BYFA

THE ART OF COMMERCIALS: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX
Ages 16-29
Summer 2023, JHU-MICA Film Centre and Off-Site Locations

This workshop will introduce student fellows to the art of filmmaking in the advertising industry, and to the local Baltimore production community.  With the guidance of instructors and other industry professionals, they’ll work through the production process of conceiving, scripting, storyboarding, shooting, and editing commercial content.  They’ll experiment with visual storytelling; learn about devising a production plan; get hands-on experience filming on location; and tour a local editorial studio space, meeting the personnel who’ll help take their project through post-production.  Fellows will be encouraged to pull from real life experiences in the work they create, tapping into human truths that are relevant to them, learning to balance creativity and personal expressiveness with the need to stay “on brief,” and “think inside the box.”  And as they shape and realize their collaborative vision, they’ll be exposed to the market’s rich career opportunities.  Their work will be shared at a public exhibition, on BYFA social media platforms, and the program website.  Limited to 9 student fellows.

Matt Pittroff is a Baltimore-based commercial film director with 25-plus years’ experience working with advertising agencies and brands around the globe.

Brenna Mathers specializes in establishing brands and developing their content. As a commercial producer, she finds innovative solutions to complex problems and manages large creative teams in fast-paced, high-volume work environments.

Emmet Sheehan, a Baltimore City native, was part of the pilot program that launched the film department at Baltimore School for the Arts, and also trained at North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Intensive.