Creative Writing

I am going to enroll into creative writing for the spring semester. This will be a good oppurtunity to write stories that could adapted for the screen. I will be open to all suggestions, my goal with this is to at least give a direction and get some strong characters wih traits that will be easy for kids to portray.

lighting kits that won't break the bank

Inexpensive, but professional grade:
I found this on a blog of people trying to get more info on lighting kits. This was posted from a producer who works in Burbank, CA, named Wayne Orr:

Small Photoflex SilverDome softbox $109.95
Small Photoflex Softbox grid $ 50.00 ??
Photoflex speed ring for Tota $ 80.00 ??
Lowel Tota light $109.95
LTM Pepper 420 w/scrims, barndoors $350??
2-Avenger A630B light stand @ $ 92.00= $184.00
Matthews C+ Stand w/40" arm $170.00
Home Depot 300w dimmer $ 20.00
3-Home Depot a/c extention cables $ 30.00
Rosco Cinegel Sampler kit $ 35.00
3 sand bags $60.00
2 sheets of foamcore, wht/blk @$7 =$14

I am looking more into these now.

helpful guides

I am going to make short, concise packets for each group's responsibilities for the film. The groups will be Acting, Lighting, Sound, Cinematography, and Set. I want to keep the packets as simple as possible and only include the bare minumum and technical things because I want them to have as much creative freedom as possible. I will use pictures and examples so they can see what they read for a better understanding. I am confident that we can make a 5-10 minute film every week. I am writing a few scripts and am also looking for some online. I want to have a variety of topics, most having to do at a camp, but all with very different storylines.

so far:
cropsie (the horror)
NAME HERE (about a kid who is so smart he has trouble connecting with people
Prank wars (pranks gone wild)
? (counselors and campers switch roles)

See film

See situations and apply them to stories in film. Use your own lives as fuel.

visual approach 1

A visual approach filled with quotes to keep in mind...

reaction to Tim's criticism

Tim's criticism was also that of being sustainable. He wanted to know if this would happen only once or will it continue after I leave camp.

To answer this, I would like to lead this program as long as possible, but when the day comes when I must leave I hope for this program to be strong enough to be continued by someone with film experience. The guidelines should be clear enough when I'm done so it can be taught for years to come.

reaction to Eric's criticism

Eric said my wekness was that this program lacks innovation, saying that this isn't the first film program.

It's true that this isn't the first film program, but it will be the first one at Indian Head Camp. I do agree that I should be more innovative, but that will come with time. In the inaugural year, everyone will be a beginner, but as kids come back year after year, they will learn more and I will learn more. Innovations will come, but first I want to start out with the basics.

reaction to Eric's criticism

Eric said my wekness was that this program lacks innovation, saying that this isn't the first film program.

It's true that this isn't the first film program, but it will be the first one at Indian Head Camp. I do agree that I should be more innovative, but that will come with time. In the inaugural year, everyone will be a beginner, but as kids come back year after year, they will learn more and I will learn more. Innovations will come, but first I want to start out with the basics.

reaction to Aerin's criticism

Aerin said my weakness was that this wasn't concrete and she couldn't figure out exactly what it is I'm trying to do.

Here are my basic goals revisited:
- Teach the basic fundamentals of making a film
- Create a fun, friendly environment to do so
- Use as little money as possible to do so
- Make a film where all the campers feel they played a role in the final product
- Have as much fun as possible

reaction to John's criticism

John's concern was my capstone was not distinctive or relevant, specifically noting that while it will be useful to the kids at camp, but nothing beyond that. Also that it is similar to a class on film production and that isn't a new idea.

I want to start by saying that this will be far from a class. I am going to teach them the fundamentals, but beyond that I would like to steer as far away from a classroom atmosphere as possible. I want them to give ideas on how to illustrate the scene visually and not tell them how to do it. I know none of them have taken a film class before, so they won't be doing this by the book. It will be our collective ideas and taking chances and I will be pushing them to try new things.
Second, I don't know why this has to be useful to more than the kids at camp. New Media projects don't have to be relevant to the world.

reaction to James' criticism

He coined my weakness right now as Sustainable, noting that funding and parental permission will be a problem.

I'll begin with funding. I have been trying to stress that with available technology at its current level it will be possible to make good quality films without breaking the bank. One of my goals is to advertise the films as being made for practically no money, just the basic equipment.

Second, I don't think the parental premission will be a problem. No parents ever said that their child was on the web site too much, only not enough. However, this was on a web site that was password protected so I will have to look into getting permission before submitting the film on an open source forum.