As every year, The Hollywood Reporter released the list of the Top Film School in the country.
Once again, the Film Program at the Visual and Performing Arts College (Syracuse University) is in the list as #22 .
What makes me proud is that the Bologna Summer Program is one of the reasons why this Film program is in the list. As you can see in some of my previous posts, I have been part of that program, as a teacher together with Prof. Alex Mendez for the last years. The Bologna Summer Program is without a doubt an incredible experience, as teachers, and for our students. The collaboration between us and the Cinema Ritrovato Festival is a unique opportunity for our students to experience something that is difficult to find anywhere else.
We designed the program in such a way that the students can experience the Festival, meeting with some of the most important filmmakers in the world and at the same time, we explore Italy through many field trips such as the Film Museum in Torino or the new collaboration with the Siena Art Institute (Siena, Tuscany) and the visit to Rimini, city of Amarcord by Federico Fellini. Many speakers join us in this month, giving the opportunity to our students to have a better understanding of the background and current status of the Italian film scenario. Another major aspect of the program is production. Divided into groups, students are required to produce two short-films. Shooting in a different country is a very challenging experience. One on side, you have the language and cultural barriers and on the other side, there is the excitement of being in a place that hasn’t been explored yet.
For all these reasons and many others, this program has called the attention of many students from inside and outside our Department over the years.
Once again: very happy of this result!
Check the full article here:
This summer is almost at the end and it's time to archive the beautiful experience in Italy with the SU Bologna Summer Program.
So, what's next? This academic year has started with a lot of new exciting news. First off, this semester I will be teaching a new class for me at SU: Cinematography (FIL 521). As you can see in the picture above, my friends and colleagues Alex Mendez and Jacob Riddle, are ready to try new crazy things for the class. Exciting new upgrades for the TRM "Cage" are coming. Pictured: New Capinera Dolly, Ursa Mini 4.6K (a camera that I have already tested on set as of last year), new advanced lighting gear and many more other cool pieces of equipment. This will definitely be a new adventure but I am excited for the opportunity to test all of this new equipment.
The other big and exciting news is that I have accepted a position at the University College at Syracuse University. I will be taking care of video production including, lighting, directing and editing just to name a few, at the Center for Online and Digital Learning. Pictured above is the ongoing process of designing the new studio. We are now testing the Canon C200, mounted on a Shape matte-box kit that still has a few issues to work out, but for a basic set up, it's a good piece of gear. The external recorders Atomos Shogun Flame don't seem to be the best but again, works for a basic set up. I prefer the Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q because it's way more flexible and it gives you more options and a better user interface. The first impression with the Atomos is that it's not designed for professional use/set up but nonetheless, it does it's job. The lenses are Zeiss Milvus prime kit, I will tell you more about them as I continue to test them. The whole set here is lit with some awesome Kino Flo lights, Tegra and Diva. They don't need any presentation or review as they are overall fantastic.
This 2018-2019 academic year is off to a good start and seems to be a good change.
See you soon, work in progress...
