Online

From Still Photographer to Filmmaker: The Basic Tools

with David Helfer Wells

Online registration for this program has closed. To check availability, find about about future dates, or if you would like further information, please call 505-983-1400 ext. 111. Also, get the SFW E-Newsletter for updates!

Sign-up for the Newsletter:

Course Description

It’s easy to feel daunted by the prospect of shooting video to make a short film. The craft itself can seem overwhelmingly complex, but it’s not. As an experienced still photographer, you already have many of the skills necessary to be successful with moving images.

Visual storytellers know how to compose a frame, use the best light available, and work with digital-imaging technology. They just need someone to guide them through the transition from still photographer to filmmaker—and then to dedicate the time to practice.

David Wells creates videos full-time, for personal projects and paying clients. With his professional guidance, you learn how to create a dramatic and visually compelling short film maximizing ambient sound and compelling motion visuals.

You function essentially as a one-person crew, gathering video, audio, and still photographs. Together we explore how you can use the tools that you already have to tell a story through movement, the unfolding of time, and especially the power of sound. As your short film evolves, we engage in real-time instruction, discussions of pre-recorded lessons, and one-on-one conversations as needed.

From inception to capture and from organization to final output, David takes the intimidation factor out of shooting video and ultimately to mastering the filmmaking process. You come away with a set of new skills and a renewed appreciation for the ones you already possess.

View a couple of David’s videos below:

Good Friday —

Kochi Time —

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Amateurs, Advanced Amateurs
What You Should Know:

Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Previous experience shooting video with your digital camera is helpful, but not required.

Policies:

View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.

For the convenience of participants, recordings of each class session are posted privately for one month after the end of each session. Santa Fe Workshops takes the recordings down after one month to protect the intellectual property of our instructors.

Categories
Multimedia, Storytelling
about
David Helfer Wells

David Helfer Wells is an award-winning visual storyteller who has worked as a newspaper photographer, a freelance magazine photographer, and most recently a filmmaker. He creates still and moving images for clients such as Bryn Mawr College and Aramco World, and his personal and grant-funded projects have been supported by the Fulbright and Alicia Patterson Foundations. Magazines that have published David’s work include FortuneTime, LifeNational GeographicNewsweek, and The Sunday New York Times, among others. His films have been shown at festivals worldwide, in Bangalore, New York City, Rome, and San Francisco.

Website: davidhwells.com

You May Also Like

Efficient Editing and Workflow with Cloud-Based Lightroom

with Pei Ketron

October 24 and 26, 2023

Lighting the Editorial Portrait

with Andrew Eccles

October 12 – 15, 2023

The Business of Fine-Art Photography

with Thomas Werner

September 18 – October 5, 2023

Finding Your Photographic Style

with Mari Howells

August 31 – September 28, 2023

Visual Storytelling: The Anatomy of a Pitch

with Alana Celii

October 7, 2023

From A to Zine: A Supermassive Four-Hour Photo Zine Crash Course

with Jeff Phillips

October 21, 2023

Portraits of Self: The Untold Story of You

with Leanne Trivett S.

November 8 – December 13, 2023

Act II: The Theater of Botanicals

with Leanne Trivett S.

September 11 – 28, 2023

The Art of Finding Light

with April Milani

July 27 – August 14, 2023

The Art of the Conceptual Portrait

with Adrien Broom

September 26 and 28, 2023

In Nature’s Embrace

with Xuan-Hui Ng

September 20 – October 4, 2023

Field Guide for Emerging Documentary and Fine-Art Photographers

with Amber Terranova

August 19, 2023