Prof. Gil Bettman from Chapman University, who has
directed such TV drama hits as “Twilight Zone” and
“Knight Rider,” conducted a one-week “Moving Camera”
workshop at TNUA in May.
Prof. Bettman, who has participated in the production
of numerous films, videos and TV dramas in his
long career, has been keen on teaching how to tell stories
through cameras. He has rich experiences directing action-oriented
videos and teaching ways of filming them.
Almost 30 undergraduate and graduate students from
the Department of Filmmaking were selected to take part
in the workshop. They were divided into six groups, and
under the guidance of Prof. Bettman, they learned how
to shoot stunt, chasing and other scenes of designated
scripts.
Prof. Bettman noted that not every filmmaker would
be able to obtain substantial funding for their first production.
Therefore, while still at school, they should seize
each and every filmmaking opportunity. They must not
limit themselves to any particular subjects or genres, and must keep learning. He stressed that in reality only good
works can receive funding from film producers and sponsors.
To be a professional director, one has to master the basic
techniques of shooting with a moving camera, he said.
A good film needs a good story, good actors to interpret
it, and good camera movements to lead the audience into
the story.
There a few different kinds of “moving camera” techniques,
but they all do the same thing: to the capture the
characters’ emotions and feelings through the camera, he
said. Prof. Bettman illustrated his points by showing “Pulp
Fiction” and other Hollywood movies, explaining the actions
of the moving cameras in these films.
Apart from attending lectures by the famous director,
the students taking part in the workshop spent most of
their time shooting short films at the school campus under
Prof. Bettman’s guidance. The students also screened
their short films on May 20 and 21, sharing their experiences
with the audiences.