Behind-the-Scenes: Mentored Film Shoot Day 3
Hands-on Film Training
As part of their TVFP 200 course (Techniques for Video and Film Production), third quarter Digital Filmmaking students at our Kelowna, BC film school get to participate in a “mentored film shoot”. The mentored film shoot brings together industry professionals, to give students hands on experience on a true film set environment. When we talked to the student participants from last year, many said that the mentored shoot was priceless experience in preparing them to work on real film sets. During the shoot, students work through five areas alongside industry professionals, including Directing, AD (Assistant Directing), location sound, and camera operations.
Film student Jordan Marlin (at right!), has been ringing readers through the entire process, starting from the initial pitch, to the final hours in the editing room. He covered the pre-shoot a few weeks ago and today he talks to us about day three of the four day shoot!
Shoot Day 3
Our third shooting day started as all the others had before it. We rallied at the cage, and rented out our equipment. After a quick check, Shane and myself broke off from the group to undertake our duties as Assistant Directors.
For the rest of the day on set, Shane and I where nothing more than glorified sheep herders. Our jobs were simply to keep production on track. This included keeping a keen eye on the actors, guarding the doors from unwanted civilians walking onto the set (we call them bogies in the industry) and keeping our locations locked down and clean.
We found ourselves shooting predominantly in populated areas around the campus, making our job quite difficult. Our first setup was outside the production studio, which required two entrances to be covered. That was simply a warm up. Our next setup found us right beside the great rock monolith in Landmark three’s basement. Because of its wide open area, this location had more openings than two men could feasibly cover. This is where things became tricky, with both of us covering multiple entry points and using feverish hand signals to ward people away.
At the end of our shoot, we gathered around the monolith for a cast and crew photo, and with that my first day as an Assistant Director was over. I can say I thoroughly enjoyed shouting at people!
Students in the College for Arts and Technology’s Digital Filmmaking program are immersed in a practical film studio setting from day one. Our 18 month Canadian film school programs are offered in Kelowna, BC, Halifax NS, and Fredericton NB. Visit our program page or contact us to learn more about how you can get started on your film training in the near future!
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