THE ONE-DAY GUIDE FILM SCHOOL. Thank you for booking the One-Day Film School. This guide is intended to make the day run as smoothly as possible.

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1 THE ONE-DAY FILM SCHOOL GUIDE Thank you for booking the One-Day Film School. This guide is intended to make the day run as smoothly as possible. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 How does it work? The day Troubleshooting Sample timetable Checklist

2 How does it work? Young Film Academy (YFA) provides two experienced tutors to conduct the One-Day Film School on campus. They bring along all the camera equipment necessary to give the students a truly hands-on experience. The two YFA tutors will arrive half an hour before the pre-arranged start time. The following MUST be in place at the start of the day: 2 x teaching spaces: I) A main space large enough to accommodate ALL the pupils plus screening equipment (details below) and with minimum natural light, as this interferes with projection. SCREENING EQUIPMENT We will be screening from DVD, the following equipment will be required: 1 x DVD player (with remote control) OR 1 x Laptop (no remote required) CONNECTED TO 1 x Digital Projector with easily accessible yellow phono input*. *Not only will we be showing DVD clips throughout the day, we will be plugging our DV camera into the back of the projector to screen pupil s work. Please double-check this with a member of the technical staff. II) the other space must be large enough to accommodate HALF of the pupils (no screening facility required). Please ensure the DVD screening facility has GOOD sound no ipod speakers please! When playing off DV cameras into the projector we only need picture (via yellow phono input), not sound. Pencil and paper for each student. A supervising member of staff AT ALL TIMES. (Two members of staff during the screenwriting and camera workshops.) A technician to oversee technical set-up HALF AN HOUR before the prearranged start time. Attached STUDENT PACK and FEEDBACK FORM printed out, one per student. Please print these separately. A timetable will be agreed between YFA and the school in advance to fit around existing school requirements (see booking form). A sample timetable can be found on page 4 of this guide. The day usually begins at 9.30 / 10am and ends at 3.30 / 4pm. Please provide a copy of this guide to a member of the technical staff. 1

3 The Day Following an introduction in which the brief for the day is outlined and a career in the film business reviewed, the morning session begins with A Fight Choreography workshop! This serves a dual purpose: as well as waking students from their early morning lethargy, this is their chance to see how sound design and camera angles are employed in films for effect. Clips of students attempting basic fight moves are then played back and reviewed. The fight workshop usually takes place in an outdoor area nearby, such as a games pitch or courtyard, though in the case of bad weather, the main space will suffice. Next is the Film History workshop. Illustrated throughout with clips from seminal films from the Lumière brothers right through to the latest blockbusters, this workshop charts the development of cinema from its inception. A fifteen-minute, mid-morning break usually follows Film History. After the break the group is divided, with one half staying in the main space and the other half going to the second space. It is useful if the two spaces are close to one another. Each group then does Screenwriting and Camera workshops in rotation. The screenwriting workshop sees students develop story-lines, which they pitch to their Movie-Mogul peers each allotted an imaginary 10,000 in investment. The lunch queue is invariably buzzing with plots for blockbusters. The Camera workshop allows students to familiarise themselves with the more technical side of filmmaking, getting their hands on the cameras and learning the principles that shape the viewing experience. The afternoon session sees the students putting their new-found skills to the test. They divide into teams to plan, shoot and screen their own Ten-Shot Films. The students are usually able to shoot their films anywhere on school grounds, subject to guidelines issued by school staff. The day concludes with a Mini Film Festival: the screening of the Ten-Shot films, a review and an awards ceremony. A DVD of the films will be sent to your school within a month of our visit. 2

4 Troubleshooting - what can go wrong? No remote control for the DVD player. This must be available to access DVD menus. This does NOT apply to laptops. Bad sound. Most projectors have an in-built speaker system, which is wholly inadequate for a room full of students. The same goes for ipod speakers! Technician not present at start of day: it is vitally important that we have the chance to do a technical check of the school s equipment in the half hour prior to the start of the day, with a technician on hand. No phono input on projector. Almost all projectors will have a (yellow) phono input, usually on the back panel. Without this input we cannot screen footage from the fight workshop OR the 10-shot films. If the projector is mounted out of reach, we will need a more convenient auxilliary input to be arranged. No staff present. It is vitally important (not to say a legal requirement) for a member of staff to be present at all times. Frequently we have visited schools where staff members have mysteriously vanished. Please remember we are there as facilitators, not disciplinarians! Please ensure you have the relevant documents printed out (student pack and feedback form) and have test-run the DVD player before the day. If you have any technical issues or queries relating to any aspect of the One-Day Film School, or need clarification on anything contained in this document, you can contact us on or at schools@ youngfilmacademy.co.uk. 3

5 ONE-DAY FILM SCHOOL SAMPLE TIMETABLE TIMES WORKSHOP WHERE 9.30am am Introduction Main space 10.00am 10.30am Fight Lesson Outside space (weather permitting) am Film History Main space am BREAK pm Camera / Screenwriting Main / Secondary Space 12.00pm 12.45pm Screenwriting / Camera Main / Secondary Space pm Explanation of Film Main Space Assignment 1.00pm 2.00pm LUNCH 2.00pm 2.45pm Film Planning Main Space 2.45pm 3.30pm Shooting On School Grounds 3.30pm 4.00pm Screening of 10-Shot FIlms / Main Space Award Ceremony 4.00pm FINISH Each school s timetable will be slightly different based on the details you supply on the booking form. 4

6 ONE-DAY FILM SCHOOL CHECKLIST Facilities: 1x large main space with screening equipment 1x smaller space - no screening facility required Screening equipment: 1x DVD player WITH 1x remote control OR 1x Laptop CONNECTED TO 1x Digital Projector with easily accessible yellow phono input Good quality sound for DVD screening facility - no ipod speakers Students: Pencil and paper for each student Student pack printed, 1 per student Feedback form printed, 1 per student Staff: Supervising member of staff present at all times Technician present half an hour before pre-arranged start time A copy of this guide provided to technical staff 5