Spaces are limited. Don't wait to the last minute to register! Your registration is not complete until full payment for the workshop has been received. Payment may be made by telephone (with Visa) or in person at Main Film using Interac, Cheque or Cash.
HOW TO REGISTER
SPRING 2010
Here is the calendar of workshops offered until June 2010.
In case there are discrepencies with the information below, please consider the calendar above as the main reference.
Getting started Screenwriting Directing Cinematography Sound Animation & experimental Documentary Production & post-production FINANCING YOUR FILM This workshop will provide information on the financing of independent films: the definition of different types of financing and their influence on the financial structure; sources of financing specific to different genres and formats, with particular attention to short and medium length fiction and documentary films (with a brief overview of feature films); non-traditional sources of financing and interim financing (treasury movement, business relations with the bank). Instructor: Denis McCready Denis McCready has worked in film and television production for more than 13 years. He has worked in feature and short fiction films, and has organised documentary shoots around the world. Denis McCready is also a director, photographer and writer. He is currently producing Red Light Bhangra, a documentary on the trafficking of children and the reintegration into Indian society.
WRITING A SCENE-TO-SCENE OUTLINE Definition of a scene-to-scene outline: The structure of scenes of a screenplay organized in chronological and numerical order, each summarized in a short paragraph.
Filmmakers and screenwriters, get your paper and pens ready for this intensive workshop whose aim is to write and structure an effective scene to scene outline in two days. Starting with the synopsis or the draft of a script, participants will go over different writing techniques, allowing them to construct the main elements of their story told scene-by-scene (or sequence-by-sequence). Using practical exercises, the group will go over the proper mechanical workings of the scenes, the flow of the mood and the transitions from scene to scene, changing the order of the scenes, spreading out information, etc. Examples of scene-to-scene outlines will be presented and studied. Over the course of the last day, participants will discuss key scenes written during the workshop.
Instructor: Geoffrey Uloth A former professional snowboarder, Geoffrey Uloth is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal. After founding his production company, Evergon Arts Inc., Geoff has spent ten years working within the Montreal film community, and has written, directed and produced four award-winning short films as well as several television spots. Wildflowers, a short with no dialogue and one location, earned four festival awards, including the C.S.C Award and Best Drama at the Niagara Independent Film Festival. The Ecstasy Note, awarded Best Drama at the Niagara International Film Festival, is being broadcast in Canada, Italy and across Africa and has been financed for development as a feature. Among Friends is currently touring the festival circuit, having kicked off its run at the 2009 Montreal World Film Festival. Geoff has finished production as producer on the 35mm short, One Last Dance, and is co-writing the horror/thriller Dead Tired with the support of SODEC and the Harold Greenberg Fund.
In his spare time Geoff teaches screenwriting and filmmaking classes at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine, USA, and at the Trebas Institute and Main Film in Montréal.
DIRECTING FOR THE CAMERA (MISE-EN-SCÈNE) This workshop deals with the creative use of the camera in independent film production, and explores the collaboration between the director and the director of photography. Topics include script interpretation, blocking, camera moves, frame and composition, aspect ratios, lenses, and coverage for editing. Questions regarding the axis will be settled once and for all. Participants are encouraged to bring a scene from one of their own scripts or one of their films. Instructor: Geoffrey Uloth See bio above.
THE ART OF LIGHTING (AN INTRODUCTION) A theoretical and practical exploration of the rich art of lighting for film.
A discussion of the creative and practical aspects of lighting a scene will take place on the first evening. Film examples will be screened and participants will learn to look, not at the action taking place, but rather the visual atmosphere and mood created on film. Topics ranging from the types of lights chosen to designing a lighting plan to the collaborative relationship between the cinematographer and the director will be discussed. In the full-day workshop, using a 16mm camera, participants will get the chance to put theory into action and create scenes using a variety of lighting equipment. The final evening of the workshop will involve screening the material shot during the full day. Participants will discuss initial intentions of the scenes and final results on film as well as strategies for planning and lighting effectively.
This is a hands-on workshop
Instructor: John Ashmore John Ashmore is an award winning Director of Photography of feature films, shorts and music videos, who also directs personal projects on the side. After directing 15 music videos and several shorts, he wrote and directed TRYST as his feature length directorial debut. He has three other scripts in various stages of development and continues evolving as a cinematographer.
