Drama

Following on from the highly successful Pilot course "brilliant, really loved it" "tutor has incredible amount of knowledge" "amazing experience and great to network" we're delighted to announce new dates for 2018

When composing music as commissioned work, the goal should always be to create music of such a quality that it is always a genuinely artistic experience listening to it on its own. The music for film, television and games needs to represent a strong artistic integrity, but because it is there to serve a purpose, finding the right balance between originality and applicability is crucial.

Making a living as a composer, writing for film, tv, games, theatre – anything that contains people or stuff that moves about, really – can be a wonderful life filled with excitement, creative freedom and, well… big money if you make it. And even if you just barely make it, there is still a lot to be gained from such a career besides the money ( which is still very good for any business ). But, it can also be a life filled with too much uncertainty, too many obstacles, a struggle that ends up in total despair and poverty, let alone a shattered ego for everyone around you to enjoy, if your career never really seems to take off.

This 3 day course will give the participants a unique opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the skills and mindsets it takes to have a successful career as a composer writing and producing music for film, tv and games. It will cover as much ground as possible, both in terms of the appropriate composing-techniques and the nuts and bolts of writing and producing music specifically for film, TV and games with an originality that makes it stand out from the crowd.

The course is led by Mathias Nielsen, who is an acclaimed Danish composer. For more than 20 years he has been writing and producing music for film and television at DR Danish Broadcast Corporation, as well as numerous ballets and music for plays performed at the Royal Danish Operahouse and venues all over Europe.

This course will cover:

·         How to ”read the mind” of your director / producer / editor.

·         How to pursue the best musical idea for a specific project.

·         How to deal with temp-tracks, and how to write something better.

·         How to find the courage to stay truly original.

·         Finding the right tempo. Understanding the relation between BPM and picture.

·         The deeper analysis: What is this movie / tv-show / thing REALLY about? Subtext via music.

·         Writing by hand vs sequencing in a DAW

·         How to be an artist, but not a difficult one

·         Deciding when to do a demo and when to do an almost final mix for your pitch.

·         Analysing the pitfalls of any given project

·         How to be able to work in almost any given genre.

·         Writing for dialogue.

·         How to get a better workflow. Stay organized, stay inspired.

This course is specifically geared towards those working with music for film, television, games – any place in the creative industry where “the right” music is very much needed, and in high demand. 

At the end of this course, you will be able to take your career as a composer to the next level, through new techniques and a fresh approach.

During the course participants will explore the approaches required for different forms of shooting whilst taking into consideration the artists' needs which include clear and concise direction for characterisation and performance.

Practical exercises and informal discussions will cover all stages of the creation of 'that' performance from an actor - from casting to first reading, through blocking, rehearsing, voice levels, key lights, and shooting marks, to the performance itself. The main shoot occurs in our television studio on a purpose built set supported by a team of professional cast and crew.

In order for this course to be extremely beneficial for all concerned the directors will rotate for practical exercises, either working on 2-hander exercises, rehearsing or blocking, shooting or A.D’ing.

Feedback on past courses include:
”Fantastic week – totally invaluable to my work and the way I’ll look at it in the future”  “Absolutely brilliant course”  “Would advise it to anyone who’s looking for a serious insight on the subject”  “The course was revolutionary for me!”
 

Do you have a feature script that you’d like to turn into a feature film?

Do you want to learn from a filmmaker who has a track record of three ultra low-budget feature films that have all been released in the cinema?

This course is aimed at directors who want to go out and make a micro budget feature (and get it shown in the cinema), and it concentrates on the most important things that need to be in place before going out to shoot your film: from getting the script right, to dealing with agents to deciding on a look, to the basics of knowing where to put the camera, through to working with a composer, and finally to getting the film out into the world.

So stop dreaming about making your first movie - all that’s stopping you from making a feature film is an economical, well-written script and a little seed money.

Comments from the last course include:

"Really enjoyed the course, learnt lots, feel motivated and inspired"

"Great course, great tutor"

"The huge energy was inspiring"

In order to make the course most beneficial please come armed with a couple of your own ideas that you can work on throughout the 3 days!

The course is tutored by Col Spector whose short “New Year’s Eve” with the young Keira Knightley won several prizes including Best British Short at the UK's largest short film festival. His first movie, the self-funded, ultra low budget “Someone Else” was released in UK cinemas by Soda Pictures, shown on BBC2 and distributed by the Independent Film Channel and the Sundance Channel.  His second movie “Honeymooner” starring Gerard Kearns was made for £47,000, released in the UK in January 2011, and recently broadcast on BBC1. He is currently in development on his new dramedy feature "Marriage Material."

This years Series is now full - but do not despair, places often become available! Email us to be added to the Reserve List

This intensive four-week training course will give you the creative confidence to realise your directing aspirations and is is limited to just 8 participants.  Giving you exceptional opportunities to practice your technique and have 1-2-1 access to our tutors, not to mention a raft of industry personnel. Using professional actors and crew as well as specially constructed sets, you will have the opportunity to rehearse actors, direct a full crew, and most importantly, receive running feedback on your work.

