workshop - recollections

Media - video
Date: April 7, 8, 10, 11, 16
Location: Blue Mission center, Saida
Facilitator: Michelle Davis, Tanya Habjouqa, Mahmoud Zeidan
Participants: Maya Haddad, Marwa M. Mousa, Sahar al Bashir, Hanadi el Bizri, Rabie Hassan Ali

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An intensive Lens on Lebanon video workshop was held at the Blue Mission center in Saida, which covered everything needed to make a short film for the first time.

Because the five participants had little or no previous filmmaking experience, it was important to spend time with them developing their understanding of narrative structure. After they had decided on their individual stories, a large part of the course was spent discussing how to tell a story, and how to tell it with emotion, compassion and vision. As the participants discussed their stories one by one, they learned how to link different elements that were important to their own particular vision and how these elements might look and feel when they were brought together. In order to do this they were shown how to construct a sequence and message they were hoping to conceive to the viewer.

Once the participants had mastered narrative skills they learned the basics of how to use a mini DV camera. This included different shots sizes, camera angles when shooting an interview, formal approaches to filming as well as more personal approaches and abstract techniques. After spending a day experimenting - actually some of the participants had shot their entire film by then, such was their dedication and passion for their project! - their footage was reviewed, which was a particularly inspired part of the course, as most of the students could really start to see their ideas come together.

Once the films had been entirely shot, time was spent one-on-one with each student as their films went through the editing process.  (They also learned photographic techniques, as most of them were really passionate about photography too).  Once all five films were finished, they were screened at the Blue Mission in front of a large audience of family and friends.

 
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