Tribute to a Film and Education Legend

A legend in both filmmaking and education sadly passed away this week. I was lucky enough to meet him and offer my school's students his teachings. Here is the story:

I hired Herb Sennett to teach screenwriting at the Palm Beach Film School in early 2004. He was a very talented teacher with an amazing ability to connect and motivate each and every student in his classroom. Herb was part of the school's original team along with Heath McKnight, Jennifer Crozier, Bob Carter and John McCormack.

At the time, I thought it was important to teach the Syd Field approach to screenwriting commonly known as the 3-Act Structure: Act 1 Set-up, Act 2 Conflict and Act 3 Resolution/Outcome. Although Herb was already very familiar with Syd's work, I asked him if he wanted to come with me to Los Angeles to attend the 2004 Screenwriter's Expo. I knew Syd was scheduled to lecture and thought maybe Herb and I could get a chance to meet with him so we could officially ask permission to use his books and teaching materials to enlighten the filmmaking students at the academy. 

We caught him at the end of a standing-room-only lecture and I asked permission. Turns out... he was thrilled we wanted to use his materials. He was interested and very supportive of the PBFS. I ran into him a few more times over the course of the next several years and shared a few more conversations. It was a good feeling heading back to Florida knowing we initiated communication with one of the most influential screenwriting teachers of our generation and now the Palm Beach Film School was on his radar screen!

Thanks for your support, Syd!

- Jim York

How Continuing Education can Boost your Salary

For most of us, at some point in our careers we ask ourselves, "Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?" "What would happen if I followed my dream?" or "What can I do to increase my worth?" Whether it's changing a career direction entirely or simply enhancing the skills in your portfolio for your current job, continuing your education can have exponential effects.

But traditional universities can be expensive and time consuming. On top of that, colleges may not offer the right programs or courses for the specific areas you're looking to develop. In these cases, a more specialized career school is usually a better path.

From web development and health and fitness practices to acting and fashion design, there is a wide range of career school options that are designed to help you reach your goals. Not only do these programs add value from a pride perspective, but they can also lead to an increased salary.

Earlier this year, Huffington Post covered a story about a man who doubled his salary by participating in a nine-week program that teaches students how to write code for future software development and computer engineering jobs. A coding academy like this is a great example of a school that caters to a fast-growing market that helps drive employment for new jobs, as well as boost the resumes of participants who just want to add a little something extra to pump up their current careers. 

On top of building technical skills, many film schools, coding schools and other types of career schools help in other aspects of the job search or rise in the ranks within a company. When selecting a program, be sure to do your research and seek out a curriculum that includes hands-on training, communication with other students and instructors, and most importantly, a strong emphasis on employment placement leading up to graduation.

Photo credit: adamr on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Film Beyond the Feature: A New Look at Corporate Video

If you're not in film or education and think this blog doesn't have relevance to your profession, think again. While most of the post topics cover career school and film and trends, many have applications across all industries.

For instance, I recently caught a blog post by James DeRuvo on doddle.com that should be an eye-opener no matter what your job is. The post covered a survey by SCRI International, Inc. titled, "Corporate Video Projects More Popular than Ever." It's an interesting read. doddleNEWS - recently acquired by thalo - is known as "The Easy Guide to Production," and was introduced to me by a friend and fellow filmmaker, Heath McKnight.

What does this mean for film schools? The redesign of the curriculum should now include classes set to meet today's needs, including webisodes and corporate video production since more and more filmmakers are being called to create these.

What does this mean for business professionals? Any entrepreneur (or individual with entrepreneurial spirit) would benefit from this type of education. Whether you own the company or serve as an employee for the company, they are going to have video needs for promotion. It could be as small as for social media tools like Vine or Instagram, or something larger such as YouTube or longer informative videos at conferences. 

- Jim York

Spotlight on Darktooth Films

I've come across so many smart and talented people in my years launching career schools, both students and colleagues. So besides just sharing my own experiences here on the blog, I plan to introduce you to others in the industry from time to time as part of a "Spotlight Series."

