Film School in a Day
A day of classroom workshops for beginning and emerging filmmakers
** FULLY BOOKED **
This workshop is free, but advance registration is required, with just 20 spots available.
Made possible with support from the Newfoundland & Labrador Film Development Corporation (NLFDC)
11-12 PM
Composition & Framing with Jennie Williams
How do filmmakers get viewers to see exactly what they want them to see? Award-winning Nalujuk Night filmmaker and photographer Jennie Williams will show you how to use composition, perspective, and movement to make your film look its best, and how to show the viewer what you want them to see. She’ll explain how to carefully arrange your shots and pay close attention to what’s included, where you place your subjects and objects, what happens at the edges of the frame, and what's going on in the background.
Jennie Williams is a visual artist and performer from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. She is a nationally recognised photographer and an award-winning filmmaker whose short documentary Nalujuk Night recently earned Best Short Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards (2022).
1-2 PM
Directing with Jamie Miller
Join award-winning director and producer Jamie Miller for this hands-on directing workshop about the different techniques directors use for creating compelling films across genres. She’ll offer insights into how to analyse a script and its needs, but also how to approach working with actors in order to get the best visual and emotional delivery of a performance for your film.
Jamie Miller is a director and producer from St. John’s. Her first short doc Prince’s Tale, received a Hot Docs award for Best Canadian Short, a Canadian Screen Award nomination, and numerous other festival awards. She is also the Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award winner for her short drama, Proximity.
10-11 AM
Creating Your Film’s Visual Style with Heather Rumancik and Rodrigo Iniguez
Lighting technician Heather Rumancik and director of photography Rodrigo Iniguez will join forces to talk about how to create the visual style of a film. Using budget friendly techniques, they’ll show you how the look and feel of a film is achieved through framing and use of colour, and demonstrate the importance of effectively coordinating lighting and camera equipment in order to tell your story visually.
Heather Rumancik is an on-set swiss army knife with experience ranging from rigging studio sets for A-tier film and television to taping household lamps to walls for no-budget indie shoots. Heather currently teaches Lighting and Grip at CNA in St. John’s.
Rodrigo Iniguez is a Mexican filmmaker who calls St. John’s home. He is passionate about using cinematography and editing to bring unheard voices to the forefront.
2-3 PM
World-Building in Film: The Essential Steps with Grind Mind's Francois van Zyl
You’ve got a great idea for your story! Now what?! Grind Mind filmmaker extraordinaire Francois van Zyl will discuss how world building makes us suspend our belief, lose ourselves in a story, and keep coming back for more even when we know the plot by heart. He’ll walk you through the different steps of bringing your film’s world to life like: how to find inspiration and decide on your world type; how to include this in your writing and start developing some personalised ideas; how to shape your world’s appearance, culture and timeline, and how to determine your film’s world building influences.
As one fourth of the horror film outfit Grind Mind, Francois van Zyl delights in bringing our deepest fears to the screen through the world of horror and gore. Van Zyl is also the recipient of the an NL Arts and Letters Award for his short story, ‘Grit, There Is No Final Hour’.