INTRODUCTION TO MICROPHONES When selecting microphones for film, whether it be for recording dialogue on a closed set or interviews on a construction site or musicians on the street or birds at the top of a mountain, how do you choose the right microphone for the job? Intended for aspiring sound recordists and do-it-yourself filmmakers, this workshop will teach participants how to select microphones both from an aesthetic and a technical point of view. Topics to be discussed will include understanding microphone specifications, pick-up patterns and powering, the advantages and disadvantages of using wireless technology, microphone placement and specific applications.
Instructor: Tod Van Dyk
DRAW (SCRATCH, PAINT AND COLLAGE) ON FILM Here is a great opportunity to make your own 35mm animated or experimental film without a camera and without processing film. Participants will explore the techniques of camera-less filmmaking including scratching, painting and collage directly on to the surface of clear film and black leader, as well as using 35mm found footage.
This is a hands-on workshop / Materials provided
Instructor: Steven Woloshen Steven Woloshen is a Montreal-based camera less animator who has been making films since the late 70's. He studied film at Concordia, where he initially made documentaries and collage films, but the freedom and accessibility of scratch animation won him over. Since 1999 he has worked exclusively in 35mm CinemaScope, an oddity in the independent film world that is made possible by his otherwise thrifty means of production. His works have screened worldwide at festivals including the Montreal World Film Festival, Tampere International Short Film Festival, Annecy Animated Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, and I Castelli Animati in Rome.
LIGHTWEIGHT DOCUMENTARY FILM SHOOTING ** NEW DATES ** Ready, set, go...
Documentary filmmakers must be prepared for anything. Last minute rescheduling and shuffling of interviews, unexpected location changes, limited crew and equipment availability, the unscripted drama of every day life - these are some of the challenges. Shooting a documentary that is both emotionally compelling and technically sound can be a delicate balancing act.
This practical workshop will introduce filmmakers to the technical aspects of shooting light. Participants will learn the best ways to record sound with varying equipment and types of locations, explore the possibilities of digital camera menus and features in order to get the best possible results and learn how to light effectively with or without lights. The group will shoot on digital video and record sound both to the camera and to a separate recording device.
This is a hands-on workshop / Materials provided Instructor : Korbett Matthews
RESEARCHING A DOCUMENTARY This workshop will look at the methods of preparation and research for a documentary film project: where to start; where to find pertinent information; how to outline and flesh out a subject; how to find and to decide on first-person accounts, and how to develop a point of view that covers the subject in both a personal and original way.
Instructor: Erica Pomerance Founding member of Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal, Erica has long defended independent documentary filmmaking as a board member on several organisations : CIFC, Institut québécois du Cinéma, Taling Dialo, Comité Urgence Documentaire. Born and educated in Montreal, Erica has made her cinematic debut at the National Film Board of Canada, followed by the Films Claude Fournier, where she directed three films in the series Cent Millions de Jeunes for Radio-Canada. She has worked as a writer/researcher for Radio Québec Gaspésie-les Iles where she produced and directed the
series Femmes de Métier (1987). Upon her return to Montreal, Erica worked on about thirty documentary productions with several independent production companies. Director, writer, associate producer and translator, she is inspired by cultural diversity, notably, the Jewish, Aboriginal and African communities. In 2003, Erica launched her film DABLA!EXCISION, produced by Productions Virage. Her documentary TABALA, Rythmes dans le Vent (1997), which was inspired by African artists struggling with diaspora in Quebec, was distributed internationally.
DVD AUTHORING Participants are required to have a working knowledge of Final Cut Pro and Photoshop for this workshop.
A practical workshop intended for filmmakers and editors who wish to learn the process of DVD authoring using DVD Studio Pro 4. Using an already existing project, participants will learn about disc types and capacities, how to encode video and audio source material, create both simple and complex DVDs with still and motion menus, create multi-angle video tracks with audio streams and subtitles, troubleshooting problems, previewing, testing and burning DVDs.
This is a hands-on workshop
Instructor: Alexandre Chartrand Alexandre Chartrand surprised the film community in 2004 with the release of his first fiction feature film, La Planque, produced without funding from Telefilm or Sodec. This first achievement was closely followed by the production of his documentary feature film about the Montreal painter Serge Lemoyne (simply titled Lemoyne), released in the fall of 2005. He has just completed his screenplay for another fiction feature film, this time with the support of government institutions, and is actively preparing for production in the spring of 2010.
