Neorealist Filmmaking – Rome, Now

About

The art of filmmaking, telling your world in real time
As in Italian Neorealism, Nouvelle Vague, and Independent Cinema, in this course you will go out on the streets and narrate your world.
This intensive workshop will provide you with the knowledge you need to make digital cinema without being bogged down by the methodology, logistics, and costs of traditional cinema productions. We will use the tools now available thanks to modern technology, from your own smartphone to simple digital cameras to professional cinema cameras. Speed is the essence of the workshop, and you will have the opportunity to work with spontaneity, whatever your previous experience.

You will combine hands-on experience with critical analysis to better understand the theory and concepts of film language and film conventions by rapidly making films, dissecting them, and going out to shoot again.
The results can be reportage, cinema verité, video art, fiction, experimental, or combinations of all of these.

The workshop is aimed at students, artists, filmmakers, performers, and anyone who wants to document their own slice of life.

Course leader

Stephen Natanson is a film director and producer. He has traveled the world making documentaries, short films, and commercials. He has worked for the major Italian, European, and American television networks.

Target group

From 18 years old

Course aim

Day 1
Introduction and schedule of the course.
A lecture on film language and conventions, storytelling, structure, rhythm, improvisation, and experimental techniques, and how it is feasible to shortcut the traditional production and distribution process to produce quality with relatively simple tools and little or no costs.
Intro to simple point and shoot cameras and professional digital cinema cameras.
Each of you will immediately start writing, shooting and editing the first short film.
The aim is to quickly sketch out what you want to say and having seen the result and received criticism, learn from one’s mistakes and either reshoot or make another film.

Day 2
Lecture on how to choose one’s own point of observation, directly capture reality, and represent it.
Writing, shooting, and editing the second short film.

Day 3
Lecture on Neorealism, Nouvelle Vague and Cinema Verité.
Writing, shooting, and editing the third short film.

Day 4
Writing, shooting, and editing the fourth short film. Review and critique session.

Day 5
Postproduction and final screening of at least three short films, fiction, abstract or documentary.

Fee info