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Building Tomorrow's Filmmakers Today

No diplomas, no credits, no bull...
just a whole lot of knowledge!

Comic-Con Film School (CCFS) offers four sessions filled with practical information for both the novice and experienced filmmaker. The Film School's main "professors" are Sean Rourke and Valerie Perez.

Sean Rourke

Sean Rourke is a VisualFX editor at Digiscope in Santa Monica. His screen credits include The Legend of Zorro and Freddy vs. Jason. His filmmaking experience started with a 12-part Internet series, Amanda Hades. He and his crew made a feature film, 1st Person Shooter, which screened at Comic-Con in 2004. At that time, Sean pitched the idea of a "film school" to Comic-Con. The premise was to create a practical presentation for the budding filmmaker: a nuts-and- bolts class on how to make your first movie, without spending a lot of money, using consumer-level video equipment and desktop software.

Valerie Perez

Valerie Perez works as an information technology analyst for a small city in Southern California. She's spent the last three years exploring producing, acting, creating digital video effects, and developing pyrotechnics for Tears of the Dragon, an homage to the Lara Croft Tomb Raider character. Directed by Nick Murphy, it had its world premiere in early 2006. Valerie is a Comic-Con Film School "alumnus," using the knowledge she gained at Comic-Con to do her own film.

Over four days, CCFS walks attendees through the fundamental steps of filmmaking, from writing the initial script all the way through to authoring the DVD. The classes utilize a number of panelists who have made their own movies and share their experiences. The schedule for this year's classes is:

Thursday, July 20: 10:30-12:00
101—Preproduction and Screenwriting, and Production Part 1
» click for details

Friday, July 21: 10:30-12:00
102: Production Part 2, and Postproduction
» click for details

Saturday, July 22: 10:30-12:00
103: Working with Actors and a Crew, and the Tears of the Dragon Experience
» click for details

Sunday, July 23: 10:30-11:30
Podcasting
» click for details

An important aspect of Comic-Con's ongoing efforts to promote indie filmmaking on all levels, CCFS offers attendees something they won't find at other events. "What we try to do is demystify the process," says Rourke. "There are so many problems that can be avoided on a first project. This class is designed to give the next generation of filmmakers a heads-up on what they can do to actually get to a finished movie, without having to max-out credit cards or lose several thousand dollars of a relative's money." Perez adds, "The panels help folks feel like they can express themselves and try something new. Even if they don't use something they specifically learned from the Film School, after attending a session it all seems more accessible. We offer people tips to save money, stay sane and, for many looking to shoot more action oriented films, help keep them safe."

This year, CCFS will highlight podcasting as part of its presentation. Among the other panelists will be Tim Cunningham, writer/director of Xtracurricular, an HD feature (available on Netflix).