The island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands wants to become a serious contender for feature film production and invited Nate Grant of Lake Shore Film & TV Productions to start the ball rolling with a reprise of Grant’s surprisingly successful Feature Film Seminar.
Grant’s invitation was extended after a BVI representative attended the seminar (FFS) last February at Cinespace and told BVI film commissioner Rhodni Shelton having the seminar would be a good way to provide core information as a way of seeding their ultimate infrastructure.
As soon as Hurricane Isaac has safely subsided, Grant and Vaun Monroe, filmmaker and associate professor of screenwriting at Columbia College, will present the three day seminar to high school students and college freshmen, “much like Jeff Carter’s Free Spirit Media trains young people for film careers,” Grant notes.
The original BVI seminar date of Aug. 27 in Tortola was rescheduled for a date in early September as soon as Hurricane Isaac has safely subsided.
FFS was a full day of workshops led by local experts in their field providing a largely African American audience of newcomers and professionals with filmmaking essentials the first day and shooting of a short film the second day.
Similarly, the third day of the Tortola seminar will be shooting a tourism spot, based on a script Monroe has written, for the British Virgin Islands. Over the years Grant has filmed a variety of projects, including tourism spots, educational and corporate docs in the islands of St. Thomas, St. Kits, Navas, St. Martin and the US Virgin Islands.
In an effort to extend filmmaking studies in the US, Grant has instigated a foreign exchange program between Governors State University and British Islands’ students which is expected to begin next year.
A bigger and more comprehensive second Feature Film Seminar (FFS2) is currently being organized for Feb. 15-17, 2013 at Cinespace. Added attractions will be the first expo of local professionals and vendors in a dozen years, a screenwriters’ pitch session with L.A. representatives and the honoring of nationally known and local African American filmmakers at a Geeks and Suits awards presentation.
Last February’s freshman presentation attracted some 150 attendees who attended their choice of 15 workshops, a morning panel of industry leaders who introduced their organization, networking and complimentary continental breakfast and box lunch.
