An article in the March 6, 2005 issue of the New York Times titled "Is a Cinema Studies Degree the New M.B.A.?" quotes Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinema-Television, as saying, "The greatest digital divide is between those who can read and write with media and those who can't." The article suggests that cinematic storytelling skills are becoming a new form of literacy, as important as reading and writing with words. The study of cinematic storytelling techniques is becoming part of a complete education, not only as skills for making films, but also for building visual communication skills that one can apply to a variety of fields including health care, business, education, technology, you name it. They are, in effect, essential for widespread democratization of the media.




top CDIA students on the set of the “Shooting on Location” class, left to right, Ryan Nelsen, Mike Kelly, Kim Romano. Photo by David Tamés. middle left Mona Kumar (Producer), Mike Young (Department of Fire Services), David Tamés (Faculty Supervisor), Bob Eason (Director) and Ron Mortara (Cinematographer) on the set of “Reversal,” a Production Practicum project producing a 30 second PSA for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, on the topic of Fireworks Safety, May, 2005. Photo courtesy CDIA. middle right Graduating students Mona Kumar, Erin Gallagher, Sally Fay Cottingham, and Bob Eason Photo by David Tamés. bottom CDIA students on the set of the “Shooting on Location” class, left to right, Josh Ford, Dan Eslinger, David Holroyd, March, 2005. Photo by David Tamés.

ALTERNATIVE PATHS

Meeting the increasing demand for this are a number of traditional and non-traditional film school options. Whether it's classes on nights and/or weekends, a one-week workshop, or a formal certificate program, New England offers students many excellent opportunities to get started as filmmakers.

Brett Simon has compiled a directory of New England instututions and their programs (see Sidebar). Please keep in mind that the directory is not a complete guide nor is any ranking expressed or implied (entries are listed in alphabetical order). I encourage you to contact each instutition to learn more and determine if their offerings are right for you. Below I'll highlight two new programs in the area offering students an opportunity to learn filmmaking in a hands-on environment outside of traditional academic programs. These programs are offered by the Boston Film School and the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University.

A general education in the various facets of filmmaking craft is an important foundation upon which to build your personal voice. After all, film is a collaborative communication medium and a set of aesthetics and techniques have evolved in order to make communication more effective.

Learning to use the tool of the trade is much easier in a classroom situation working with others compared to trying to do it alone. David Holroyd has launched MyDigitalBiography.com, a business producing biographical films for, as he puts it, "the not so rich and the not so famous." Holroyd, a recent CDIA graduate, is typical of many students who pursue alternative paths for their filmmaking education. He says, "I was not looking for a degree course, I was looking for something that provided a lot of information across a broad swath of subjects in a short period of time and was very hands-on." He continues, "the course offering was very effective in equipping you to be able to approach the totality of filmmaking on your own or as part of a team with a level of ability that is sufficient to get you started, because as with any kind of trade, or skill related training, it's that, plus experience, that makes you effective."

CENTER FOR DIGITAL IMAGING ARTS

Digital imaging technology has completely changed the nature of filmmaking, animation, and photography. The slow pace of change within traditional academic institutions, the exciting pace of technological developments in digital media, and a vibrant community of filmmakers in New England, inspired Bob Daniels, who studied Photojournalism at Boston University, to found the Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA) at Boston University in February of 2004. CDIA enrolled it's first group of Digital Filmmaking certificate students last Fall. The students graduated in June and their final project screenings were held on June 3rd at the Embassy Cinema in Waltham. (See WWW on page 29 of the June/July 2005 issue of Imagine News.)

Emerson College graduate marketing students working on an advertising presentation. Photo courtesy of Emerson College.

With numerous classrooms and studio spaces, the latest digital cameras and postproduction tools, and hand-on classes taught by local working professionals, CDIA offers a unique nine-month, two-term program. A cornerstone of the program is a four-week Production Practicum students participate in after completing their coursework. The goal is to provide students the opportunity to experience real-world challenges working with a real client under a tight schedule on a real budget. Students who graduated in June had the opportunity to work on one of three Production Practicums.

