Audio-Visual and Film workshops launched off the Speciality Caribbean EXPO capacity building programe at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Friday.
The initiative came out of collaboration between the Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion (TEPA) Agency, the Caribbean Youth Film Festival and the Audio Visual and Film Association. The purpose of these workshops was to assist writer/director/producer teams with some of the key skills in developing, financing and creating viable and commercial film products.
The first training module on Pitching focused on the business aspect of film, specifically how to pitch a project successfully for possible financing. As a practical activity participants were required to develop a 25-30 pitch for a project or product. Over the course of the workshop, through course work and a post training mentoring arrangement, participants were coached to fine-tune their pitch into a viable proposal.
Technical modules dealt with writing and directing short films. The post workshop schedule of activities has a strong mentoring focus and follow from Monday March 13.
U.K film producers and lecturers Peter Rudge and James Fair are the facilitators of whole day sessions, which were pitched to accommodate both seasoned and aspiring filmmakers.
Rudge brings more than 25 years’ experience in the film and television industry as a writer and producer, and 15 years in higher education as an academic. He is presently Associate Professor of Motion Picture Industries at Staffordshire University. Rudge is a highly respected academic and thought leader on the industry, Peter is a member of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Fair is co-founder of Grand Independent along with Rudge. He has established himself as an innovative writer and director in both feature films and documentaries. He has become a respected academic in the field of new production models around film. His films have screened at major international festivals in Melbourne, Berlin, London, Rome and Galway, garnering critical success and helping in establishing an international profile as a filmmaker. He has been a regular guest contributor to Ted Hope’s blog ‘Hope For Film’ and has completed consultancy for international companies such as Fremantle Media and Panasonic.
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