At FilmCamp, we believe filmmaking is the absolute perfect activity for teams in your company. If you want to break the shackles of conformity and get employees to think out of the box, we've got just the activity for them. A hands-on, one-day workshop that equals no other endeavor in creativity and problem-solving through teamwork, discipline, patience and role play. The reward - a completed short film for each team at the end of the day.
Planning: Every endeavor in business calls for a plan. Plans come in many flavors.
Film Treatment as Business Plan: The key to effective teamwork is communication. Participants spend considerable time writing and rewriting treatments for a film. A treatment is the story in three paragraphs - beginning, middle and end. Its purpose is to flush out all problems and feasibility issues with a film. One could call it the business plan for a film. It basically answers two questions about the film - Will it work and can we do it?
Film Script as Project Plan: Following the treatment comes the writing of a script - the project plan for the film. Every action, movement and utterances of characters, locations and props required to execute the film is clearly called out. Participants learn to be succinct and visual in their language. Like all project plans, the script is the document that all artists from cinematographer to music composer will read to make independent journeys to make the film. Its clarity can never be understated to the success of a team.
Storyboard as Blueprint: Film being predominantly a visual medium, the team needs to visually comprehend what they are going to shoot. Shooting without a storyboard would be like an architect relying solely on measurements to convey his vision for a structure. Participants visualize through rectangular frames and stick figures every shot of the film. They will call out where the camera will be placed make note on continuity and overlapping action.
Execution: Planning all wrapped up, its time to execute. Each group is given a camera and a tripod. They will follow their script and storyboard to make the film they have meticulously planned.
Role Play: Shooting at a FilmCamp workshop is an exercise in role play. Two (to three members) of the team will play characters in the story. Those behind the camera will take turns being the director, assistant camera person, set decorator/prop master and script supervisor. They will change hats performing a different role for a stipulated number of shots. The purpose is to experience filmmaking from different perspectives.
Discipline: Workshop films are made outdoors, in public places and uncontrolled environments. Films have to be shot in 2-3 hours and before the sun sets. This calls for discipline among team members to remain focussed through the shoot. All activity in front of the camera and behind it needs to be rehearsed. Actors need to be prepared with their lines and those behind the camera need to frame, orchestrate and synchronize all the movement in each frame. All this leading up to the magic words "action" and "cut".
Patience: "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Nothing is more true of a film shoot. Inconceivable circumstances often conspire to jeopardize a well thought-out script/storyboard leading a film to ruin. Participants learn to curb overconfidence, be patient and troubleshoot through problems while keeping their nerve. Their singular focus - completion of their film.
Completion: A film is made a third time during the edit. Each team is provided with a computer to edit their films. They learn to import their footage, organize their shots as clips and assemble the film. Editing is also review time in filmmaking. Participants get to see their mistakes, fix them creatively using software tools and still convey the story they set out to tell. Each participant takes turns to edit a section of the film.
So by the end of the day, each team would have a film to show as testimony for their efforts. Completed films are titled, set to music, sound-mixed and burned onto a DVD for your teams at the FilmCamp.TV studio. This will be provided to your company.
