years experience producing, writing, directing and consulting on independent films, and content for PBS, AMC, History, New York Knicks, Nat Geo's educational wing, the Southern Ute Tribe, and the State of Texas, among others. She is currently focused on story producing, writing and both creative and strategic consulting on content across formats. MFA, Columbia University.

PAST WEBINARS:

What Does A Producer Do?

Presented by New York Film Academy

September 21, 2022 - 6pm EST

Description:
Producers oversee every aspect of the filmmaking process. Explore where ideas for film and television projects come from, how scripts are developed, and what it is like to work with screenwriters. Where does film finance come from? What happens during pre-production, filming, and post-production? How do I get my projects seen by audiences? Learn the difference between the various kinds of producers. What is a “creative producer” and who gets a "Produced by" credit?

About the Panelist:
Neal Weisman, Chair of NYFA's Producing Department, is a BAFTA, International Emmy, and Peabody award winning film and television producer. A dual UK/US citizen with many years of experience in London, Los Angeles, and New York, credits include: for Channel 4 and Masterpiece Theatre “The Politician’s Wife”, for ITV “Seeing Red” starring Sarah Lancashire, Oliver Stone’s “Talk Radio”, "My Kingdom" starring Richard Harris, and David Byrne's “True Stories”. Other credits include Oliver Stone's “Wall Street” (Academy Award, Michael Douglas), “Reversal of Fortune” (Academy Award, Jeremy Irons) and “Plenty” based on the play by David Hare starring Meryl Streep and Tracey Ullman, shot entirely in London.

WriterDuet: Get The Most Out Of Your Screenwriting Software Webinar

Thursday, November 11th, 2021 | 6:30PM EST - 7:30PM EST

Join Spencer Mirabal and Hannah Milam from WriterDuet on Thursday, November 11th at 6:30PM EST for a screenwriting webinar in collaboration with the All American High School Film Festival.

New to screenwriting? In this 45-minute livestream, the WriterDuet Team will cover the core phases of the screenwriting process and how using screenwriting software can help create a writing workflow that works best for you.

Hosted by:

Photography Webinar: Look Again

MCAD Presenter: Forrest Wasko

Wednesday, December 4, 2019 7:00 p.m. - 8 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

This FREE online webinar will explore a variety of beginner photography techniques including: cameras, film formats and the visual language of photography.

Forrest Wasko is a visual artist living and working in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated with a BFA in photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2017. In Wasko’s practice, the subject of the work becomes the medium of photography itself and the various forms a photograph can take. Using images of the everyday, the familiar, and snapshots, he portrays a spectrum of subjects from within and without the personal narrative.

Wasko is interested in the many ways photographs can present themselves: how we ready them, interact with them, and how we use them to communicate our experiences. Considering photographs as a form of language, his work investigates the different vocabularies and vernaculars present in photography. Using these images, Wasko creates photo essays, photo-objects, and photobooks.

Filmmaking & Editing (Part 1 & 2)

MCAD Presenter: Phil Countryman

(Part 1) Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

(Part 2) Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about filmmaking and editing during this FREE live webinar. This is a two-part webinar series.

Filmmaking: Preproduction and Production (Part 1 - April 17)

This webinar is an introduction to the basic fundamentals of filmmaking from pre-production to production. Various techniques will be covered, including creating shot lists, determining what camera system(s) to use for different shooting scenarios, and basic crew positions such as breaking down who does what. By the end of this course, viewers will have a basic understanding of some of the principles behind producing and directing their first independent film.

Filmmaking: Editing and Post Production (Part 2 - May 1)

This webinar will cover the aspects of post-production, including preparing footage for editing, file organization best practices, online vs offline editing, basic editing techniques for a scene, and outputting the finished edit for web services such as YouTube, Vimeo, and more. By the end of this course, viewers will have a basic understanding of the elements of editing for film and should be able to tackle their first editing project. 

Phil Countryman is a recent alum of MCAD’s filmmaking program. He currently works as a studio producer doing video editing and data management for Christopher Cardozo Fine Arts in Minneapolis. He has completed freelance video work for the latest MCAD Viewbook and has been the videographer for MCAD’s media art webinar series with the All-American High School Film Festival for the past year. His volunteer experiences are with the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival and the Twin Cities all-night arts festival Northern Spark.He has worked as an independent filmmaker for seven years, working as a cinematographer, director, and editor. His work has been screened nationally and internationally.

Filmmaking with a Smartphone

MCAD Presenter: Ryan Clancy

Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about filmmaking with a smartphone in this FREE live webinar!

This webinar is an introduction to Super 8 and iPhone filmmaking; history, application, and similarities between the two mediums.

