Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop 2009Tuesday, November 3 - Monday, November 9 |
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OverviewTake your next adventure film project to a new level. This seven day workshop focuses on topics essential to every independent filmmaker. The format is lively and interactive with lots of opportunity to apply your new skills to your own projects, with our resource people constantly available to consult and brainstorm with. And best of all, attendance at the world-renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival is mandatory! This year’s workshop is led by award-winning, entrepreneurial filmmakers Keith Partridge and Michael Brown. Register now!
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Participants' feedback from past workshopsThis course is an amazing week of learning and sharing the art of filmmaking. There is no better way to fast track your abilities as a filmmaker and make the connections you need. It is an inspiring and motivational week by the best mentors in the industry. The buzz from the class was something that I’d never experienced before. It was a real meeting of the minds for people in this industry. Everyone from newbies to seasoned professionals in adventure filmmaking must attend this class! The amazing thing about the Banff Filmmakers Workshop is the greater sense of community you come away with, and continue to feel a part of, after the festival. Putting 25 adventure filmmakers together in an interactive space with some of the best instructors in the industry builds a real sense of permanence and camaraderie. While generally there is a sentiment of competition around film festivals, the workshop breaks down barriers and builds relationships within a generally silo oriented film genre. The Workshop inspired me to pursue my films and stories with a stronger sense of support and direction, armed with fresh energy and perspective. The seminar is a unique opportunity to be totally absorbed into the world of mountain films, under the guidance of excellent faculty. The seminar also offers a fantastic opportunity to network with other filmmakers and for me this has led to several collaborations. I would definitely recommend the seminar to anyone working in mountain film that wishes to up their game. The connections I made here in Banff are worth a lifetime of searching. I thank the Banff Centre and our teachers for showing me a whole new universe. Great inspiration for future projects! Prepare a list of questions that are eluding you, and get on a plane! |
Detailed ScheduleParticipants will learn the following, and more: Tuesday, November 3 — Day 1Session 1 - Lecture: Anatomy of Success Mountain and adventure films come in all shapes, sizes and formats. Some are linear, others more complex in the way they are put together. Would your current film idea be more saleable under a different guise? We look at examples of successful films, their production history, strengths and weaknesses. What can we learn from them and how might they shape our own future work? While the emphasis will be on structure: story telling, acquisition and post production, in some cases we’ll have an insight into how they were pitched and sold to broadcasters. We will also compare films that did well in festivals vs. those sold to television. Keith and Michael will each present clips from their own work and talk briefly about a successful film and add insight into the making of the film. Session 2 - Breakout Session: Development Production companies and networks place huge importance on development. This is a chance for participants to undertake development work on their own project and receive feedback from Michael and Keith. Participants will discuss, in confidence, their own work and receive feedback. These sessions can be based around any aspect of the production process on your next project, e.g. story development, structure, acquisition, and post-production elements. Evening Class attends Radical Reels film screening, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 4 — Day 2Session 3 - Lecture/Team Activity: Examine the importance of workflow and the acquisition of pictures and sound in the field − getting the best out of the technology and making the most of what you’ve got. Both Keith Partridge and Michael Brown are key players in developing and implementing a variety of new technologies in broadcast production. They will present an overview of the available technologies with an emphasis on low-cost but high-quality solutions for acquisition. With no sign of a slow down in these technologies, we’ll highlight the advantages they offer but also give some cautionary advice about the pitfalls. We’ll also explore the opportunities offered by the various forms of High Definition video. Activity: We’ll examine a complex adventure shoot and try to put together a shooting package solution to cover the action effectively and satisfy your commissioner with enough bells and whistles to WOW your audience. Session 4 - Workshop: The Perfect Pitch, Part One Is there such a thing as the perfect pitch? What are the qualities of the best pitches you’ve seen (or done!)