Attended: april 01/feb02
Recommend: Yes

I don't know where to start about this program. It's simply amazing from beginning to end. I enrolled in the filmmaker's program. I'll admit that at first the price and location were concerns, but any doubts I had were erased in the first week. Check out the website for a few location examples (www.addarinentertainment.com), but trust me, this is some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. Furthermore, the staff go out of their way to find and secure any location you need. THE PROGRAM: A FEATURE FILM in ten months. That's right, a FEATURE. None of this five minute short nonsense. As one of the instructors said, "I don't know a single person who went to film school with the goal of making short films for a living". The program was broken into three parts:1. Pre-production - Incredible. The instructors walk you through your script step by step. We broke it down piece by piece, analyzed every scene, and if a scene wasn't working they brought in actor's to workshop it. The coolest thing was that they never forced me to change anything. It was like, we think this could work a little better, let's try it and see. 99% of the time, their suggestions worked. We covered everything from aquiring the rights of a script to casting, financing, budgeting, scheduling, locations... I learned a step by step process that I can apply to my next project. 2. Skills training - Everything was hands on. They use ARRI SR2 ( Super 16)cameras, which were in great shape. Zoom lenses, primes, video assist. All kinds of lighting and diffusion. They use DAT recorders mainly. This was maybe the only criticism I had. They didn't have a nagra. But I'm sure if anyone requested one, they would have it in a week. 3. Production - This is the jewel of the program. Seeing your scene set up, blocking your actors, calling action and seeing your words being spoken. It's an unbelievable feeling. The production phase is intense. TIP: Get into decent shape BEFORE this begins. Long days on a film set take their toll. Don't let fatigue influence your decisions. The instructors told me about this well in advance, but I didn't take them seriously. I'll know better next time. I got to edit a rough cut on AVID, which is an amazing sytem. Then we had a fantastic session on marketing, press kits, and festival submissions. I can't speak highly enough about this progam. Great people, great atmosphere, and when you take into account the money they spend on your production ( they pay for film stock and processing, actors, location fees,etc.) the tuition is a very small price to pay. I think they're only taking six people this year, so if you're interested, I suggest you apply soon!

Reviewer's Location: Seattle,

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Note: This review was auto-imported from an older LOAFS database. A "Yes" recommendation has been translated into a rating of ten. A "No" has been translated into a rating of one.
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Review Submitted by: Jen (unverified)