Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/312687
www.postmagazine.com Post • May 2014 23 either self-produced or for clients such as National Geographic, Reuters, NBC News and various NGOs. It has captured 15 Emmy nominations in five years and won two DuPont awards in the last three years. The company's first feature documentary, The Long Night, about the horrors of sex traffick- ing of runaway children, is currently making the rounds of film festivals. MediaStorm also has a flourishing training business featuring videos streamed online and in-person workshops held at its Brook- lyn headquarters and on the road. "Fifteen universities use our online mate- rials as part of their curriculum," says Storm. "Our programs are built around our real- world experience making highly-successful films. Students watch a 13-minute film and then we demystify the process of how we made it." Online training is also targeted to people "who want to start independent media companies like ours." Among MediaStorm's online offerings are a field guide to creating powerful documen- tary videos and a post production workflow program covering every phase of editing with Final Cut Pro and Premiere. Hands-on workshops include a seven-day storytelling workshop, a one-day overview with Storm on the art and business of digital storytelling, a five-day methodology workshop for educa- tors and business leaders who want to inte- grate MediaStorm methods into their cur- riculum or approach to storytelling, and a one-day editing workflow workshop. The popular stor ytelling workshop accepts just six students and gets 80 to 85 applicants, Storm repor ts. It attracts pro- fessional photographers, writers, radio professionals and filmmakers "who want to understand how to get strong emotions and develop characters," he says. While Media- Storm training acknowledges that students need "a command of the tools" and includes "a ton of technique," it "tends to focus on the nuance of stor ytelling, which has many shades of gray," Storm explains. "We talk about the intention: Why do you make the edits you do? Why are you shooting in a par ticular way? There are many great places to go to learn the hardware and software, but not a lot are training students to a call to action, to cre- ate a narrative arc." Since MediaStorm workshops are limit- ed in size, the company's online alterna- tives open up the experience to students ever ywhere. "Our online materials are wildly successful," says Storm. "Users give them rave reviews." KENSINGTON, MD — Monte Zucker Education (www.mzed.com) produces educational tours for filmmakers and photographers. Some of their off erings focus on Canon cameras and Speedlites. The company recently launched the Directing Motion Tour with Vincent LaForet (www.dm.mzed.com). LaForet is a Pulitzer Prize- winning director and filmmaker. In this 32-city tour, he will teach direction and movement for filmmakers. One of the most important skills modern directors and DPs are required to master is moving the cam- era in a dynamic and engaging way. This workshop will teach all levels of filmmakers the precise cinematic language of motion, and how to move not only the camera itself, but also content in front of the camera. The Directing Motion Tour's training will consist of three main themes. The first will be a hands-on study of the theoretical and technical considerations of blocking, lensing, camera movement and sequencing. The second portion will look at the planning and live shooting of a cinematic film production, while the third will study how movement is used in feature films. Participants will step away from this experience with a solid foundation in camera movement, blocking, lensing, and sequencing, and be able to direct any crew precisely and effectively to execute their vision. By understanding these principles, participants will be able to add impact to their projects, whether they are commercials, Webisodes, features, shorts, events, or documentaries. Tickets for the full experience cost $295 and include access to daytime and nighttime workshops, an HD DVD download and a pass to NAB 2015. MZE tour teaches 'motion directing'