Jordan Times
Monday, July 3, 2006

RFC launches digital filmmaking, animation workshops

AMMAN (JT) — The Royal Film Commission of Jordan (RFC) announced the launch of a four-week digital filmmaking workshop, held in consultation with the University of Southern California (USC).

The RFC designed this workshop to give 16 Jordanians the chance to learn audiovisual storytelling through an intensive month-long process of script development, pre-production, production and editing short films under the guidance of a team of instructors from USC’s School of Cinema and Television.

The process will start with techniques for shaping ideas, and developing stories followed by intensive sessions where scriptwriters will shoot a short film focusing on storytelling techniques, according to an RFC statement.

The RFC is holding this workshop as part of its on-going capacity building programmes, designed to create professional and internationally competitive storytellers, in addition to providing youth with the latest techniques from the industry.

Also today, the RFC announced the launch of an animation workshop, the sixth capacity building workshop held by the commission this year.

The workshop will commence today and continue until July 16 at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology.

It will give 16 participants the chance to learn more about animation, through focusing on three critical conceptual areas: Visual design, narrative structure and movement under the guidance of instructors from USC.

Participants will learn the techniques that make possible the creation of the moving image and be introduced to 15 exercises that contribute to understanding the concept of animation, culminating in a final project.

The RFC will also provide participants with the chance to publish each individual project online.

An RFC spokesperson said the workshop seeks to build the technical capacity of Jordanian youth, and give them a chance to explore and express their respective cultures through the art of filmmaking.

Both workshops are being held in consultation with the USC School of Cinema and Television, which includes among its alumni some of the world’s most talented writers, directors, producers, animators, executives and scholars: Ron Howard, George Lucas, John Milius, H. J. Wells and Robert Zemeckis.


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