The Art of the Short Film
with Carlan Tapp
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Playlist
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Course Description
We are all part of a new digital ecosystem. An ever-evolving way to share our stories. As visual story creators, quite often our still images are making the transition into stories with motion. What tools do we need to craft our vision into a short film? How can we share our stories with a worldwide audience?
These questions and many more are answered as we explore this compelling new digital ecosystem with still photographer and now filmmaker, Carlan Tapp. In this new online workshop, which serves as a broad introduction to filmmaking for photographers, we take the time to understand the creative process of visual storytelling concepts, story structure, visual sequence, and timing in filmmaking. Within the framework of the creative process, we consider the necessary equipment to bring our creative concepts to life. Using iPhones to mirrorless cameras, and simple software tools, we learn to allow the equipment and technical elements to stand as a foundation for our creative vision. We learn to make the leap of faith to explore new directions with our creative concepts, discovering creative things can happen when we do think differently.
Join Carlan this spring and jump into the art of the short film.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
Basic computer skills, how to use your capture device, and basic digital workflow are all that’s required.
Policies:
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
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about
Carlan Tapp is a documentary filmmaker and photographer. In the late 1970s, he assisted Ansel Adams for three years at his Yosemite Workshops, and shortly thereafter, he enrolled in Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. A descendant of the Wicocomico Tribe (Taptico family), Carlan, together with his wife, founded Naamehnay Project-Question of Power, a federal nonprofit focused on creating a visual voice for Native American homelands and sacred sites impacted by energy industrialization in America. Carlan’s work has been featured in Harley-Davidson HOG Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Bloomberg, MSNBC, Associated Press, and NPR’s “Living on Earth.” His photo essays are syndicated by Redux Pictures in New York.
Between 2004 and 2011, Carlan documented opposition to the proposed Desert Rock power plant on the Navajo (Diné) Nation near Farmington, New Mexico. The power plant construction was officially cancelled in 2011 due to widespread public opposition, falling electricity demands, and uncertainties surrounding climate change legislation. The body of work was used by Navajo Women in legal litigation to halt the building of the Desert Rock Power Plant. The Question of Power photographs, video stories, and audio interviews with Diné people are presented in an exhibition at the Palace of the Governors, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, NM, opening April 19, 2026 through June 27, 2027.
Websites: carlantapp.com, naamehnay.org
Instagram: @carlantapp
