In just one short class, Bill gave me enough professional technical knowlege of screenwriting and format, DV shooting, lighting, editing and sound, that I am now truly dangerous! I am no longer afraid of the medium or the technology and look forward to translating my vision to screen. Bill teaches with great humor and skill; it's so much fun, you often don't realize you're learning something. He is knowlegable about the latest applications and tech, and works at YOUR level. Thanks Bill! You Rocked! :)
- Christine Chapman, Co-Writer and Director - Twenty First Century

I worked with Bill Johns on an independent film, and I appreciated his pleasant demeanor and organizational skills. He came to the table prepared, and he maintained a great attitude and healthy sense of humor during the shoot. On this and other projects, Bill's work ethic is also admirable. He is not afraid of the long hours and hard work that come with film production.
- David Litz, Director of Photography MORE TESTIMONIALS

This course is designed to give filmmakers the tools to simply make better movies. Although filmmaking is a very subjective art form, and success at the box office is never guaranteed, there are skill driven steps that can increase the filmmaker's chances of having his or her work taken seriously by both festivals and distributors.

The course will run for two full days* and be divided into the following sessions:

Session Description

Most of us would rather write our own scripts, than to try and find a needle in a haystack. But how do you know if you have a good script? How do you recognize what works on the screen from what seems to work on paper? There are many excellent books on screenwriting and rather than dredge the same rivers we'll take a fresh approach to choosing the scripts that will make successful movies.

Story is King, but casting is the kingdom. A great King is of no use if he has no kingdom over which to reign, and there are many good stories that suffer oblivion from lack of good casting. We'll discuss the techniques of how to cast the right actors in the right parts; when to exercise directorial control and when to delegate some authority over casting. The attendees will participate in a mock audition and try to recognize potential in a variety of eager actors.

The meat and potatoes of this seminar will be in the production session and we may run over to get it all in. Though we will be shooting a short script with minimal locations and characters, we will be discussing production elements at every step in the process, so it will be an intensive session*. From lighting and sound, to blocking and camera angles, attendees will be able to pose any question that may arise and actually see their questions answered by example. Even after the day closes, the instructor will remain to answer all questions you may have about your particular productions. NOTE: No attendee will be called upon to work this shoot.

In this session, we'll edit the footage we shot on the first day and lay in music, sound FX and foley. We'll discover effective timing in our edits and work with how to balance audio elements. We'll also finish off the movie by applying Cinevid's proprietary, Look of Film process.

Though marketing trends change rapidly, this session will focus on common elements that can make any film marketable. We'll discuss how to define and find your audience and finally, how to use your knowledge to secure distribution.

The instructor will answer questions from the attendees.

*We realize that two days is not enough time to absorb everything that will be discussed and demonstrated. For this reason attendees are encouraged to bring their camcorders and cassette recorders to take visual and audio notes for later review.