Sam George will be conducting a one-day documentary film workshop for early to mid-career filmmakers and enthusiasts on November 11, 2017, at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL. The fee is $95. There are no prerequisites for this workshop. A basic understanding of filmmaking would be helpful, but the workshop will likely be small and cater to individual questions and needs as determined throughout the day.
Click HERE to reserve your spot now!
Here’s a draft of the agenda for the day, and may be tweaked for any special interests if time permits:
9AM
INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
- Sam’s background and current work.
STUDENT INTRODUCTIONS – Backgroung, inspirations, aspirations…
10AM
TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT
- How to condense a concept into an effective, easy to understand (and pitch) log-line and treatment (with examples).
NARRATIVE DEVELOPMENT
- Shaping and articulating the story, beyond the broader concept. Includes narration versus sound byte.
11AM
RESEARCH
- Familiarization with the subject matter, sourcing pertinent imagery, establishing narrative authority.
INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
- Choosing (and streamlining) the voices that will best articulate the film.
12:30 – 2:00PM LUNCH by Clancy’s Cantina
- Questions and storytelling/sharing
2PM
INTERVIEW COMPOSITION
- Establishing style of interview and camera technique (with examples).
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE
- Developing rapport, conversation versus questioning, the follow-up, leading the witness, following narrative.
3PM
REENACTMENTS
- Are they necessary? When are they necessary? Techniques and pitfalls (with examples).
EDITING
- Developing a style, setting tone, pacing (with examples).
4PM – 5PM
USE OF IMAGERY
- Clip and still photos, animation, graphics, licensing versus copyright protection.
MUSICAL SCORE
- Use of music, composed score versus ‘needle drop’, licensing challenges (with examples).
Click HERE to reserve your spot now!
As both a former senior editor for Surfing Magazine and former editor-in-chief of SURFER Magazine, Sam George, 60, has been writing about the sport for over 33 years and is acknowledged as one of the sport’s leading experts. George has written and/or directed a number of acclaimed surfing documentaries, including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival official selection Riding Giants and other films such as Pipeline Masters, The Lost Wave: An African Surf Story, and Hollywood Don’t Surf, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Sam’s latest documentary Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau, premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and screened as the premier episode of ESPN’s prestigious “30 for 30” documentary series. It went on to win a 2014 Emmy Award as part of that series.
Sam has written and edited more than half a dozen books on the subject of surfing, including Surfing: A Way Of Life (1992), Surfing (1994), Tom Blake: Surfing 1922-1932, The Perfect Day: 40 Years of SURFER Magazine(2001 Surf Life (2003). SURFER 50 (2010) and The Big Juice (2011)
One of the sport’s most well-traveled surfers, Sam has explored the coastlines of over 40 countries, riding waves on every continent save Antarctica. On one of his latest adventures, he rode waves near the Arctic Circle on the north coast of Iceland.
A former professional competitor, Sam is also one of the pioneers of stand-up paddle surfing and is currently Senior Editor at SUP Magazine. He still competes in various stand-up paddle surf races, accruing a number of age group victories.