Clancy is a St. Paul-based artist and filmmaker who works primarily in analog film across installation, performance, and theatrical exhibition. His work has been exhibited at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, New Filmmakers Los Angeles, the New Zealand Architecture and Design Festival, Cinetopia, amongst various other film festivals and galleries throughout the United States.

Manual Camera, Analog Film (Photography)

MCAD Presenter: Samantha Rickner

Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about analog film in this FREE live webinar!

Learn how to use manual settings on a 35mm analog film camera! In addition to demonstrating how to load film to get you started shooting, we'll also cover how lighting impacts your photograph, and show how to adjust your camera's shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for the perfect shot.

Rickner is a Minneapolis based narrative photographer who draws inspiration from intimate human interaction to inform her imagery. She works in analog and digital processes, utilizing both a 4x5 large format camera and DSLR. In particular, the large format camera allows for a slower meditative photographic process: an essential component in her portraiture. Samantha's work navigates complex human experience and emotions through collaboration with her subjects.

Animating in Photoshop

MCAD Presenter: Lux Stupica

Wednesday, December 12, 2018, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn a few tips and tricks for hand-drawn animation in Photoshop during this FREE live webinar!

In this webinar, Minneapolis College of Art and Design alum and animation faculty Lux Stupica will take you through the process of animating in Photoshop. You will learn about creating a timeline and frames, as well as cover a few of the fundamentals of animation that help bring your characters to life.

Stupica is a character animator and motion designer who specializes in traditional hand-drawn animation with an emphasis on character work. She freelances with studios in the metro area including W2 Films, Make Visual, Crash + Sues, Foreign Fauna, Motion 504, and Best Buy Photo Studio. Stupica is also a founding member of the social community SWIM (Strong Women In Motion) and is very passionate about the support and encouragement of cis and trans women, and non-binary people in the animation and motion industry.

This workshop is provided in conjunction with the All-American High School Film Festival, Jostens, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Stop-Motion Animation

MCAD Presenter: Hallie Bahn

Monday, May 14th, 2018, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about stop-motion animation during this FREE live webinar.

In this webinar, you will get an inside look at a stop-motion animation demo in the Black Studio, a professional-quality film and animation facility within M/LAB, MCAD’s Media Arts wing. The presentation will last no more than an hour and you will be able to ask questions in a chat-style forum. This workshop is provided in conjunction with the All-American High School Film Festival, Jostens, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Creating Believable Creatures & Characters (3D Animation)

NYFA Presenter: Craig Caton-Largent

Thursday, May 3rd, 2018, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. PST (7:00pm - 8:30pm EST)

Learn to create memorable creature and character performances for Animation and Film with Visual Effects Professional and New York Film Academy Instructor Craig Caton-Largent. This workshop will examine the techniques of 3D Animation used to bring an animated character to life and discuss such principles as function, form and content.

Craig Caton-Largent has been creating VFX for the motion picture industry for over 38 years and has contributed to over 100 films. He has created animatronic puppets and worked as a puppeteer on movies such as Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Tremors, Batman Returns, Ghostbusters and Return of the Living Dead. In addition, he has maintained and puppeteered "E.T., The Extraterrestrial" for commercials and public appearances since 1992.   Craig has also worked as a Previs / Layout Artist on many films including How To Train Your Dragon 2, Turbo, Rise of the Guardians, Tangled, Total Recall and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.  Working for Stan Winston, Craig supervised the creation of a network of Silicon Graphics workstations that would later become part of Digital Domain when Stan partnered with James Cameron and Scott Ross. Craig is credited as one of the eight co-founders of Digital Domain.

Photography, Lighting & Photoshop

MCAD Presenter: Tom Bierlein

Monday, April 16th, 2018, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about camera operation, lighting techniques, and using Photoshop during this FREE live webinar.

In this webinar, you will witness a studio lighting demo and photo manipulation in the Gray Studio, a professional-quality photography facility within M/LAB, MCAD’s Media Arts wing. The presentation will last no more than an hour and you will be able to ask questions in a chat-style forum. This workshop is provided in conjunction with the All-American High School Film Festival, Jostens, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Photography & Lighting

MCAD MFA Presenters: Zoe Cinel AND Shun Jie Yong

Monday, February 26, 2018, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST (8:00pm - 9:00pm EST)

Learn about camera operation and lighting techniques during this FREE live webinar.

In this webinar, you will learn basic manual camera operation including white balance, shutter speed, depth of field, and ISO. You will also witness a studio lighting demo in the Gray Studio, a professional-quality photography facility within MCAD’s Media Arts wing. The presentation will last no more than an hour and you will be able to ask questions in a chat-style forum.This workshop is provided in conjunction with the All-American High School Film Festival, Jostens, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.