? How do you gain and hold commissioners’ interest and work successfully with co-production partners? How is the commissioning process evolving? What are broadcasters looking for today? Activity: We will be asking participants to either ‘adopt’ one of our four stories or to offer one of their own, work on it overnight and pitch it to the group the next day. Additionally we’ll be discussing what materials are most useful in supporting a pitch and how you turn ‘interest’ into that elusive ‘firm offer’ for your next project. Pitching to: Sponsors, Investors, Studios, and Television Networks. Evening Pitching Homework Thursday, November 5 — Day 3Session 5 - Group Activity: Pitching to the group — editorial and presentation skills. Hone your pitching skills through the experience of pitching to the group. We’ll provide real-time feedback on how to make the most of the pitch; what elements of the story to highlight; on the strengths and weaknesses of the project as presented; and on the call to action that clinches the deal. Session 6 - Workshop: A chance for participants to work on their own projects in consultation with our resource people. This workshop will involve a number of specific case studies based on course participants’ own experience. Whether you have struggled to achieve the perfect dub or want to know how to improve the feel of your images, this session will allow you to gain from everyone’s experience and share your own. Evening Free time Friday, November 6 — Day 4Session 7 - Lecture/Discussion: Narrative Structure, script, narration and powerful story telling. It can be argued that these elements are the Holy Grail of successful program making. Yet while we can often recognize such elements in other peoples’ work, how do we continually improve them in our own work and choose the techniques appropriate for any particular project? Using examples of previous films from the Banff Festival together with participants’ own work, we’ll analyze what turns a good film into an award-winning one. Session 8a - Guest Lecture A guest lecture with audio expert Mark Willsher Session 8b - Workshop: A chance for participants to work on their own projects in consultation with our resource people. A further opportunity for course participants to discuss and develop aspects of their own work − with a chance to build upon earlier advice and upon lessons learned from films shown during the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Evening Class attends the Banff Mountain Film Festival opening night reception and presentation Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8 — Day 5 and 6Banff Mountain Film Festival: An opportunity to view, examine and analyze a broad range of adventure films, and to network with filmmakers, film festival directors, distributors and broadcasters. Monday, November 9 — Day 7Session 9 - Post-Festival Critique Highlights and not-so-highlights. Do you agree with the judges’ decisions? Q & A with Banff Mountain Festivals’ Producer and World Tour Manager. Post Production: an analysis of the suite of solutions that is available — and how to use them for maximum effect. The post production process has been transformed by the arrival of desktop editing systems — perhaps most importantly, but not limited to, Apple’s Final Cut Studio. Today individual program makers can not only cut their films but finish them with dubbing, effects, graphics, and grading packages that only a few years ago were the preserve of high-end facilities houses and producers with large budgets. We’ll be investigating the skills needed to get the most out of these packages. Preparing for the edit, organizing tapes, ideas and resources. Music, titles, credits, color correction, audio mix and get the finished feature broadcast ready. Session 10 - Guest Lecture: Open Session A summary of the course and strategies for success. An opportunity to review the main elements of the course and how to translate these into more successful programme making. A review of the opportunities now available to experienced adventure filmmakers and how to capitalize on them. Summarizing the similarities and differences on two sides of the Atlantic and even between Canada and the US. |
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Just the FAQs!What?The Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop at the Banff Mountain Film Festival Who?Resource people are network and distribution decision-makers and successful independent filmmakers. The sessions are designed for filmmakers, directors, and producers. When?Tuesday, November 3, to Monday, November 9, 2009 How Many?A maximum of 30 participants How Much?7 Day Program Cost: $1490 single room, $1290 shared room (Canadian funds). Special rates apply for 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival finalists — see the registration form for details. Fees include all sessions, a flexible meal plan and accommodation (arriving November 2 and departing November 10 ), plus tickets to the Banff Mountain Film Festival November 3−8. All workshop participants are invited to the Festival Opening Reception, Saturday night dinner at Wild Bills and the Festival Wrap Party. Register now!SponsorsThe Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop is sponsored by
Big Rock Brewery,
Icebreaker,
Mammut,
The North Face, and
Redwood Creek. Photo credits, from left: courtesy Keith Partridge; Keith Partridge copyright Brian Hall; courtesy Keith Partridge; Michael Brown photo by Gordon Brown |
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