The Film School returns this year to Scholars Hall, hosted by our partner Northwestern Michigan College, with classes twice daily, at 12 noon and 3 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Tickets are just $5 per class and feature visiting filmmakers and industry professionals sharing their insight and experience. To register for a session, please stop by the Box Office at 101 North Park or call 231-922-8109.

Wednesday
12 noon: Production Audio for Film
Sennheiser Electronic Corp.’s kickoff film school session sees a TCFF director, a U of M professor, and other professionals join together to make a three-minute film during the class. The team demonstrates the importance of getting the best sound, with the right microphone, at the right time. Join the top experts in the field to get first-hand experience on getting sound right.
Sponsored by: Ferris State University College of Education & Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences

3 pm: Tips from a Hollywood Casting Director and Actress
Bring all of those questions you always wanted to ask about Hollywood, but couldn’t, to the table. Actress and casting agent Pamela Guest (“Blue Velvet,” “Big Trouble in Little China”) visits us from LA to share information, tips, and pointers that will give you the inside track on how the Hollywood casting system works, and how you can break in. Get up to speed on this fascinating aspect of making the magic happen on the screen.
Sponsored by: Grand Traverse Democrats and Antrim County Democrats

Thursday
12 noon: Sound and Music: The Heart and Soul of Film
Composer Jeff Gibbs (“Capitalism: A Love Story,” “Fahrenheit 9/11”) shares his insights and experiences in creating film scores, as well as how to use music and the soundscape of a film to bring audiences into the heart and soul of your movie. Many directors and editors deal with a film’s score and sound design as two separate processes, but sound, including dialogue, narration and special effects, is the primary way an audience enters the world of a film, and it must be taken into consideration from the very beginning. This class discusses the scoring of a film, how to think about the music and soundscape for your film, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Examples from a variety of films will be shown, along with a live demonstration.
Sponsored by: Ferris State University College of Education & Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences

3 pm: The Indie Director: From Script to Screen
Benjamin Busch presents his short film “Bright,” which screens in this year’s “Shorts for Adults II” program, and then offers a master class on taking a story from script to screen, noting all of the details that went into the story and screenplay, camera direction, editing, performances, and composition/sound design. Busch is an actor, writer and filmmaker best known for his portrayal of Anthony Colicchio on the HBO’s “The Wire.”
Sponsored by: Cold Stone Creamery

Friday
12 noon: Producing Your Independent Film: From Idea to Script to Market
This introductory course covers the business side of making, financing, and marketing a film. Lisa Pick (director of Miller Canfield’s Film + Entertainment practice) and other experts discuss the legal, financial, and other business-based issues creative filmmakers run into on their way to finding the largest possible audiences and covering their investment costs.
Sponsored by: Ferris State University College of Education & Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences

3 pm: Acting for the Camera
Robert DeNiro, Julia Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Nick Nolte, Gena Rowlands, Elia Kazan, John Cassavetes, Paul Schrader and teachers Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg: this session’s instructors have worked with, and learned from, them all. Robert Rayher, noted experimental filmmaker and Senior Film Production Lecturer at the University of Michigan, actress Elizabeth Guest, and Pamela Guest, a U of M graduate and one of the few Hollywood casting directors who also performs, return to TCFF to reprise one of last year’s most popular film school classes with a new spin.

Saturday
12 noon: Storytelling in Documentary Film
Join award-winning director Michael Webber as he discusses the craft of storytelling in documentary film. This three hour session focuses on the filmmaker’s role as more than just “documenting” an issue or event, but telling a compelling story through rich characters, strong plot, clear narrative and creative writing. Webber takes his unique perspective gained from his transition from the world of fiction studio films and discusses how to apply those same storytelling and filmmaking principles to the documentary genre. Michael Webber is the producer/director of “The Elephant in the Living Room,” winner of five Best Documentary Awards including 2010 TCFF Director’s Choice Award.
Sponsored by: Ferris State University College of Education & Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences

3 pm: How I Made My Short Film
For many aspiring directors, making a short film is a great way to both hone one’s craft and to break into the industry, as short films continue to gain new distribution outlets. From the record 59 shorts at this year’s fest, several filmmakers— both newcomers and veterans — will talk about how they made their films, why they made them, how they’ve found audiences, and what they plan to do next.

Sunday
12 noon: Breaking Into The Industry: Notes from a Young Filmmaker
Writer/director/producer Katie Tibaldi, born and raised in Michigan, shares her tips, lessons and best-kept secrets with aspiring artists of all ages looking to break into a difficult industry. Working in New York after earning an MFA and BFA from New York University’s film school, Tibaldi (“Courting Condi,” “Street Fighting Man”) got her foot in the door and for nine years has made a living being creative. Currently she’s writing jokes, producing films, and serving as head of the writers’ department for TBS’s sitcom “Are We There Yet?”
Sponsored by: Earth Rescue, Inc.

3 pm: The Craft of Screenwriting
Writer/director V. Prasad’s produced work includes “Before the Rains” and “Oceans of Pearls.” Prasad holds an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute and teaches the craft at UCLA Extension and at the University of Michigan. In his spare time, he serves as a programmer for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. He’ll be here in Traverse City to offer his thoughts on screenwriting, humor, the writer-director relationship, dialogue, and more.

Film School sponsored by
Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation

School Sessions sponsored by
Ferris State University – College of Education & Human Services and College of Arts & Sciences
Coldstone Creamery
Earth Rescue Inc.
GT County Democrats & Antrim County Democrats

Venue host
Northwestern Community College

Film Production Assistant Boot Camp

A “boot camp” style course on becoming a Film Production Assistant will be offered at Northwestern Michigan College August 9-12. The 20-hour workshop is designed to expand your understanding of film making while learning essential production assistant skills.

For more information and to register, please click here.