Workshops Introduce SCM Film Students to Career Paths

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences sponsored two workshops in the School of Communication and Media to introduce possible areas of employment to Filmmaking students.

Martha Pinson ran a hands-on, intensive Script Supervisor Training Workshop on February 17.  Pinson, who has worked as a script supervisor for such names as Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalma, Sidney Lumet, Milos Forman among others over the last 35 years.  Some of her credits include: “Boardwalk Empire,” “Shutter Island,” “Life on Mars,” and “Law and Order,” to name a few.  Pinson currently works as a film director.

On February 25, foley artist Mark Costanza introduced SCM students to the Art of Foley and his partner George demonstrated the recording of foleys at their New Jersey studio. A few select students will go back to Costanza’s C-5 studio in Montvale to record sound effects for their thesis films.  Post production instructor Dan Loewenthal and sound design instructor Bill Lacey brought their classes to the C-5 studio.

One more workshop is planned for Wednesday, March 2. Production Designer Naomi Shohan and director Tony Drazan will be conducting a workshop about production design and how a designer works with a director.

Previous workshops included such notable talent as Skip Livesay, academy award winning sound designer, Richard Topham, sound recordist and owner of Pro Sound; gaffer Andy Day, Ben Wolf; Sean Baker, the director of “Tangerine;” Director of Photography Eric Nelson; and, Kenneth Golden, production manager and line producer for “Ghostbusters.”

The workshops were made possible thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to the SCM film program to conduct below-the-line workshops for SCM students, a forum that would give students exposure to other jobs that might be possible.  All of the workshops include a great deal of hands-on experience and provide students with invaluable connections with working professionals within the industry.  One of the goals is also to show how pairs of professionals work together.