One practicum project produced an admissions piece for the North Bennet Street School (http://www.nbss.org) located in Boston's North End. The school promotes excellence in traditional crafts, training students for careers in trades that use hand skills in concert with developed technology. Students created a film that artfully blends a variety of documentary techniques providing viewers with a sense of what being at the school
is like and what it means to study traditional crafts today.

Another practicum involved the students forming a creative team to research, conceive, pitch, plan, and produce "Reversal," a thirty-second public service announcement (PSA) for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Safety on the topic of firework safety. The PSA
premiered at the Department of Fire Safety's Annual Fireworks Safety Press Conference, encouraging local stations to air the PSA in the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend.

The third practicum consisted of producing a commercial for CDIA's 3D Animation program that mixes live action shots created in a green screen studio by the digital filmmaking students merged with animated 3D elements created by 3D Animation students. The spot will soon air on the Sci-Fi channel.

BOSTON FILM SCHOOL

Boston Film School is another new school on the landscape. The school was founded by two local filmmakers, Robert Patton-Spruill and Patricia Moreno. Moreno (producer) and Patton-Spruill (writer/director) became celebrated local filmmakers when they sold their feature film SQUEEZE to Miramax in1996 for the indie record setting sum of one million dollars. This was a time when people were taking note of the Boston independent
filmmaking scene with local productions like HOME BEFORE DARK, NEVER
MET PICASSO, NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, and TROUBLESOME CREEK, making the rounds at festivals and art houses and furthering careers for their
writers, directors, and producers.



top left Scene form MADE IN TAIWAN.An experimental documentary by RISD student Cleo Wang. Photo courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design. top right An animated scene from Ian Stewart’s THE SUNDAY COMIC STRIP. Photo courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design. bottom left Joannza Lo, ROOTS BEFORE BRANCHES, a hybrid live action/animation, optically printed 16mm to Beta. Photo courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design. bottom right THE FISH HEADS FUGUE AND OTHER TALES FOR TWILIGHT, an animation, DV by Lindsey Mayer-Beug. Photo courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design.

Patton-Spruill and Moreno hope that the Boston Film School will continue in the tradition of the Boston Film and Video Foundation (BF/VF), which for over a quarter of a century offered a wide range of video and film classes and organized the New England Film/Video Festival, providing area filmmakers with classes, workshops, and exhibition opportunities. In February of 2004 the organization closed its doors, due, in part, to drastic cuts in media arts funding and their inability to change the business model to survive rapidly changing economic and technological circumstances. Patton-Spruill and
Moreno negotiated with the BF/FV board to transfer the organization's assets to Boston Film School's umbrella organization, the Boston Educational Film & Video Association (BEFVA).

The Boston Film School offers classes taught by Patton-Spruill. Patricia Moreno states, "our basic philosophy is trying to complement and react to the industry today." This they hope to accomplish with classes on "strict film making." Boston Film School offers a small number of affordable, introductory level classes. Moreno says this is in order to "really be able to do something that no one else is doing at this kind of price range."

And what are Patton-Spruill's goals for BEFVA? He says the new film association will "help enrich the community," and looks to the growth of the New England Film & Video Festival, now in its 30th year and now run by BEFVA. He'd like to see it become a film festival "that means something internationally and nationally. That's one thing I'd like to
see happen. I feel like we don't have a festival around here that industry considers [worth] caring about, so that's a goal of mine."

SCREENINGS

An important aspect of a film education not to be overlooked is watching and discussing a wide range of films. The Boston area has some fine movie houses offering programming that includes classics, independent films, and world cinema. Each is home to a number of important festivals each year. These local treasures make it possible to be exposed to a broad range of films of every genre and style.

Brattle Theater, Harvard Square
http://www.brattlefilm.org/brattlefilm/

The Coolidge Corner, restored Art Deco movie palace in Brookline

http://www.coolidge.org/

The Harvard Film Archive at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
http://www.harvardfilmarchive.org/

The Museum of Film Arts, Boston
http://www.mfa.org/film/

David Tamés is the Program Director of the Digital Filmmaking Program at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University.

Directory of Classes, Workshops, and Certificate Programs in New England

By Brett Simon

BNN: Boston Neighborhood Network Television
8 Park Plaza
Suite 2240
Boston, MA 02116
617 720-2113 x24
e-mail: membership@bnntv.org
http://www.bnntv.org/pages/train.html

Individual Courses

Courses include: Orientation to BNN. Images and Sounds, Introduction to Digital Media, Digital Field Production Workshop, Project Screenings, Studio Production Workshop, Producing BNNLive Programs, Mobile Production Van Crew, Mobile Production Van Producer, Switcher Class, Character Generator Class, Making a Documentary, and more. The Digital Field Production Workshop covers the operation of BNN's field equipment, including cameras, microphones, and lighting, as well as non-linear digital editing. Field production is used primarily for documentaries, on-location performances and events, drama, and video art.

Boston Center for Adult Education
5 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
617 267-4430
e-mail: registration@bcae.org
http://www.bcae.org

Individual Classes

Offers classes including Beginning Screenwriting Workshop and Intensive Introduction to Screenwriting. The classes teach the tools of the trade to help participants carry ideas from concept to finished script and teaches what studios look for in submissions: suspense-building acts, believable characters, and intriguing subplots. Bring your ideas and learn how to translate them to the big screen.

Boston Film School
324 Blue Hill Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617 989-0588
e-mail: pmoreno@befva.org
http:// www.befva.org/bfs.html

Individual Classes

Intensive hands-on classes taught by Robert Patton-Spruill (SQUEEZE BODYC COUNT) include Short Film Screenwriting, Acting For the Screen, Directing, and 16mm Film Production. The school is administered by the Boston Educational Film & Video Association (BEFVA) whose mission is to foster & build the regional film community by providing educational opportunities, create networking opportunities for regional independent filmmakers, and to promote & exhibit high quality independent films throughout New England with the New England Film & Video Festival, now in its 30th year.

Cambridge Center for Adult Education
42 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
617 547-6789
http://www.ccae.org

Individual Classes

Offers an "indie-style" screenwriting class teaching how to write scripts specifically tailored for low-budget production, helping students to get their project produced. Writing assignments and workshopping focus on strong characters, plot and dialogue, building towards the completion of a quality first draft. Other classes in film, writing, and acting may also be offered.

Cambridge Community Access Television
75 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617 661-6900
http://www.cctvcambridge.org

Individual Classes

Offers video certification courses, educational video seminars, and computer courses. A fundamental component of CCTV's mission is to providing access to communications equipment and also provides affordable training in how to use it. This is reflected in the extensive array of inexpensive video and computer courses CCTV offers.

Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University
282 Moody Street
Waltham, MA 02453
781 209-1700
e-mail: info@cdiabu.com
http://www.cdiabu.com

Certificate Program

Nine-month, two-term professional certificate program in Digital Filmmaking offers an intensive program of hands-on study that trains students to become skilled in shooting and editing both documentary and narrative films using contemporary tools and professional techniques. Classes are taught by working professionals. The program includes a four-week "production practicum" providing students the opportunity to work on a real-world production and gain professional experience as part of their studies. Also offers certificates in 3D animation, digital photography, and web design.

Emerson College Extension Program
120 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
617 824-8277
e-mail: kimberly_frigon@emerson.edu
http://www.emerson.edu/ce/

Certificate Program

The Media Production Certificate offers students a theoretical and practical introduction to media exposing students to the basic history, theory, and practice of the media arts (film, television and video, radio and audio, and new media). Students benefit from experienced professional instructors and extensive hands-on instructional methodology. Other programs are available in screenwriting, media production, and publishing. Courses taught by Emerson faculty and industry practitioners. Also offers workshops and
summer programs, and open-enrollment classes.

Future Media Concepts
43 Thorndike Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
617 621-1155
e-mail: info@fmctraining.com
http://www.fmctraining.com/

Individual Classes and Master Class

Individual classes in Avid, Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Discreet, non-linear editing, sound editing, web design, web programming, streaming video, DVD authoring, graphics, compositing, and 3D animation. Also an authorized training center for Adobe, Apple, Avid, Boris, Digidesign, Discreet, Macromedia, Quark, Softimage, and Sony. Course for both career changers as well as individuals working in the field who wish to enhance their skills and broaden their marketability. Master Class course groupings consist of several courses to give trainees a solid foundation in their software of interest.

