Lights, Camera & Action with Kathy Berardi

So you want to make a short film. You've written the story and learned what it takes to produce—now it's time to champion the power of a collaborative effort! 

Kathy Berardi's workshop series grand finale is this Saturday at the Lovett School from 12-3:30pm. This class will give guidance regarding how to effectively work with a film’s director in a collaborative effort, and how to be selective about the projects you work on depending on the director’s attitude, openness to total team involvement, and commitment to completing a high-quality film. Specifically, attendees of class #4 will learn the following steps it takes to successfully direct a short film:

➤ Important directing decisions and preparations to make ahead of starting a short film

➤ How to recruit and select key creative team members who will deliver on the vision you intend for your film

➤ When to be strategic and practical; and when to set boundaries to allow for artistic and visual creative time in every phase of the production

➤ When and how to take constructive feedback from team members and outside, credible sources for the ultimate benefit of the short film

➤ How to balance artistic vision with budgetary limitations

This workshop is only $50; ATLFF Members get 20% off! 

Not a member yet? Why not?

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A Message From Kathy Berardi on This Saturday's Class

"When I produced my first comedic short film in August 2007, I was taking on a bigger feat than I could possibly imagine. For one, my focus up until then had been on screenwriting at the UCLA School of Theater Film & Television. I found myself falling into the producer role as I had previous corporate experience in project management and pretty savvy organizational skills. What I didn’t have, however, was experience with making a short, nor did I make it a point to invest in any course on actual short filmmaking.

So, when the director asked me to line up resources like a “grip” and a “gaffer” and to get estimates on a “gennie” (film crew lingo for “generator”) in addition to helping line-up casting, get sponsors, and balance the budget, I wondered: a) just what these foreign sounding resources and equipment were and b) how these assignments had anything to do with creative storytelling, which, as a producer, I assumed my role would be since I was also a co-writer on the script. 

These things were just the tip of the iceberg. The calamities that befell both me and the production—caused by relying on too many low-budget or no-budget “favors"—were immense. Combined with my sheer inexperience, these aspects made the production itself as laughable as the subject matter should have been. 

What I learned from that crash-and-burn experience in attempting to make a short film that, ultimately, never saw the light of a post-production day, let alone the lofty screens of a film festival, was invaluable to me. I later went on to produce professional-grade short narrative films that won awards and helped establish my film career. These were completed with Emmy Award-winning crews, budgets that were larger than the cost of a starter house in the metro Atlanta real estate market, and by obtaining support from major sponsors like the Director’s Guild of America, Panavision, and Kodak. While I have since stopped grieving the loss of that first project, I use those hard lessons from it to help me instruct aspiring filmmakers in those key areas in which I should’ve better prepared myself. 

"My quest is to save future first-time filmmakers from the lost energy, time, money and resources that I squandered in my first production. In truth, that first painful production actually was an achievement for me in that it was my first lesson in short filmmaking. I advise my students that learning from others’ experiences before making their own films is of foremost importance. I also recommend starting with low-budget or no-budget films. Use friends and family as volunteer cast members, shoot with a smart phone, and download inexpensive or free editing programs and apps to get the final version produced. The goals of your early short films should be to learn the process and the key roles and responsibilities of all involved. Have several of your own low-budget films underway and volunteer to work on others’ short film sets (which differ significantly from features and television). Only then should you invest your time and money or that of others into producing a short film of substance. It will provide the gateway to your filmmaking career.

If you sincerely strive to make to get noticed as up and coming Hollywood talent with your next short film, I’d love nothing more than to guide you in the best and proven practices used by the industry’s top professionals. Join me for the “PRODUCING YOUR SHORT FILM--Someone's Got to Do it & Why It Should Be You” this Saturday, October 10 from 12:00-3:30."

Members get 20% off this crucial workshop! Not yet a member? It's never too late.

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Producing Your Short Film: Why It Should Be You

We're approaching Step 3 of 4 in Kathy Berardi's series of Short Film Workshops! Saturday, October 10th, from 12pm-3:30pm, join fellow filmmakers in all stages on their journeys from idea to completion. Read Kathy's thoughts on what makes you valuable as your own producer:

"If you’re a writer with sound organizational skills, you should seek out the opportunity to learn and lead and be one of the producers on the film as well. If you’re a lead actor or director whose name and reputation are riding on the film, you should definitely be involved in a key producing capacity on the film. If you’re strictly a well-organized, go-getter producer looking to deliver an amazing short film, partnering with talented writers, actors and directors is the key way to landing future positions and projects."

Kathy's led two successful, dynamic workshops already this fall, but you're not too late for the last two! Snatch this opportunity to learn from the best and advance your dream.

And did you know Members get 20% off?

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It All Starts and Ends With the Story

So you still want to make a short film—but how do you tell your story most effectively? Next up in Kathy Berardi's series of short filmmaking workshops is "It All Starts and Ends With the Story." This Saturday, September 26th, graduate from "So You Want to Make A Short Film" and take that pen by the horns.

Learn collaborative tactics to garner and embrace valuable feedback, screenwriting tips for script formatting and structure, and the key elements needed to develop characters and a plot that quickly engage your short film audience.

Berardi is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television with an MFA in Screenwriting.  In addition to penning eight feature-length screenplays and a drama television pilot, Berardi has also written and produced several award-winning short films with budgets ranging from less than $2,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. "If your next short film is one that you sincerely strive to make you get noticed as up and coming talent for Hollywood to pay attention to, I'd love nothing more than to guide you in the best and proven practices used by the industry's top professionals."

A seat in this three-hour crash course is only $50. ATLFF Members receive $10 off! Like the sound of discounts and access to year-round special screenings? Join the club. 

This Weekend: So You Want to Make A Short Film?

The first installment in our short filmmaking workshop series takes place this Saturday at The Lovett School. Writer/Producer Kathy Berardi began her own filmmaking journey with Atlanta Film Festival classes (then the IMAGE Film & Video Center) in 2003; she's now an award-winning short filmmaker, founder of Red Clip Video, and eager to teach you the finer points of collaborative efforts, storytelling, production, and process steps.

You can attend one workshop ($10 off for ATLFF Members) or reserve your Series Pass to all four ($25 off for ATLFF Members)!