March 4, 2008
Film 4901 (Beginning Film Production) students welcomed Producer/Director Craig Saavedra, and Cinematographer Joaquin Sedillo, to our class on March 4th for a frank and entertaining discussion of independent feature film production. Based in Los Angeles, Craig and Joaquin were in town for the world premiere of their latest film "Sherman's Way" an official selection at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose. Most of the principal photography took place in nearby Lake County, and quite a few cast and crew members hailed from the Bay Area. Craig urged students to write scripts "from the heart," and then "use your head" to make the films happen. Students were inspired and motivated by Craig's passion for filmmaking, and truly appreciated his great advice and encouragement.
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The word is out about Chabot College's fabulous new film course, and our student newspaper got the first scoop.
Chabot Spectator
Issue date:
2/21/08 Section: In Focus
Chabot student Cesar Venegas edits some footage during his film studies class on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Building 1600. The course Film 4901, is the first of its kind to be offered at Chabot, teaching students how to produce and edit video.
Chabot students can be filmmakers
New class uses same software as independent film industry offering first-hand experience
By: Richard Durante
With the arrival of a new semester, Chabot can now proudly claim to be the
home of the future filmmakers of tomorrow.
Behind their individual computers, students are reviewing the footage they've
shot and editing it into a story line of their choosing.
Others are quiet, lost in a world of sound as they create their own sound tracks
using a program called Garageband.
At the forefront of it all is instructor Linda Rhodes, whose Film 4901 Beginning
Film Production class is the first of its kind at Chabot in recent history.
"I can't wait to see the results of their camera excercise" she explains when
asked about what the students are currently working on.
Using Blackboard, Rhodes wrote out a list of specific shots that her students
had to shoot using their own personal cameras that they use for the class.
Each shot is entirely different, as each student has his or her own vision of
how to shoot it, but the result is a series of images then used to construct
into a working story line.
This is all done just like the silent films of the 1920s in which a story was
told through stationary images and music.
What better way to learn about film production then starting at the roots of it.
Each student uses Final Cut Pro to upload and edit the films.
This software is becoming very popular in the independent film industry for its
easy-to-use interface and its simple design.
"Anything they're learning here can be transferred into the film industry" said
Rhodes.
The students in Rhodes' Film 4901 class will also be receiving help from the
students in Dov Hassan's Theater 4901 Acting on Camera class.
This partnership enables Rhodes' students to have a working cast at their
disposal.
At the same time it gives Hassan's students a chance to test their newly
acquired skills.
Many of the students in the Film 4901 class are aspiring filmmakers themselves
and even those who enrolled out of mere curiosity are beginning to enjoy it."It
gives me the freedom of creative thought" says Shaughn Harris.
"I'm a big movie buff," says Mike Butterfield, "and the class teaches you the
technical aspects of it."
The class will also be taught next fall under the new course title of Film 50.
The class is a great opportunity for everyone who has an interest in movies,
from movie buffs to those who want to pursue a career.
If you find yourself interested or if you are an aspiring filmmaker then this
could be the class for you.
Copyright 2008 The Spectator
Click here to view article on the Spectator website.