Harvard Extension
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617 495-4024
e-mail: extension@hudce.harvard.edu
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/

Individual Classes and Workshops

Through lectures and hands-on projects, students in the Workshop in Video Field Production learn the equipment and techniques used in single-camera field production and postproduction. Students write and produce a variety of projects, which are edited in digital nonlinear mode and then downloaded for review in class. Other classes including screenwriting, digital multimedia art, 3D design, and visual effects are offered.

Massachusetts College of Art
Division of Graduate and Continuing Education
2nd Floor, Tower Building
621 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617 879-7200
e-mail: continuing_education@massart.edu
http://www.massart.edu

Individual Courses

Offers courses in Final Cut Pro, Monster Edit: Video Music Jam, DVD Studio Pro, After Effects and others. Continuing Education courses and programs are available throughout the year, including summertime. Adults of all ages are welcome to participate in Graduate and Continuing Education courses. Courses with MassArt credit can be transferred to other institutions and can be considered for application toward one of the degree or certificate programs offered through MassArt.

New England Institute of Art
10 Brookline Place West
Brookline, MA 02445
800 903-4425
e-mail: neiaamd@aii.edu
http://www.neia.artinstitutes.edu

Certificate Program

The certificate in Digital Video Production provides training on the fundamentals of video production form concept and completion using digital video production tools like Final Cut Pro and Motion. Students receive hands-on training with the latest digital cameras to produce professional quality video for broadcast and corporate production.
This program was created to serve the corporate video markets as well as supplement training to existing broadcast video professionals in television and production studios.

Rhode Island School of Design
Continuing Education
20 Washington Place, 1st floor
Providence, RI 02903
401 454-6100

e-mail: admissions@risd.edu
http://www.risd.edu/ce_video_editing.cfm

Certificate Program

The Digital Video Postproduction Certificate Program prepares students to enter the field and to keep up with technological advances. The curriculum emphasizes both technical proficiency and aesthetic sensibility while addressing the need to communicate visually. Students gain a foundation of skills needed to work with video, graphics and sound, thus preparing them for careers in broadcast TV, corporate video, web and/or film editing.
Offered are continuing education, certificate, professional development, summer studies, and workshop programs.

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Continuing Education Office
230 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
617 267-1219
e-mail: coned@smfa.edu
http://www.smfa.edu

Individual Classes

Video Production course introduces the basics of video technology and practice using digital video cameras and Final Cut Pro. Students with no experience in video will be instructed in the possibilities of time-based expression through technical and creative projects. Experienced students will learn new software and refine aesthetic skills. Students produce one piece by session's end. It may be video art, an installation, a documentary, or a music video, or it may take a form specific to your needs.

Rockport College
2 Central Street
Rockport, ME 04856
207 236-8581
e-mail: info@rockportcollege.edu
http://www.rockportcollege.edu/pcert-film.asp

Certificate Program

A one-year, professional certificate in dramatic and documentary filmmaking. Previous experience is required and applicants must have at least two years of college, but a degree is not required. Offered as a 15-week Fall Foundation Program (fall term) and a Spring Production Term (Dramatic or Documentary Film Program). Offers a unique approach training serious students providing practical training and artistic education in five career paths (screenwriter, director, producer, cinematographer, post production supervisor and editor) in two major fields: dramatic film and documentary filmmaking.

The Workshops: Film & Television Workshops
2 Central Street
Rockport, ME 04856
207 236-8581
e-mail: info@theworkshops.com
http://www.theworkshops.com/filmworkshops/index.asp

Workshops

The Workshops were originally founded as a summer conservatory for photographers and filmmakers. Over the past 30 years it has grown into a year-round college and learning center offering 250 week-long workshops and master classes designed for working and emerging professional. The Workshops are known for their intense, total-immersion, one-week workshops taught by working professionals with a reputation for improving technical skills, uncovering hidden talents, and expanding one's vision.