The newest of Per Holmes’ highly-acclaimed Hollywood Camera Work Seminars will have its world premiere in Chicago next week, before moving onto New York, LA and London.
Tuscany, Italy-based Holmes’ U.S. tour is being facilitated by one of his biggest supporters, local Director/DP Ari Golan and will be held May 31-June 2 and June 3-5, at Golan’s Atomic Imaging studio facility, 1501 N. Magnolia Ave.
“Directors, DPs, UPMs and anybody else interested in getting a handle on staging and blocking that’s not covered in any film school curriculum should attend these amazing seminars,” says Golan.
The two seminars are basically one long seminar split in two parts.
The world premiere of Camera Directing: Raw Techniques runs two-and-a-half days, May 31 through June 2, and focuses on building technique and repertoire.
“We have multiple dollies and stabilizers in the room, and work in small groups so that everyone physically has to execute each single technique. The result is that advanced techniques become second nature,” says Holmes, who is also a director and an award-winning music producer.
The following three-day Master Class, June 3-5, is about solving the problem of how to block scenes from scratch, with nothing but a script and a couple of ideas.
“It explores the big problems with many common shot-planning techniques, and teaches a way to think about camera work that dramatically cleans up the process and results in better blocking in fewer setups,” Holmes says.
“As part of the process, we block some ridiculously complicated scenes, but what’s surprising is that it has become suddenly easy for you.”
The seminars also focus heavily on becoming battle-ready, so the person behind the camera can do high-end camera work under the intense pressure of filmmaking.
Golan became interested in Holmes’ techniques several years ago when he bought the first two 12 volume series of the Hollywood Camera Work Master Courses and “found it head and shoulders better than any training materials I’d ever seen,” he says.
“And I’m not the only one who thinks they are important. I can’t tell you who it is for obvious reasons, but in addition to many others, a worldwide Top 5 *Director* and multi-Academy Award winner has bought 50 copies of Per’s training series to give to his crew and colleagues as gifts.” he says.
When Holmes’ “Hot Moves” DVD came out, Golan was so impressed he called him and asked if he would consider holding seminars in U.S. cities. Holmes had just started contemplating teaching the seminar in London, so the timing was immaculate.
The Chicago visit will be followed by seminars in New York, L.A., Seattle, San Francisco and Austin.
The seminars are $480 each, and a 30% discount is given on the second seminar when booked together. Attendance is limited to 25 persons per seminar.
Reserve at www.hcwseminars.com, or call Atomic Imaging, (312)649-1800. For information on Hollywood Camera Work, click here.
