What exactly IS the digital revolution, and how has it affected the business of making movies? Many young filmmakers aren’t even aware there’s been a revolution because they’ve grown up under the new digital order and that’s all they’ve known. The old world of celluloid filmmaking is a relic – a piece of history for them:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jul/07/how-digital-technology-saved-a-dying-medium
But for those of us who made our first movies aged 17 on VHS (yep, VHS folks – google it), the real question is whether digital technology has improved the world for aspiring young movie makers? And at Young film Academy we think there’s a simple answer: ABSOLUTELY!
When Young Film Academy (YFA) opened its doors to young filmmakers back in 2004, there were many obstacles waiting in the path of a kid aged under 18 who wanted to start making movies: the usual artistic pitfalls of creating a worthwhile story with engaging performances, sure, but the big ones were technical. Where did kids get cameras? Or editing facilities?
It seems odd to think this was all less than 15 years ago. Now almost every child has access to an HD camera of some sort and free editing software on PC and Mac or smartphone platforms. It doesn’t guarantee a good result, of course, but it does mean that kids can access the world of practical filmmaking like never before in history.
And once they’ve made their movie? For us dinosaurs who made films on VHS, distribution meant sending out cassettes in the post to people whose machines probably didn’t accept that format of tape. No one watched anything without physically unwrapping the tape and sticking it into their VHS machine. Kids now have an international, HD, 24-hour, instant distribution platform literally at their fingertips: YouTube, Vimeo and social media sites have completely changed the game and opened up huge possibilities for aspiring young actors and filmmakers.
Sound recording is still a big technical hurdle for most students of filmmaking, and at Young Film Academy we teach techniques to help them overcome this.
But having the kit doesn’t make you a storyteller. In the end, cameras and computers, microphones and lights are all just tools to help us tell great stories. But if your story isn’t great to begin with, don’t think that HD cameras will somehow transform it into something worthwhile. You’ll be disappointed.
Which is why all Young Film Academy filmmaking and acting courses for kids and young people focus on storytelling first and foremost, as well as introducing students to professional equipment and techniques.
Are you aged 8-17 and want to get started acting in or making movies? Book your course with Young Film Academy today and take your first steps into the world of cinema.
Full info on Young Film Academy’s filmmaking courses for students aged 8-17 can be seen at:
https://www.youngfilmacademy.co.uk/courses/our-courses