Lessons Learned where your words come to life through the power of print Edward.Feighny@CCQ.Edu.Qa
My Experience at DTFF
By Gregory Twidal
During the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, CCQ‟s own Professor Bruce Browne volunteered his time to teach a five-week Film Appreciation Course for the Doha Film Institute. The DFI Film Appreciation Lecture: Use of Sound in Filmmaking was an idea to introduce film enthusiasts to the technical and artistic considerations of filmmaking. Of the 89 applicants, 30 were chosen. The course would include hands-on training, demonstrations by professionals, and reviewing five films selected from this year‟s Doha Tribeca Film Festival Roster to examine the interworking of each piece. Below, is a brief summary of each session:
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Session 1 dealt with narrative forms in film- how stories were
Session
told, what information audiences had versus what the movie‟s characters knew. Session 2 combined theory and practice, and included study-
filmmaking. Following a short lecture on editing principles, the class watched a live demonstration by Maki, a DFI editor by profession. “Digital editing is considerable more portable than the old style of film cutting as it is possible to show changes and choices made on any specific video by using only a computer and editing software,” states Professor Browne. The Final Session, 5, featured sound editing and the considerations
ing camera angles and investigating film lighting effects. Cinematography was demonstrated to the class using a video camera and a monitor by a certified cameraman of DFI, and the session concluded with a reenactment of a “candle-lit” scene from the movie The Grapes of Wrath. Session 3 revolved around the financial matters of filmmaking. How productions are financed and who is involved in the various planning stages of making a film is a major component to any theatrical release. Ms. Winnie Li, a programmer of DFI and former film producer shared her knowledge of the field, while the class watched a short film she had produced.
involved editing- the single most difficult aspect to
filmmakers undertake to determine which sounds to use. Whether using natural sounds, enhanced vocal recordings (and re-recording- or “looping”) the use of sound effects and the added sound of Foley Effects, can be difficult to master. Professor Browne comments that this was an enjoyable experience to teach such eager participants, and adds that is was a joy to work in the same hallway connected to the Qatar Photographic Society. The class watched over 30 clips from various films from countries all over the world, celebrating film from a global perspective.
A+ Performance Dr. Victoria Pasley of the Humanities Department recently attended a conference on South Indian Cinema Cultures in Thrissur, Kerala of India to present a paper. She was invited to also talk on African Cinema during the inaugural ceremony for first-year media students at the St. Thomas College in Thrissur, where the conference was held. Her paper “Bamako, Articulating Austerity with an African Aesthetic” was based on the African film Bamako. In which, the Director Abderrahmane Sissako puts the World Bank on trial by the Malian people. The film looks at the impact of structural adjustment and post-colonialism. Dr. Pasley stated how wonderful she felt it was to mix with scholars in a non-Western setting and hopes many more can experience similar opportunities.
CCQ on the Move 18, October 2012 Museum of Islamic Arts- Professor Rola Salam of the Math and Science Department provided her students with a field trip to the award winning 1001 Inventions exhibition and sister display, Arabick Roots. Held at the Museum of Islamic Arts, the exhibition opened October 16th, 2012 with a royal launch by Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The exhibition took guests on a journey to the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization. The hope of the two pieces was to inspire future scientists through the exploration of past accomplishments and discoveries. “Muslim civilization stretched from southern Spain [to] as far as China, and for thousand years, scholars of many faiths built on the ancient knowledge of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, making breakthroughs that helped pave the way for the Renaissance,” explained Ahmed Salim, the Producer and Director of 1001 Inventions.