Happy New Year! Below are listed interesting things I found on the web this holiday break: blog posts, or questions/comments from the Bridge Film Festival online communities – reflections on the festival and videos from our international world of Quaker education. I encourage you to review them
for yourself and please send me any ideas or suggestions to share on this blog.
Twitter Friends School List
Last year I created a Twitter list of Friends schools. I have it always on display in my office. It's great to see what's happening in Quaker education. It gives me a sense of community on a global scale and a remarkable way to connect and build bridges with the schools in the network. My trip to England last year wouldn't have been possible without help from the list. Please let me know if your school isn't on the list and follow me on Twitter!
Surfs Up
Blog Post:Tips for Making Your First Film Better
Whether you’re a student or hobbyist, there are some common mistakes made in a filmmaker’s first film. Many students attempt to do too much with an extremely low-budget, short film. Worse yet, students will often make their first film too long.
The same concepts that apply to feature screenplay writing apply to first film projects. The exception is with experimental film, where no rules apply except the creativity of the creator. Most beginners are assigned to tell a story by their instructor or are attempting a short story-telling film. Lets focus on the short story-telling film project...
Blog Post:ANNUAL CAMCORDER BUYER’S GUIDE 2013: BRANDS, PRICING AND FEATURES
It’s a camcorder buyer’s market, with an abundance of brands and options to pick from at any price, for every budget. Difficulty lies in determining exactly what’s needed or wanted, when to gear it up a notch or settle. Videomaker’s Camcorders Buyer’s Guide offers a way to compare, find differences and make solid decisions whether shopping for your first unit, a replacement or picking a special projects unit.
With great video coming from relatively affordable smartphones, pocket camcorders...
The Big Question
Just before break a 9th grade student filmmaker and her posse of three friends came to my office and asked about entering the Bridge Film Festival. I told them the basics: the film needed a faculty advisor, it had to be 10 minutes or less, it could be a narrative, documentary, public service announcement or new media project and most importantly in had to reflect Quaker values in action. The Quaker values criteria always sparks a lively discussion. The filmmaker who came to see me listened intently but was quiet during the discussion. Her friends on the other hand were most animated with ideas about what the film would be about it and what they could contribute. The filmmaker then calmly said to me that she would be making a documentary. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with.
2014 will mark the 15th anniversary of the Bridge Film Festival. In recognition of this milestone, the BFF is collecting information from our filmmaker alumni. If you have entered a film in the Bridge Film Festival and have continued professionally in the film industry, we would love to hear from you. Please fill-out this questionnaire and we will contact you about using your answers in a possible article for the Bridge Film Festival blog.
Video Clip of the Week
From Tandem Friends School. You will need Adobe Flash to view this video.
