Thank You NYFA

Friday was the last day at film camp this summer for me. Camp was only two weeks but it felt much longer, and that's a good thing. Film camp was a lot of fun and I met a lot of new people. Plus I learned even more this session compared to the Winter session at NYFA. Last time I was at union square and during the summer I was at Millenium High School.

Film camp was a lot of fun. We did so much hands-on activities in camp. However, we were working with different cameras from before. The cameras we used during camp were no where near as good as the cameras from my last session. But we were able to do with what we had. During camp I even got to go to Battery Park for the first time. We went there for a camera test, similar to the camera test I did last session. I went to Battery park twice since one of my friends shot his movie there.

In camp I met a lot of people. Some I met on the first day of camp. But most I met as time went along. I was really cool with 5 people. However, I was cool with every one in the camp. Martin, Avery, J.T., Dean, and Sumir were like my best friends in camp. Usually we were all in different groups but when we had lunch and breaks we would talk about a number of things. We all had the same interests. Then there were the TA's (Teaching Assistants). We automatically hit it off, I think we got along because I was one of the oldest in the class. Gabe, Naren, and Dave were the main TA's I was cool with.

The second week of film camp included all remaining children filming their movies. I shot my movie, "The Day Dreamer" on Wednesday. "The Day Dreamer" is about a Teenage Day Trader who day dreams. The shoot went well and I had three days to edit. When it came time to edit I learned a lot that I didn't know about final cut pro. I think the TA's knew a lot about the software because they were able to help me a lot. Editing certainly went well.

The screening for all the films was last Friday. Most of the films looked good. I like how all the films came out. I liked how my film came out, except for one part. This film camp was great and even better than my last session. Thank You NYFA, I will be back.

Four More Weeks To Go In Film School

It is now the tenth week in film school. I shot my movie last week and this week it's time for someone else to shoot. There are only four weeks left in film school. Three classes, (editing and shooting). Then in the fourth week everybody gets to see how their film turned out. This week I will be part of the crew. I look forward to being the camera man, because I want to work on my camera operator skills.

Time For Me To Shoot

Today is my ninth week in film school. And its time for me to shoot my movie. My movie is a comedy, its called The Fart Police. I can't wait to shoot my movie, I'm also going to be in it as one of the main characters. I expect my day to go very well.

And The Movies Begin

Today is my eighth week in film school. Teaching is over. Now, for the next three weeks, the students get to shoot their own 4-5 minute movie. I know I'm hyped. Next week is when I'm scheduled to shoot. Today I'll just be helping out and I'll watch was goes on to get a feel of how my day will go.

Film School Week 7

Today is my seventh week in film school. At film school its going to be a half & half day. Meaning, in one part of the day my class and I are in one class and the next part of the day we're in another class. So today we're going to learn about lighting and production. Then we're going to learn about writing. It'll be interesting to see how this works, but I still look forward to learning a lot.

Film School Week 6

Today is my sixth week in film school. I expect class to be really informative and fun. We're going to learn about Lighting and Production, two of the many key components in a film. As usual I'm getting ready and Pop is, too.

At film school we learned about lighting and production. Specifically, we learned how to use the lighting kit at N.Y.F.A, and we learned how each item works. John, who is our lighting, production, and hands on camera teacher, allowed another student and I to help him set up the lighting kit in the room. I was able to setup the umbrella, which is used to reflect light into a certain area. Then we learned how to reflect light into three different areas of the room.

After our snack break, class was split up into two groups of five people. My group included Sophie, Renee, Andrew, Matthew and I. I served as the director, while Sophie handled the camera, Renee served as AD, and Matthew and Andrew were actors. We were instructed to create a five minute scene including continuity. And we also had to have a beginning, middle, and end. Now I have a better understanding of lighting and making a short film.

Film School Week 5

Today is my fifth week at film school. I can't wait for class today. In class we're going to learn about director's craft again. I'm getting ready and Pop's sleep, but hey I can't wait to leave.

Film School Week 4

Today is my fourth week at film school. I'm hyped. If class is anything like last week, it'll be great. Pop's getting ready and I'm waiting. At film school we're going to learn Hands on Camera again. That should be great.

Film School Week 3 (Cont.)

Today film school we learned about the art of directing. Specifically when Bart added to my knowledge of a film shot. He gave a definition that I never thought of before. Shots are a visual choice that the director makes by motivation and a clear Point of View that focuses on telling the story of the movie. Shots should not be about how beautiful or impressive but should be about the story. We also learned about shot types and the 180 degree rule. The 180 degree rule is when a shot can go no further than 180 degrees. One interesting shot is Mise en scene. That means one scene with no edits for one shot.

We also learned about camera angles. Camera angles are the position of the camera to the vertical subject. A vertical subject is a person or place. The most common camera angles are: Eye level, High Angle, and Low Angle. Eye level is neutral to the level of the subject or normal. High Angle is above the eye level. Director use High Angles to make the subject look smaller and more diminutive (just learned this word today). Low angle is below the eye level. This angle makes the subject look bigger, stronger, and signifies power.

We learned about composition as well. Composition is to compose the shot of the subject on a horizontal plane. Composition is another way of saying location. There are three types of location: Foreground, Midground, and Background. Foreground is below, and Midground is in the middle, and background is in the back. There are three composition types: Frontal, Angled View, and Basic Shot Types. Frontal is often used for comedy, its not dramatic and it gives a 2D look. Angled view gives a 3D look, its often used more drama, tension, realism, and more visual information. Basic shot types are Single (one subject), Double (two subjects), Group Shots, and Over the Shoulder shots. I'll most likely will be using Angled View and Over the Shoulder shots. But I'll still have to learn about all of them because I want to try and do all of them.

Then we learned about camera movement. We learned about Dolly, which is smooth movement and the camera moves on a track. Stedicam is attached to an arm and the operator can walk with the camera while the arm absorbs the shocks of walking. Handheld is when the camera is held by the operator. Pan is moving the camera left to right and tracking shot is when a camera tracks on a dolly in a car.

The last thing we learned about was lenses. Their are three types of lenses: Wide lens, Normal (medium) Lens, and Telephoto lens. Wide lens captures the width of the shot. It also captures a lot of info, it has a great depth of field and small numbers. A telephoto lens has large numbers, it brings the subject closer, and it creates intimacy with the audience.

Today was a great day at film school. I took in a lot of information. Our teacher Bart Mastronardi taught very well. He was able to give good notes, allow us to work hands on, and help everyone understand what we learned. Most of the information I learned I had no clue about. But now I have a lot of knowledge I'll need about film for the future.

Film School Week 3

Today is my third day of film school. Pop's getting ready right now and I'm waiting. At film school today we're going to learn about director's craft. That should definitely be a great class. I look forward to being a director, writer, and producer along with my Pop of course.