What participants said about past Series:
"We have been given the information and the blueprints - now we just need to make the plane fly. - Wonderful thank you"
“I really got a lot from the series- it’s been incredible valuable, and changed the way I think as a Director.”
“Reading a script and being able to draw from it was a very important session for me. I think actors will understand me now and I them."
“Invaluable :-)”

Week One: Focuses on how a director reads and analyses a script in order to prepare for work with the actors; how to give playable directions, and how to get the truthful and spontaneous performances you want from your actors. You will have the chance to work with professional actors on challenging scenes as well as the opportunity to study and review those scenes from the original films.

Weeks Two & Three: Participants will be given a focused overview of the processes of film-making from the point of view of the director, from a host of top industry professionals brought in from a range different specialisations. You will be given a screenplay that will form the basis of much of the work over the 2 weeks; there will also be a staging and visual-storytelling exercise to build on the study and an assigned scene to stage with professional actors (and shoot as a workshop).

Week Four: Participants will have the opportunity to test their skills directing a complex scene of their choice in the studio with a professional cast and crew, which will then be edited for review and feedback.

Places are awarded on a first-come first served basis - so don't miss out on the chance of a place on the superb series!

Although we require you to pay the standard £100 deposit upon application, should you not be offered a place, this will be refunded to you. However, should you be offered a place but not be able to attend we will retain 100% of the deposit.  Also due to the nature of this training the deadline date for full balance payment is 6 June 2017.

Absolutely crucial training for ALL directors, this two-day course covers all aspects of the camera script, beginning with a detailed study of how to stage a scene, and moving onto the detail, terminology and grammar of the camera script which is required for drama productions.

This course will be tutored by one of the UKs most established drama directors and tutors, Laurence Moody and will provide participants with up-to-the-minute information and advice on this indispensable but often overlooked aspect of directing.

Following on from our hugely successful Pilot course, we are delighted to announced the return of the first course in the UK dedicated to VFX Producing as a career.

Carlos Ciudad is a graduate of the NFTS. On leaving the school he decided to base his career as a producer on VFX producing within a company, a possibility just opening up in the UK film industry.  Since that decision he has worked on such major movies as Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters, The Jungle Book,  The Hunger Games, The Martian and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Over two days, Carlos will introduce participants to the fundamentals of this exciting new career path.

The course will start with an introduction to the visual effects pipeline followed by an overview of VFX tools, technology and equipment. Participants will learn about people management as blockbuster movies often involve large numbers of people, sometimes up to 1000, and require specialist project management skills. A practical session is included where students get hands on and learn to apply the principles of the VFX pipeline when scheduling a movie. The course concludes with a session on how to start a career in the VFX industry, from CV tips to how to find jobs in the industry today.

·         Introduction to Visual Effects Pipeline.

·         Overview of VFX tools, technology & equipment used.

·         The VFX Production Team.

·         VFX Project Management.

·         Scheduling & Budgeting Principles.

·         People Management.

·         How to start a career in the VFX Industry. Resume/CV Workshop.

The skills taught on the course also apply to animation and games so would suit anyone with production experience keen to work in these industries as well as visual effects in movies.

Applicants should have either relevant work experience or knowledge of producing or production management.

This weekend course will be held at a North London location.

This comprehensive hands-on course will give you the tools to manage multiplatform projects by taking you through the dynamics of the multiplatform system, and the time cost and creative methods that can be utilised to make a successful project.

Course Aims & Objectives:
To appreciate how project management skills can transfer to the multiplatform arena;
To understand the responsibility and tasks demanded by multiplatform;
To recognise the value of good multiplatform management

By the end of the course, participants will be able to
Understand multiplatform opportunities and options;
Draw up realistic schedule for a multiplatform project;
Apply management skills accordingly to multiplatform projects

This is a great two day workshop investigating the complex relationship between Directors and Actors for Film and Television; understanding what they may need, the tools they use, tackling the problems that might occur and how to get their most truthful performance for your project.  

Using practical exercises as well as watching film references combined with informal group discussions, this workshop is designed to develop director's understanding of an actor's needs and how to build relationships with them both on and off set. Specifically what an actor really is, the innate pressures and challenges they face by default, their roles in the production, how to talk through and work with problems that can occur for an actor, from read-through through to the final ADR session.

We will be exploring some of the different tools and various methods good actors may use in preparation and during filming, how to cope with ‘bad’ or unchosen actors and tackle motivational issues on set. This course aims to provide the knowledge to establish an environment and dialogue that can create a trustful, collaborative working environment as well as the possibility for unexpected 'happy accidents' that the production can never foresee but that an actor can reveal in the moment.