For the first spotlight interview, here's a peek into the world of Michael Eldon Lobsinger (also known as MEL) of Darktooth Films:

How and why did you get started in film?
MEL:  I began my career in filmmaking late in life at age 46 back in 2007, but the seed was planted way back in 1973 when Spielberg's "Jaws" came to the big screen. I immediately became a Steven Spielberg fan. I soon became a movie buff and later, a huge Clint Eastwood fan, and I am of many directors nowadays. I am also a musician and followed that path through my 20s and 30s while working a day job in concrete engineering. So after my daughters grew up and I found myself stuck in life at a high-paying job that didn't fulfill me at all, I decided to take a leap of faith and save up some funds to change my career into filmmaking.

What drew you to attend the Palm Beach Film School?
MEL:  Before deciding to attend the PBFS, I did some theatre work when I turned 40 back in 2000. I got the bug there after I helped out backstage at the Lake Worth Playhouse in Lake Worth, Fla., then ended up performing in six plays from 2000 to 2006. It was during that time I met actress Brenda Lee Kuban on set of "Run for your Wife." She noticed that I kept talking about directing films, so she handed me a postcard that had info on it about the Palm Beach Film School. And, being very nervous, I hesitated from calling the school for about six months until one day in winter 2006, I called and set up a meeting with Jim York.

What is your best memory from the school?
MEL:  Believe it or not, the best memory for me - if we're including my entire experience from being a student to all the way to producing something like 200 student films - is truly the experience of seeing the students' faces when we would wrap their film productions for their debut film. There is nothing like seeing the deer-in-headlights look from each student when it got close to film production (the same "look" I had when I filmed mine) and knowing that even though they're nervous and probably took on more than they should have for their first films, I was gonna do my best to help them complete them! From my own person student experience, I'd have to say the best memory would be when I was standing in the back of the theatre as my family sat and watched my first film on the big screen.

What was the most valuable take-away you learned at the school?
MEL:  I've repeated this valuable lesson(s) over and over when I became an instructor. I have four.
1.) There is no such thing as a fast film shoot.
2.) Once the camera is ready to roll, problems interferences and noise begin to occur; be well prepared.
3.) Keep your first film very simple.
4.) If it doesn't move the story forward, take it out.

How did you get involved in working with the Palm Beach and Miami Film Schools?
MEL:  Jim York and I hit it off from the moment we sat down to discuss my enrollment in the program. And I remember whispering to myself during that meeting, "I'm gonna be teaching here someday." I started school on February 12, 2007 and graduated on my 47th birthday on September 25, 2007 when my debut short film, "Miss Fyer" was screened. Two months later, in November 2007, (after working vigorously and endlessly for free on many film sets), Jim called me and offered me a job to be one of the line producers (production managers) for the school. It wasn't long after the new year, I was offered to help teach and be the production manager for the Miami Film School. Then before I knew it, I was the only production manager for both schools. Now, that was heaven for me. Being on set and teaching was a huge reward for me because you get to see these up and coming filmmakers being their own journey and you know exactly how they feel because you've been through it.

Tell us a little about Darktooth Films.
MEL:  Darktooth Films is the production company I started when I made "Miss Fyer." There's a couple reasons for calling it Darktooth; one, I'll share. Being I've always had a sweet tooth for junk food and a kind of "dark tooth" for films (i.e. Batman, Harry Potter), I went with Darktooth Films. I now specialize in shooting music videos for artists whom I truly enjoy. I still continue my freelance work as a cameraman for other production companies, such as Digital Motion Studios in Stuart, Fla., Dressage Training Online in California and JVM Video Production in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.

What are some of your recent projects?
MEL:  I am currently working on a music video for singer/songwriter Bobby Gugliuzza for his song, "Mustard Seed." I'm also currently in the second season of "Miracles & Meals," which is a Jewish cooking show that is broadcast on JLTV in Fort Pierce, Fla. I work the "B" camera for the show, which is produced by Darin Perron of Digital Motion Studios (DMS). I will also be heading to Las Vegas in November 2013 for some camerawork for the Medical Tourism Association filming their conventions and speakers (also a client of DMS).

Anything upcoming we should look out for?
MEL:  Right now, the music video I mentioned, "Mustard Seed," will be released in December 2013, which is quite exciting considering I've had former students help me on the project. I did finish a music video this past summer for a rap artist, TooSmooth, called "Back Luck," but am not sure when it will be released.