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Ruminations on Fog with Screenwriter David Weiss
David Weiss remembers chasing the fog. Although it was an illusive chase, Weiss made more than one attempt. The lesson learned would eventually lead him to co-writing the script for one of the most anticipated 3D films in years, The Smurfs.
As a boy, from his home in Ventura, California, he would watch the fog roll [...]
Knowing When to Run it by Legal: The Role of Attorneys in the Filmmaking Process
Most aspiring filmmakers know that at some point, if they are going to get serious about producing a film that has the potential to succeed commercially, they will need to work with attorneys to make sure that the legal affairs of their project are properly handled. So the question of when to engage an [...]
Close Up: Jeremy Waterbury
Thousands of years from now, it’s quite possible that Jeremy Waterbury’s name will still be on lips of Christian artists throughout the world. The 2009 Compass graduate from Muncie, Indiana, is a testament of blind faith, complete trust in God, and his calling to be a filmmaker.
Shortly before the 2008-2009 classes began, Waterbury and his [...]
“Lights, Camera, Animals” - Compass Film Academy Roll with Themes
What could a pig farm have in common with Victorian England or a cutting edge barber shop? All three subjects are part of the stories in thesis films currently being produced by Compass Film Academy’s class of 2010. The projects this year are some of the most ambitious and complicated productions in the school’s history. [...]
CFA Board of Advisors Adds Four More Experts
Compass Film Academy continues to strengthen its position as the region’s premiere film school with the addition of Mark Clayman, Dick Rolfe, Joel Schoon Tanis, and Dr. Paul Worfel to its Board of Advisors.
Clayman, a Los Angeles-based producer, initiated development and served as Executive Producer on Sony’s box office hit, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The [...]
CFA Certification Featured in Grand Rapids Business Journal
It’s getting more difficult for Compass Film Academy to fly below the radar.
The 10-year-old private vocational school, which instructs students in movie script writing and film production and is located on Fifth Street near Seward in northwest Grand Rapids, was certified in late May for Title IV financial aid from the federal government. Title IV is offered to college students through Pell grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants, Perkins loans and other subsidized and unsubsidized direct loans.
High School Film Camp Produces “Future Ken Burns”
Blake Cortright is all smiles. And he should be. Because it’s almost unheard of for a 16-year-old to produce a documentary and have it air on PBS television. Blake took the skills he learned from Compass Film Academy’s Summer Film and Acting Camps, and used them to produce The First Encampment. [...]
Post NAB
NAB is where all the cool toys are introduced and each year’s NAB seems to paint a picture as to the direction of the industry. This year was no exception. Two items of interest to filmmakers saturated the show floor.
First was 3D video. Only time will tell if it is a fad or a trend, [...]
Han Solo Tames the Shrew Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love “Gone With the Wind”.
Disclaimers:
“ Gone With the Wind” has some deep problems in terms of its portrayal of African-Americans and slavery that I’m not going to get into in detail here. If you see the film and aren’t frustrated with this element, examine your soul
I’m going to be making some generalizations in regards to men and women in [...]
