The International Screen Academy (ISA) are undergoing a new programme of short but intensive workshops for filmmakers, actors and animators taught by some of the best industry professionals in the world.
One such workshop will be hosted by America’s #1 film instructor, Dov Simens, who will be conducting his 2-Day Film School in Sydney and Melbourne. Dov is renowned in the film industry and has worked for 30 years to educate filmmakers, screenwriters, directors, producers and actors on the business aspect of making a film. Dov has conducted classes for Will Smith, Roger Corman, Guy Ritchie, Quintin Tarentino and more.
“It's a two-day film school, but totally from a business point of view. Nothing about art, talent, passion. On day one, I teach the business of making your first independent feature film in Australia... then day two is about the business of trying to sell that feature film and the business of financing it,” explains Dov.“My class is for adults and professionals. It's not for children that are thinking about what college to go to. It's for adults and professionals that want to make a movie in Australia and make some profit in Australia... I literally teach; ‘here's what everything costs’. I assume you have passion. I assume you have talent. Now lets write cheques and make a movie. I teach how to make your first feature film!
“I spend about half an hour just saying ‘let's get real Australia’. It's called show business, it's not called show art. Let's stop talking about art. Let's talk about business... it's the business of trying to sell that feature film and the business of financing it.”
Dov suggests that for your first feature film; make it a 90-page screenplay in one location. “Let's make a feature film, but one that you can handle, which is basically going to be a 90-page stage play – something that happens at a wedding, a bar or a courtroom. I spend the first half an hour going ‘let's get real’ on how to make a no-budget or low-budget feature film that's going to be close to 90-pages with one location.”
ISA Focus will also be including seminars by Robert Kosberg and Mike Fenton to learn how to pitch your idea to a Hollywood producer and to understand what it takes to become an international screen actor. “[The ISA] know that the talent is in Australia but they need to understand the film business,” says Dov. “What do I mean by the business? When you make a feature film from beginning to end, you have to make approximately 38 bank cheques. I call those 38 bank cheques the 38 steps of filmmaking.”
Dov Simens’ 2-Day Film School will be held at ISA campuses in Sydney and Melbourne, 16-17 and 23-24 May respectively.