WORKSHOPS IN FRENCH : Pour commencer Scénarisation Réalisation Cinématographie Son Animation & expérimental Documentaire Production et postproduction Click here for full descriptions and rates Course fees must be paid in total to reserve your attendance (first come, first served).
Cancellations must be made 48 working hours (Tuesday to Friday, 10am-6pm) in advance of the workshop start date. An administration fee of $10 will be applied if a refund is requested. No administration fee will be applied when transferring from one workshop to another.
No refunds or transfers on cancellations made less than 48hrs in advance of the workshop start date.
The dates and times of the workshops are subject to change without notice.
Main Film reserves the right to cancel a workshop (in which case, all fees are reimbursed 100%).
FINANCING YOUR FILM
WRITING A SCENE-TO-SCENE OUTLINE
DIRECTING FOR THE CAMERA (MISE-EN-SCÈNE)
THE ART OF LIGHTING (AN INTRODUCTION)
INTRODUCTION TO MICROPHONES
DRAW (SCRATCH, PAINT AND COLLAGE) ON FILM
LIGHTWEIGHT DOCUMENTARY FILM SHOOTING ** NEW DATES **
RESEARCHING A DOCUMENTARY
DVD AUTHORING
Date: June 15 & 16, 6-10pm (2 evenings)
Rate: Member 60 / Non-member 90
Number of participants: min. 4 / max. 8
Dates: May 29 & 30, 10am-6pm (2 days)
Rate: Member 120 / Non-member 150
Participants : min. 3 / max. 8
Dates: May 12, 13, 19 & 20, 6-10pm (4 evenings)
Rate: Member 150 / Non-member 200
Number of participants: min. 4 / max. 8
Dates: June 5, 1-5pm, June 6, 10am-6pm, June 7, 6-10pm (2 evenings + 1 day)
Rate: Member 200 / Non-member 250
Number of participants: min. 4 / max. 8
Date: May 1, 1-5pm (1 afternoon)
Rate: Member 30 / Non-member 50
Number of participants: min. 4 / max. 10
Dates : May 8, 10am-6pm (1 day)
Rate : Member 100 / Non-member 130
Participants : min. 3 / max. 6
Dates : May 22 & 23, 10am-6pm (2 days)
Rates : Member 150 / Non-member 200
Participants : min. 3 / max. 8
Date: May 4, 6-10pm (1 evening)
Rate: Member 30 / Non-member 50
Number of participants: min. 4 / max. 8
Date: June 13, 10am-6pm (1 day)
Rate: Member 100 / Non-member 130
Number of participants: min. 2 / max. 4
CRÉDITS D'IMPÔT
DIALOGUES DE FICTION
LE LANGAGE VISUEL - PRATIQUE ET EXPLORATION
LA CAMÉRA HD PANASONIC HPX-170 (P2) ET SES ÉQUIPEMENTS PÉRIPHÉRIQUES (INTERMÉDIAIRE)
PRINCIPES THÉORIQUES DU TOURNAGE SUR PELLICULE
PRATIQUE DE CONCEPTION SONORE POUR FICTION ET DOCUMENTAIRE
L'ENREGISTREMENT SONORE EN TOURNAGE FICTION OU DOCUMENTAIRE
TIRAGE OPTIQUE
DÉVELOPPEMENT DOCUMENTAIRE
SCÉNARISATION DOCUMENTAIRE
LE POINT DE VUE EN DOCUMENTAIRE
L'ABC D'UN BUDGET DOCUMENTAIRE
ASPECTS JURIDIQUES DU DOCUMENTAIRE / CE QU'IL FAUT SAVOIR
FINAL CUT PRO POUR DÉBUTANTS
FLUX DE PRODUCTION ET DE POSTPRODUCTION HD (WORKFLOW)
INTRODUCTION À L'ÉTALONNAGE AVEC FINAL CUT PRO (INTERMÉDIAIRE)
WORKSHOP POLICIES
3981, boul St-Laurent, suite 750
Montreal (Quebec)
H2W 1Y5
Tel.: 514-845-7442
Fax.: 514-845-0718
Business hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 6pm
Summer business hours (July 6th to September 6th, 2010): Tuesday to Friday, 10am-5pm
For additional information or to suggest topics for upcoming workshops, do not hesistate to visit us
or email us at: services@mainfilm.qc.ca