Sunday, January 20, 2013

Filmmaker offers online 'boot camp' to help kids learn the business

I recently sat down with Walter Pacheco of the Orlando Sentinel in an interview regarding my Online Film School Boot Camp.
I enjoyed talking with Walter and sharing a cup of coffee over the topic of filmmaking.
Below is a link to the original article and a copy of the article.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-talking-with-trent-duncan-20120903,0,1668410.story

 Original Article:

Filmmaker offers online 'boot camp' to help kids learn the business

Trent Duncan, 31, is an independent Winter Springs filmmaker who launched the Online Film School Boot Camp in May. The Navy veteran hopes his video tutorials can inspire youths to understand the basics of casting, screenwriting and other important aspects of filmmaking. His goal: Help them build a portfolio of films before enrolling in a traditional film school. He spoke recently with staff writer Walter Pacheco.

CFB: How does the Online Film School Boot Camp work?
The program is $50 and is mainly for kids between the ages of 12 to 18. Members register online and have access to the video tutorials that teach the fundamentals of filmmaking: pre-production and production, screenwriting, directing, lighting, cinematography and sound, and post-production. There's a full curriculum with production documents and links to filmmaking websites and apps. Everything I teach in my school is exactly how I run my movie set. I have six students right now.
CFB: Students supply their own cameras and equipment?
Yes. The prices on video cameras have gone down and you can start filming short flicks with some of the consumer [or advanced] cameras in the market. Most computers are equipped with some type of video editing tool. I see a lot of starting filmmakers use those tools and then post their short films on YouTube.
CFB: Are YouTube video tutorials a model for your online school?
They're one of the reasons I jumped into this. I use video tutorials all the time. They're the best way to grab the information you need in the shortest amount of time. This is something that's easier to learn when you have someone showing you instead of reading about it.
CFB: What sparked your filmmaking bug?
When I was around 10, my dad had a giant VHS camera, and I would film stuff with it. One of my first films was Terminator Jr. I taped aluminum foil to my chest to make it look like liquid metal. It was cheesy, but we were kids. I did all the edits right in the camera. Not having professional editing tools, money for special effects or the latest video cameras helped me be more creative. That's what I see now in young filmmakers who have no budget, but much better equipment because technology has helped make better and cheaper cameras and computers have decent video editing tools. Some of these kids are pulling off explosions and green-screen effects they're making in their own back yards.
CFB: What kind of films have you worked on since the Terminator Jr. days?
After leaving the Navy in 2009, I went to California for about a year and a half to start a little production company. I did some grunt work there, but I really wanted to return to Orlando and be close to family. I started Trent Duncan Productions, and I've shot some promo business videos, depositions and even a few fan films.
CFB: Fan films?
Yeah. I did two: Jason vs. Leatherface and Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash (lead character from the cult classic Evil Dead films). A buddy of mine had a Jason costume from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, and we decided to have fun. People love horror films. All you need is some blood, kill some people on film, and you're good. Horror fans will watch it, despite the quality, and let you know how they feel about it. That's always good.
CFB: Any upcoming films?
I have an idea for a longer fan film featuring Michael Myers (villain from Halloween movies) and Ghostface (killer in the Scream movie franchise).
CFB: How will your online film school help aspiring filmmakers in Orlando?
When I went to Valencia College for film production technology, I saw many students who had no idea what they were doing. If a kid makes a couple of short films now, he'll be ahead of the crowd when he enrolls in one of the many good film schools we have in Orlando. I'm sure their edits will be rough, and their sound off, but the courses can help them organize their creativity and hopefully execute better films.

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