All the course attendants will participate as a group in two and three hander exercises designed to show and explore the types of scenarios directors will face in professional life with many different types of actors.

The course is suitable for directors with little or no experience of working with actors as well as more experienced directors who wish to develop their understanding and skills at working with actors.  This is not a Directing Actors course - this is from the point of view of actors taking direction.

The tutor Neil Newbon is a professional working actor primarily on screen, with over twelve years of experience. He has worked on over fifteen feature films ranging across all kinds of budgets, as well as many television and theatre projects in predominately lead or supporting lead roles. Neil is also an established working performance capture specialist and voice over artist in numerous computer games.

Quite simply this 1-day course is for production personnel who need to breakdown scripts and schedule using Movie Magic
 
In brief, the course covers:
• Getting started on the computer
• Creating, adding and deleting elements
• Element Information Window
• Inserting element quantities and IDs
• Renaming, moving and merging elements
• Printing out strips
• Clearing, cutting, copying and pasting strips
• Sorting and selecting strips (basis)
• Setting the calendar, setting the day breaks and banners
• Re-ordering and saving schedules
• Page set-up
• Picture information
• Printing out default schedules and DOOD
• Modifying reports and strips

This consistently sold-out six day intensive screenwriting workshop (with the weekend off to prepare the assigned homework), is aimed at writers who would like to improve their chances of gaining commissions to write scripts for feature film and television drama.

"Excellent course... A years' knowledge in six days"

The emphasis of the course is on narrative; within this framework, issues of form, action, dialogue, characterisation, image and sound will be analysed and discussed.

The course will include, amongst other things:

• Working to a brief: treatment, synopses, adaptations
• Practical advice on layouts and presentation of scripts.
• Analysis of key sequences from a variety of films
• De-constructing script passages
• Meetings with other established writers and writers' agents on the demands and expectations of the industry, which includes how to sell yourself and market your script
• Overnight and weekend writing assignments by all participants is essential in order to gain the maximum benefit from the course.

Those who want to apply for the course should submit, along with their application, a two page treatment for an idea they intend developing, or a piece of work already completed, should also be submitted - this can be emailed direct to shortcourses@nfts.co.uk

Successful applicants should be prepared to work long hours over this period in order to gain the maximum amount they can from the course. Participants will be expected to write each evening of the course, as well as prepare for their final exercise over the weekend which separates the course days.

This is a practical course in which we help develop an idea that you have for a script. Therefore, please bring along your idea(s), no matter how crazy they are!

Have you ever wondered how they make an army of 5 into 500?
Would you like to know the difference between 2D & 3D graphics?
 
This course is based at Jellyfish Pictures, in Central London. Jellyfish are a BAFTA award winning CGI house who create graphics for TV and Film. The course will take place in their screening room, with opportunities to move around the building and experience the different stages in the production process. The course is aimed at Researchers, APs, Production Managers, Producers & Directors in documentary and drama (TV & Film), who are interested in finding out more about the world of CGI.
 
The tutors are industry professionals who have worked in documentary & drama for over 12 years; one as a CGI Producer the other as a Producer/Director of award winning CGI intensive films.
 
Using workshops and discussion groups the course will cover:
• Introduction to CGI and some examples of great shots and how they were achieved
• CGI Budgets and Schedules – how to make the most out of the money and time you have
• Pre-production – Pitching, Storyboarding & Reference finding
• Filming for CGI – backplates & assets that won’t make the CGI production house cry
• CGI Pipeline – things to consider in terms of workflow
• When things go bad in the world of CGI. Learn from other’s mistakes
 
During the afternoon, we will run a workshop with creatives from a leading CGI studio, where you'll have the opportunity to brainstorm some of your ideas - their insights will be both revealing and fun.

Today, with innovative technology embracing the way we do things – and giving us all a multitude of complicated options to follow, it is even more vital to understand all the elements that make up the post-production and completion schedules of any feature film or television drama series.  Because if you don’t, then you run the risk of severely affecting the plan, schedule, budget and contractual delivery requirements all producers must abide by.

This three-day intensive course provides a thorough overview of the different processes and practices that work successfully in post-production.  It is aimed at producers and production personnel who need to fully understand how their work and decisions can impact on what happens during the post and completion phases of a film or television drama series.

By unravelling in detail, facets of post-production; by explaining in clear, concise terms what the many different processes are, and briefly how they work; by discovering that decisions made in pre-production can affect how the production is lit and shot for completion in post, a picture will be built up which shows how post-production must be carefully considered, assessed, planned and scheduled, and - with careful monitoring – is delivered legally, administratively and technically, on time and within budget.

• AREAS COVERED INCLUDE:
• The Role of the Cutting Room                       
• Digital Post Production          
• Post Production Routes                                            
• Formats
• Picture & Sound Workflows                          
• Shooting in the Field                                                  
• Budgeting & Scheduling                                            
• Paperwork                                                                 

An absolutely essential course for anyone working in production!