How to Make a Short Film - from Script to Screen!

Prerequisites: None

Gain a broad understanding of all the technical and performance aspects of making a short film. Learn the secrets from a Tropfest-winning tutor. Included is one Saturday for shooting a movie.

Course Outline:

1) The Script. Creating characters and the importance of the story arc. Thinking of locations. Correct script formatting.

2) The Technicals. Lights, camera! Setting up a standard three-point lighting arrangement and using the camera (white balance, exposure, framing and sound). Directing the actors (getting the performance) and shooting.

3) The Shoot. A selected script will be taken out and made into a short film (1 full day).

4) The Edit. Each student can (if they wish) take a copy of the camera tape and edit it on their own suite. Professional-quality editing software can be provided at a discounted rate.

5) Wrap up. The final review of each of the edited versions and lessons learned.

Four evenings x 2.5 hours, and 1 day's shoot (6 hours). Just $249!

For more information on the next course dates, contact us today!

About the Tutor

Ian Nicholson has made over 20 short films since 2006 as Writer, Director, Director of Photography, or all three!

In 2007, he shot and helped direct, 'Between the Flags' by Jayce White, that won Best Comedy and Best Male Actor at Tropfest 2007.

He has studied Documentary Video Making at the University of Sydney under John Buckmaster, and is about to complete his 5-Year Part-Time Advanced Acting Diploma at the Screen Actors Workshop under Alan Nurthen. He has also studied American Standard Accents under Bill Pepper of NIDA.

In 2007, he completed the intensive Hollywood Film Institute's course as a Certified Cinema Director and Line Producer Emeritus under Hollywood veteran Dov S.S. Simens, who has taught director/producers like Guy Ritchie, Quentin Tarantino, Chris Nolan and Will Smith.

Besides acting in several short films, Ian has appeared in a number of TV commercials for Abbey National, Sanitarium, and Virgin Mobile.

More recently, he has appeared on stage playing Inspector Cray in Agatha Christie's 'The Patient' (director Roz Riley), a Russian thug in the Fox TV mini-series 'False Witness' directed by Peter Andrikidis, and played one of Danny Huston's henchmen in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Gavin Hood.

In 2007, he founded the Sydney Film Industry Meetup Group which has grown to over 500 members, and is the Executive Producer of their new 6-part TV series 'Strange Fiction', for which he has written several episodes.

Ian is also a partner of www.mycitylifestyle.tv and has produced a number of corporate videos.

He is currently working on several feature films as screenwriter, teaches short film making for the Screen Actors Workshop and the Manly-Warringah Community College, and is about to take up the role of 1st Assistant Director in a new Australian feature production.