Virtual Holiday Filmbuilding Workshop and Screening!
The holiday season is all about connection, gathering around the dinner table- but this year has made it challenging. This Holiday Filmbuilding Workshop encouraged participants to include their loved ones in creating two unique short films based on the theme of “Home” in just FOUR days. The result? One big cross-cultural family, weaving stories, making magic, finding our way back “home” for the holidays.
About the Workshop
An orientation followed by a 3-day Filmbuilding workshop hosted by MATV/UMA in collaboration with Tom Flint. Faced with various constraints; time (only one weekend), no in person meetings (all virtual), no prior filmmaking experience, and the use of an online editing platform (wevideo), this intensive used the discovery-based filmbuilding method to create two unique short films which were screened on the final day! This workshop allowed for collaboration between participants of various backgrounds, as well as their own family members, overseas or across town.
Approach
The Filmbulding workshop embraces a process involving discovery-based filmbuilding, project based learning, and intercultural exchange. Filmbuilding allows for an organic process and open participants to honest, creative work-resulting in beautiful, authentic films! Tom Flint, workshop instructor and creator of this program uses an illustration to expound upon the process.
The lightbulbs at the top represent various ideas, coming from the participants. The lines show the exchange of ideas- It’s more of a blending of ideas, not a systematic process, he explains. Finally, the film strip is the final result, which is your film, and the stars at the bottom represent the viewer experience.
Meet the Team!
Pictured above (left to right) Tom Flint, Hailey Hao, Sophie Carleton, Kamila Rodrigues, Amanda Hurley, Masio Dotson
Tom Flint- Tom is the creator of Filmbuilding and head teacher/facilitor of the workshop. “Film is a great tool for engaging people in collaborative experiences and getting to know people who are different from us.”
Hailey Hao- Hailey is the Program Director for Filmbuilding as well as the Director of Media Arts Education at MATV/UMA.. She worked with instructors to create programs like this and wants to expand and develop the Filmbuilding program! (This was Hailey’s last project as Director of Media Arts Education before moving on to an exciting new opportunity!)
Masio Dotson- Masio is the Staff Coordinator- he works with the mentors of each group to help facilitate the Filmbuilding process. He is also the volunteer and intern coordinator and a great resource and source of positivity at MATV/UMA.
Ose Schwab- Ose is the Outreach Coordinator for Filmbuilding as well as the Director of Membership and Marketing for UMA!
Amanda Hurley- Amanda is the teaching assistant for this workshop, assisting Tom and mentors as needed, while being available to participants. (Amanda was also an intern for MATV/UMA and moved into a new position at UMA shortly after this workshop ended!)
Mentors!
Kamila Rodriques- Kamila is the filmbuilding mentor for Group A. Additionally she is a freelance producer who loves working with media and an intern at MATV/UMA. She has previously mentored two other filmbuilding workshops!
Kamila (pictured top left) mentoring Group A!
Sophie Carleton- Sophie is the filmbuilding mentor for Group B. She has mentored before and is a whiz at WeVideo. Sophie is also an intern with UMA and also made the amazing Countdown to UMA series which can be found on YouTube! https://youtu.be/sGQ__so-hDU
Sofie (pictured top left) mentoring Group B!
The Process- Participants spend time having deep conversations around the theme of “Home,” gathered a variety of footage that inspired them- then co-edited their videos using an online collaborative editing platform called WeVideo, pictured below. 
The Screening!
On December 29th at 7pm, there was a screening and talkback for both films! The theme for the films was “Home” and the two groups went in different and unique directions with it. Both groups included family and home life in their films, and the audience was taken by the intimate beauty captured and the tapestry of language and culture. Both Films are entitled simply “Home.” After viewing Group A’s film- several audience members commented on how sweet and heartwarming it was. “I loved hearing all the different languages,” said Anne D’Urso Rose. “I was touched by the second movie and started to think HOME is not something always being there. Home is growing and changing. What we have now will be a memory some day,” commented audience member Lucy Zhou.
It was an exciting and heartwarming evening- friends and strangers alike sharing in their love of film, family, home.
You can view BOTH films here and get more info about Filmbuilding here!