What I’m Learning in Film School🎥🎭🎨

Year 2 (Fall Semester) at Film school, as a Post-Production major. Here are some cool things I’m learning!

• Digital Effects (Adobe After Effects, Photo Shop) – My first exercise ^^^^ was to do a simple 10 second animation in Adobe After Effects. I closed my eyes, and like Dan Akroyd in Ghostbusters, thought of the Stay Puf’t Marshmallow man 😆 I’m probably most excited for this class, and I hope to learn and apply some new skills in my next montage here on this blog.
• Avid Media Composer (The Hollywood Standard Video Editing Software) – While I am very excited to add this software to my editing repertoire, I have to say, that so far learning it has been a pain in the you-know-what. Different from Adobe Premiere and Apple Final Cut in subtle but very aggravating ways.
• Sound For Film & Video (Avid Pro-Tools, Adobe Audition) – I was hoping this would be more post-production intensive. But its more of a sound theory, and capturing sound on set with microphones class. So far at least. Very interesting, don’t get me wrong. But less applicable to the projects I’m currently working on here (A Dark Night, Halloween montage) My instructor’s worked with Snoop Dogg, and John Fogerty!🤩
• Production 2 – Short Films. If not for COVID, I’d be IN THE TRENCHES writing, directing, acting. being on set for my classmates, etc. Pretty much doing everything involved with making movies. Very Hands-On. Prod 1 was extremely difficult. Since we cannot have face-face contact this semester because of the plague, we are focusing more on pre-production, story structure, and things like that.
• Color Grading (Davinci Resolve)- Unfortunately, decided to drop this class because it was an elective, and I didn’t want to overwhelm myself this semester. But I’m studying color theory on my own, and I think it is just so fascinating. Today you can literally change colors in a scene, in post, with little more than a few clicks (Once you’ve mastered the art, of course). Technology is amazing.

Film school is very difficult at times. And is a lot of work Year 1 felt hellish. Filming. Learning how to use cameras, lights, sound equipment. Having to improv act in front of my classmates in ‘Understanding The Actor’s Process. Things that really threw me out of my comfort zone, and lead my final project to be title’d “Hello Darkness“)

But at the end of the day Film School really is a dream come true, and I feel very lucky to be attending, and studying my greatest passions.

Are you familiar with any of these topics I’m learning about? Video editing, sound, color, writing, acting, directing? What’s your speciality? What are you studying / learning about right now?

Thanks for reading, and stay safe.

E.F.