Film Directing Course: Process and Practice for Stage and Film
Freehold is proud to once again offer this one-of-a-kind course for established and aspiring directors. This is one of the few courses in the PNW where directors get to work hands-on with actors, text, on-camera techniques, and post-production tools with master teachers Robin Lynn Smith and John Jacobsen. Directors and actors alike will come away from this intensive course knowing how to effectively work together in theatre and on-camera scene development, a critical success factor for both stage and film. Students will also come away from this course with a short film to use for further professional career development.
Because of the intensive nature of the course, class size is limited to 8 directing spots in order to give each director hands-on experience and lots of one-on-one work with the instructors and actors. Both directors and actors will need to interview/audition in order to register, and students will work on a variety of different projects with focus on the following:
- What it takes to write a good scene
- How to get honest and specific performances
- Where to put the camera and how to frame (for actors, your relationship to the camera and what you need to know about coverage)
- How to edit footage
Working with theatre text will give directors and actors an opportunity to work with layered, proven material in which a rich subtextual life is necessary; then, directors will move onto filming a short film (i.e., shoot some scenes you have written, shoot scenes we provide, or even shoot a narrative short limited to five minutes). Cast from the course or provide your own cast (and learn important info on the casting process in this course, too).
The proven beauty of this course is that directors will rewrite, shoot and edit that short three times, thus giving the instructors and students the ability to improve it in a systematic way. The course will culminate in a final public screening at a local theater that will give everyone a chance to celebrate their work on the big screen.
This class is an excellent follow-up for students who have already taken Directing or Acting for the Camera at Freehold. The Film Director Course is by audition for both actors and directors. The application deadline for Directors to apply is December 16. Director interviews are Jan 15. Actor applications are not yet open. The price for Directors is $895 and for Actors is $360. The course runs Mondays and Wednesdays, through April 9.
To apply to be a Director, fill out this application. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out at info@freeholdtheatre.org.
