Here is an additional catalog of pictures taken on set of our summer promo shoot by student Manuel Montano. We appreciate his time in snapping the pix. Two common threads from the pictures: it was hot and we all were still smiling!
Theater Life
Notice I spelled it theater instead of theatre because I am talking about the movie theaters…AMC to be exact.
As we prepare for our promotional video release tomorrow, my classes this semester were dominated with the idea of the competing “pawn shop” videos that we often see at the movie theaters here in Woodbridge. As a challenge, I asked for two different pawn shop videos to be spoofed and here is one of them (goofy, yes, but so is the original – tune as well):
Promo Video to be Premiered this Friday
The promotional video we completed for the NOVA Woodbridge film program finally has a release date for the theaters. It will start to play at the local Woodbridge, VA theaters this Friday, December 6th.
We are excited for the opportunity for our actors to be appear on the big screen and give our great program some new publicity.
We will also be launching both a Facebook and Twitter account as well and posting the promotional video, as well as, the behind the scenes videos on these social network sites.
I will, also, be releasing an extended version of the video as well, so check back when you can.
And don’t forget we are in open enrollment now for spring 2014 classes so come to NOVA Woodbridge and experience the magic of our new film program.
Importance of Color Correction/Grading
Since I am teaching color correction/grading in my Digital Editing class (PHT 274), I thought I would show a few stills from the forthcoming behind-the-scenes video series to accompany the NOVA Woodbridge film program promotional video (due in Woodbridge theaters after Thanksgiving).
These are the baseline expectation for any film student because these stills only received primary adjustments (no secondary adjustments, effects, or filters performed/applied).
These stills are examples of the most basic form of correction in balancing colors and adding contrast to taste. Granted, these might be more over saturated than most would like but I enjoy my colors to pop.
From here, the next step is to perform secondary corrections to get the look you want. For example, do we want to further smooth out the skin of our actors to remove any blemishes, or add a sun-kissed look to their skin tone, or give a little punch to their hair color, or even blur the edges of the frame to place emphasis on the center of frame? There are many secondary decisions to be made while color grading and each is specific to the style the filmmaker envisions.
However, we spent more time on the actual promotional video rather than these behind-the-scenes shots, so we are leaving it at the primary adjustment level and just ensuring the colors are balanced and we added an appropriate level of contrast.
Keep checking back for the videos to be on this site. We will also be promoting them on our new Facebook and Twitter pages: NOVAFilmExposed.
Cover Girl
Congratulations to former film student Charley Laws for her selection as a cover girl.
Okay, okay, maybe it was just the cover of the spring 2014 NOVA schedule of classes and maybe she had to share the spotlight with other students but we are proud of her nonetheless.
This picture was one of the many that were taken of our students during a photo shoot by the college last spring semester.
Below you will find a picture that was used on the cover of the mailed notices about the convocation last spring (featuring student Kat Hemphill):
See, taking film classes at NOVA Woodbridge does have its advantages!
Tease from the NOVA Promo Video
As we inch closer to the release of our promotional video for the NOVA Woodbridge film program, here are some of the stills a student took while on set:
Rojit and Jesus prep for audio
Dressing a set from this…
…to this…
…to create this!
Faculty members discuss the shot 
Theatre director Eric Trumball in makeup
Some of our students and faculty 
Bryan Brown applauds last shot
Our actors rehearse
Using a RED Epic camera
Kelly Cochran breaks down the script
Work By A Former Student
I just received a visit from a former student who is now studying film at Liberty University. He noted how our film classes here at NOVA helped prepare him for his classes at LU and, actually, put him ahead of the curve.
He shared a small film he did with his class group that was really well done and a great example of what student work can be:
Spring 2014 Classes
This just in…
Besides the normal PHT 130 class for film/video production, we will also be offering PHT 131 (Video II) again this spring semester. We will be using the platform to create a Web series that will be posted online. In addition, we are offering a special topics course, PHT 295, which will focus on directing for film and video.
These courses are going to be a lot of fun as we continue to build on your filmmaking knowledge and showing how it can be applied to the field to make your imagination become reality.
Former Students Complete 48 Film Project
Though our film program is still somewhat new, it is great that some of our students have already banded together to complete projects outside of our classroom assignments. The students in our Filmmaking Club have worked on several smaller projects and continue to aid each other in their creative endeavors.
In addition, I am really proud to announce and share the work of five of our students from our PHT 131 class this past spring semester. They participated in and completed a short film for the Richmond 48 Film Festival. Here is their work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDru4s88lpA
Time for a New Semester
I am in the process of uploading some much overdue student videos from the spring semester. So, please check back regularly for the new videos on the video page of this blog, including the class/group project of “There’s Something About Alex.”
Also, there will be a lot of news coming to this blog in the coming weeks because of all of the exciting upcoming events. I would recommend checking back regularly.
For now, since I had to remove the “Dangerous Girl” video from the collection on the video page, I will put it here as a reference to one of the first projects our students did together: