Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

This weekend, the Otaku University Conference will be held at the Mesa Conference Center. On Saturday and Sunday, Pamela Jo, Jeniece, Nick and I will be teaching a variety of classes on independent digital filmmaking, animation, Flash and compositing. The registration fee is only $45 which is an incredible bargain if you’re wanting to learn about indie filmmaking. And, if you’ve got a laptop, you can download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and work along in the animation class.

The description of the classes is below. Hope to see you all there.

SATURDAY
11:00–12:00 pm     Screenwriting
Turn your idea into a filmable script. Learn everything from script formatting to character development, story structure and creating compelling conflict. Emphasis on writing for independent film production. Screenwriting template and sample scripts provided.

12:00–2:00 pm     Low Budget & No Budget Production
This workshop will focus on the key aspects of independent digital film production including HD and SD cameras, on-set audio, lighting, camera movement, piercing the “observer” boundary, directing and the festival circuit. If time permits, color correction, sound sweetening, titles and text, managing input resolution, output for DVD mastering and web streaming will be covered. Blueprints for several “Do-It-Yourself” filmmaker tools provided including The $14 Steadicam and The Skate Wheel Dolly.

2:00–3:30 pm     GreenScreening
Step-by-step demonstration of how to light and shoot using a green screen or a blue screen. The influence of cameras, lighting and scene content will be discussed. Emphasis will be on how to incorporate these techniques into low-budget independent filmmaking.

3:30–5:00 pm     Compositing
Step-by-step demonstration of how to composite greenscreen/bluescreen footage with live action sequences will be demonstrated using Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Shake will be demonstrated. Film look filters like Magic Bullet will be discussed and demonstrated.

5:00–6:00 pm     Selling Yourself and Your Film
The time to think about selling your film is before you even begin pre-production. Target marketing, distribution companies, film festivals and alternative marketing avenues will be discussed. Attracting the interest of the media using Press Kits and a Web Presence for your film will be explained.

SUNDAY
Noon–2:00pm     3D Modeling
Introduction to Maya and Modo for 3D modeling. Learn the how to create models using Polygon, NURBs and SubDivision Surface geometry. Understand the difference between each type of modeling geometry and the proper application of each. Learn how to apply surface materials, set lights and render stills. (Note: Attendees who own a laptop computer are encouraged to download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and follow along during the demonstration or purchase the full version from JourneyEducation [www.journeyed.com] for $398. ) Maya Personal Learning Edition

2:00–4:00pm     3D Animation
Introduction to animation in Maya. Using models created in the earlier session, attendees will learn how to keyframe and path animate objects. (Note: Attendees who own a laptop computer are encouraged to download the Maya Personal Learning Edition and follow along during the demonstration or purchase the full version from JourneyEducation [www.journeyed.com] for $398. ) Maya Personal Learning Edition

4:00–5:00pm     Flash
Introduction to Adobe Flash with an emphasis on the development promotional websites for marketing and self-promotion.