Recently over 30 Durham College (DC) students and employees from the School of Media, Art and Design (MAD) hosted a filmmaking demonstration at the Docville Movie Set in partnership with the second annual Durham Regional Film Festival.

For over two hours, students shot footage on five movie sets consisting of a cabin, general store, saloon, jail and mine using 10 60D cameras (two at each set). The demonstration was attended by more than 75 people who were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how a film is made. Audience members also participated by acting out the script that was written by DC Advanced Filmmaking students under the guidance of professor Kevin D. Fraser. After four hours of editing, a five-minute film was screened on the same day.

“Filmmaking is a way to change the way people think about the world,” said Greg Murphy, executive dean, MAD. “To get your voice, your story out there, whether it’s about you, or somebody else, or something you have completely imagined, it’s a way of telling stories. We are helping people to do that and really preparing the next generation of content creators for Canadian media.”

Students were mentored by DC faculty and staff including Kris Felstead, Phil Raby, Jennifer Bedford, Kevin Fraser, Colin Burwell, Jim Ferr, Oliver Fernandez, Keir Broadfoot and Margret Campkin, as well as Carla Sinclair, chair of DC’s Media Fundamentals program advisory committee.

Additionally a ‘making of’ photomontage of the filmmaking demonstration was shot by MAD Photography students under the guidance of faculty members Al Fournier, Tim McGhie and Brian Stephens.