Digital Arts Training Program for Creative Image Makers

“The appetite for creative image makers is voracious” in this content-driven world, says Kevin Landry, president of New Horizons of Southern California. He points to the explosive growth of publications, web resources, and video outlets such as YouTube and Vimeo. Yet Landry believes that significant numbers of job and business opportunities go begging, primarily because employers want creative people who can deliver it all: artistic and inspired image capture combined with post-production skills, and asset-management expertise.

So, New Horizons has launched a Digital Arts Training Program for photographers and videographers.  The program’s mission is to develop creative leaders who can deliver the WOW in visual content for employers or succeed as self-employed visual artists.

The Digital Arts Program is a linear education system that emphasizes the development of new visual voices, says Cindy Sutherland, Vice President of Career Development. She defines WOW in digital content “as the visual magic that stirs the soul, makes your juices jump, causes you to smile, or to bleed with tears.” She says WOW is the essence of art, and how you create and deliver emotional range and new points of view or dramatize dynamic visual stories and imagine the unimagined.

Students who qualify can choose Certificate Programs in five specialties: Wedding, Portraiture, Fine Art, Videography  and Adobe Post Production. Each program requires 200-300 hours of classroom, studio lab, and real-world application assignments.

Certified instructors, who are recognized creative leaders in their fields, teach students foundational subjects in digital image capture. Then students progressively advance their skills in lighting, posing, narrative, character, video, and postproduction arts in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Adobe Premiere Pro. In the final classes, students learn personal and business marketing applications for their chosen genre.

“The training is fun,” says David LaNeve, Digital Arts Program Director, “but it is also rigorous and market driven. Students receive intensive classroom, studio, and location instruction within a hands-on mentoring environment. Upon successful completion, students will have a professional portfolio or video reel that displays their skills and creativity, New Horizons and Adobe Certifications, and real world assignment experience for their resume.”

New Horizons of Southern California is a network for five computer-learning centers in Anaheim, Burbank, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Los Angeles. It is part of the New Horizons company that has been offering computer-related training and certification programs for 30 years.  New Horizons operates 300 training centers in 70 countries and has trained 30 million students.

LINK:

New Horizons’ Digital Arts Training Program

Seminar Teaches Photographers Fundamentals of Filmmaking

PHOTOGRAPHERS. If you want to learn the fundamentals of filmmaking, check out the “Get In Motion” tour conducted by CineStories. Led by Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow, the seminar will teach you how to use your artistic talent, training, and equipment to also make moving images.

Get in Motion Tour LogoWhether you want to learn how to make films yourself for your clients, or plan to hire someone else to make them for you, understanding the fundamental principles will allow you to contribute to the final finished film and filmmaking process.

The Get in Motion Seminar Tour kicked off Sept. 19 and is scheduled to make stops in more than 35 cities until the end of November.

During the 4-1/2 hour seminar, the instructors show examples of specific films you can make right now, including:

  • web commercials
  • wedding films
  • birth-announcement films
  • family films
  • senior music videos
  • films for events

They will also discuss fundamental filmmaking techniques, what gear to acquire, and how to use it. Some of the specifics you will learn include:

  • Why purposeful storytelling is the most important aspect of filmmaking
  • Techniques that can enhance the story and move it forward.
  • How to “see the story” before you start shooting.
  • How to create the intrigue necessary to keep viewers engaged.
  • How to choose lenses, camera movements, and cuts that lead back to the point of your story.
  • Techniques for creating the types of emotions you intend your viewers to feel.
  • Why your camera moves tell the viewer how to interpret the scene.
  • Why the proper selection of lenses will enhance your ability to create emotion.
  • How to record clean audio and mix it properly during post-production so viewers can pay attention to your story and not be distracted by an imperfect soundtrack.
  • Why the quality of your audio should make the quality of your footage.
  • Why editing doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think.
  • How to use cut points and transitions, line up audio, add text and graphic elements, make basic motion enhancements, add a music soundtrack, and correct color.

If your clients haven’t asked you to provide video services yet, chances are they will soon. Over the next three years, spending on video advertising is expected to swell from $1.97 billion to $4.71 billion. Plus, tens of thousands of companies (big and small) will be using video content on their websites, to tell the stories behind their products and services.

To see examples of the types of films CineStories has produced, visit their website. And don’t forget to watch the very amusing trailer on the Get in Motion Tour website.

LINKS

About CineStories

Get in Motion Tour