Production 1

First taught through Austin FilmWorks in 1993, Steve Mims's Production One class has evolved into the most comprehensive and practical guide available to beginning filmmakers. At the University of Texas at Austin Steve taught Film One (the introductory 16mm filmmaking course) for four years. (This fall Steve is teaching RTF366K at UT.) Austin FilmWorks Production One is the natural hybrid film/digital video class that has evolved today. The class covers the issues of technology, design, and practical application of technique in a manner that blends bedrock filmmaking techniques with elegant digital tools.

Production One is an intensive 14 week introduction to basic 16mm film and digital video pre-production, production, and post production. Instruction and testing will cover cameras, lenses, film, metering, digital video imaging, cinematography, lighting, audio, writing, directing, and digital non-linear editing using Final Cut Pro.

Each student will shoot one field exercise and collaborate with a partner on an edited final project. Field exercises and the final project will be produced on digitally. In-class demonstrations and workshops will utilize 16mm film stocks, film cameras, and digital video cameras. At least two additional individual project review sessions will be required.

Students are required to provide materials (videotape stock), purchase a reading packet, obtain required texts, and screen assigned films. Students must have access to a camcorder (any format) for part of the course. Read what others have said about Austin FilmWorks.

Previous filmmaking experience is not required. The class is designed to bring students up to speed on technical and aesthetic concepts through lectures, reading, demonstrations and projects in a completely comphrensive approach.

In PRODUCTION ONE students are introduced to equipment common to film schools around the world. Our gear includes 16mm motion picture cameras by ARRI, BOLEX and CINEMA PRODUCTS, lighting and grip equipment by ARRI, LOWEL, MOLE-RICHARDSON and MATTHEWS and editing on Apple MACINTOSH COMPUTERS with FINAL CUT PRO. Our digital video cameras include the Sony XDCAMEX1 CineAlta HD.

Our objective is to teach students a great deal in a compressed timeframe. Our focus is on the controllable elements of filmmaking and the decisions that go into making the choices that will affect the final film. This is the first step in closing the gap between what a filmmaker imagines and what he creates. Learning to close that gap is crucial to all successful and satisfying work. As an investment of time, PRODUCTION ONE is an important and relatively inexpensive way to decide whether the process is compatable with the student. Filmmaking is almost always a collaborative, team effort and this class will help you find your comfort level in that world.

Contemporary filmmaking is in the midst of tremendous shift from emulsion based analog imaging to digital acquistion of sound and picture. However the majority of contemporary motion picture production is still done on 35mm and 16mm film and it will be for quite some time. Therefore, we believe that students must be grounded in both motion picture and digital production and that we would be remiss if we do not prepare students to navigate among the many contemporary techniques for creating films.

Students in Production One are challenged by the requirement to shoot two camera exercises and an edited and mixed short film by the end of the term. Our final project films show as part of Austin FilmWorks' NUDGE MICRO DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL at Regal's Arbor Cinema.

Most undergraduate film programs require portfolio films for admission consideration, and many of our students create shorts for that purpose in Production One.

PRODUCTION ONE covers the following areas through reading, lectures, demonstrations, Saturday Workshops and exercises:

'Properties of Film and Digital Imaging', 'Digtial and Motion Picture Cameras', 'How Lenses Work', 'Incident and Reflective Light Metering', 'Visual Design, Part I: Nomenclature, Composition and Application of Technique', 'Visual Design, Part II: Screen direction and Objective and Subjective Cinema, 'Cinemtography', 'Editing Concepts', 'Story formats: Synopsis, Treatment and Script', 'Production Management', 'Fundamentals of Audio', 'Post-Production Process', 'Non-Linear Editing Techniques using Final Cut Pro', 'Audio Mixing', 'Special Visual Effects', 'Copyright and Music Clearance' and 'Advised Reading'.