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Summer Workshops - Totally Brilliant

The 2012 season of summer and fall workshops is just a calendar flip away and we at Maine Media are gearing up for one of the most exciting seasons of our 40 year history!

Download 2012's spectacular, visual catalog -- enjoy it online now and again when your personal copy arrives in the mail.  Either way, check out the:

* New, high-end Destination workshops.

* Incredible Canon Cinema class.

* Amazing, new, YO classes -- including Graphic Design, Comdey Improv, Broadcast Journalism, Alternative Camera, 3-D, 1-week classes, GO YO Pro!

* New, exciting additions to the Book Arts program.

* New, Maine-specific workshops led by Peter Turnley & Peter Ralston.

* Late Night Comedy Writing with Steve O'Donnell.

* Syl Arena's new Creative Lighting on Location.

* Expanded Multimedia classes, Nancy Donaldson, Sara Kramer, Bob Sacha, Bruce Strong.

 

Fare Forth to MMW’s Job Fair

Join the Maine Media team of creatives!

Come to Maine Media Workshops’ 2012 Job Fair, which begins March 30 at 10am and concludes March 31 at 3:00pm. All interviews start in the dining hall located on the 70 Camden Street campus in Rockport, Maine. Complete details and applications can be found at www.mainemedia.edu no later than March 9. Applications may be submitted between March 9 and March 31.

Gain invaluable experience and develop a vital network of lifelong friends – all while enjoying the beauty and excitement of the internationally famous, quintessential Maine Media Workshops located in Rockport Village on Maine’s magnificent Midcoast.

Positions are available in filmmaking, multimedia, photography, postproduction, digital services, housekeeping, operations, transportation, talent and locations, administration, youth services, communications and technology.

Copy your current resume, plot the directions and come in person to interview as you bask in the Creative Zone and set your course for an absolutely unforgettable summer.

Invitation to Friday’s Film Screenings and After Party

This Friday, February 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., enjoy the collaborative work of The Farnsworth Art Museum and The Strand Theatre for Rockland Shorts: An International Film Series. This premiere screening at The Strand Theatre in Rockland, Maine will feature a dozen films followed by a question and answer session via Skype with Mike Mills, 2012 Academy Award nominee for Best Director.

After the screening and discussion, go around the corner to The Yvette Torres Fine Art Gallery, 21 Winter Street, for the after party featuring hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and dancing to D.J. Sergio Kawasaki’s tunes. All of this for only $10 for Farnsworth members and $12 for non-members!

Mark your calendar for the April 6 and June 1 Rockland Shorts showings. And, if you are a filmmaker, make a plan to submit your short film.

While there, visit with one of Rockland Short’s program directors and Maine Media Workshop’s instructor, Sally Levi. Then, expand your knowledge and filmmaking expertise at Maine Media Workshops' Four-Week Film School under the direction of film icon, Sally Levi.

Joyce Tenneson Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Joyce Tenneson, Maine Media Workshops (MMW) instructor and former board member, received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) on January 17, 2012 at the Imagining USA convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Tenneson is the author of sixteen books. Her work has been exhibited around the world and is included in the collections of many museums. An American Photo poll voted her among the ten most influential women photographers in the history of photography. Her work graces numerous magazine covers including Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Premiere, Esquire, and The NY Times Magazine. She was named “Photographer of the Year” by Women in Photography, and awarded both the International Center of Photography’s “Infinity” award and the coveted Lucie Award’s “Professional Fine Art Photographer of the Year”.

Vicki Goldberg, New York Times critic and author, writes, "Tenneson possesses a unique vision which makes her photographs immediately recognizable. She creates enigmatic and sensuous images that are timeless and haunting." Tenneson has been teaching at Maine Media Workshops for thirty years. She says, "My workshops are a learning lab where the students are encouraged to make photographs that reflect their exploration of their own creative roots."

This spring and summer Joyce will teach a new workshop that she developed to enrich the personal photographic journey of each participant. This workshop, "Photographing from the Heart," will be offered twice at MMW: May 6 – 12 and July 15 - 21.  Come enjoy the magic of Maine's spiritual landscape and brilliant light, and give yourself the gift of a memorable week.

Writing by the Sea in Maine

Every writer’s dream must be to wake up one day in a place where the pressures and distractions of one’s daily routine have miraculously disappeared. A place where one’s sole obligation is to the writing gods, where one has time and space to think about a story, go deep, build, revise, throw away perhaps and then rebuild it again with stronger foundations. For our group of twelve screenwriters from the Columbia Film MFA program, Maine Media Workshops was indeed such a place. During our 7 days there, everything was generously taken care of, and as opposed to working in the chaotic city of New York, we were offered time and space to create.

The beautiful setting of Rockport plays a vital role. At night we ate at the nearby restaurants, my personal favourite being the terrific Shepherd’s Pie. In between writing sessions we took walks, most of them involving the seashore. I myself am from Iceland and standing by the Rockport Harbour looking out at the vast and majestic winter sea, I felt very close to home.

In Antonioni’s 1964 film, Red Desert, a character says, “The more I look at the sea, the more I lose interest in what happens on land”. The sea is indeed a perfect place to rest your gaze while solving story problems, and I wasn’t the only one doing so. Here and there I could see my fellow screenwriters looking out onto the vastness, no doubt immersed in the world of their screenplays. We all left Maine with new and stronger drafts, eager to come back to this wonderful place!

Our deepest thanks,

Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, Columbia Film M.F.A. Candidate

NEW Weekend Workshops at Maine Media

Excitement and innovation reign at Maine Media! Join us this winter and spring for 1, 2, and/or 3 days of relaxing, fun and totally “do-able” workshops.

Get out of the “automatic setting” rut! Join Jason Esposito, our Photo Department Manager, and gain personal control over your digital camera and photography in 1-Day Camera Basics.

Create that video now playing only in your mind! In Geoff Hancock's workshop, 2-Day HDSLR for Video, you will learn the best of camera settings, lenses, audio, and post production while working with Canon EOS 7D and 5D Mark II DSLR cameras.

Spend 3 insightful days over 2 weekends with Sean Harris in the Sight and Insight workshop. Then, go on to enjoy a lifetime of expanded visual interest, creativity and opportunities for amazing work in genres that you may have never before considered.

 

Telling a Story with Architectural 3D Renderings

 

What are the qualities of great renderings? How can a 3D model be transformed into a work of art? Is it the illumination, the camera settings, or the composition that brings a project to life and transforms it from a flat image into an inspiring representation of architectural projects?

It is all of the above! 3D renderings can help an architect visualize the building design, but for clients to have an emotional reaction to an image, they must tell the story that captures the architect’s vision. It is your job as an artist to make that vision a reality with rendered images.

Renderings are not much different from photographs and by studying the qualities of architectural photography, you will find that you can bring into your work the same techniques. For example, use wide angle lenses as they provide less compression between background and foreground objects, or carefully consider what depth of field to use. While the ideal aperture for architecture is between f/8 and f/11, you can use a shallower depth of field to highlight specific elements in a more creative way. Great renderings also require composition principles like the Rule of Thirds and avoiding the keystone effect with tilt-shift lenses. These lenses can usually be simulated in 3D programs to keep vertical lines vertical so buildings look grounded and well balanced.

Take the time to learn the foundations of light, cameras and composition, and how people are emotionally affected by an image. You will be dramatically improving the quality of your 3D rendering work and acquiring knowledge that will serve your entire career.

By Leo Casado