DO IT YOURSELF: THE WEB SERIES FROM CONCEPT TO PILOT
Ages 16-29
Summer 2018, Johns Hopkins Homewood
This workshop will offer a crash course in web series production. Student fellows should come to the first meeting with preliminary ideas in hand. Each will have opportunity to refine their concept and build a solid framework called a “story bible,” including character descriptions, plot summary for a pilot episode, and ideas for additional episodes. Plans for individual projects in place, fellows will decide on a single, collaborative project, and work together with instructors as a team to develop, write, and shoot a short pilot. The workshop will explore the creative choices that go into story design; character development; location scouting; casting; directing; visual composition, including camera work and lighting; sound design; and post-production, including editing. Fellows will fill a range of roles that mirror those found on a professional, low-budget film set, and they’ll gain an understanding of how to overcome and even thrive amid the technical challenges of "indie" production. The collaborative pilot will be shown at a public screening and on the program website. Limited to 9 student fellows.
Marc Unger is a nationally known actor/writer/comedian. His work has been featured on network television and in theaters and film festivals in both New York and Los Angeles. He has shared the stage and screen with artists Stephen Adly Guirgis, John Hawkes, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Maria Unger is a graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Education. As the producer and co-creator of an independent web series, she performs various roles both on set and behind the scenes, including video editing, project planning, script supervision, pre- and post-production operations, and contract management.
Taelor Clay, a Morgan State University graduate, is an independent film producer and screenwriter, largely focused on stories that address and attempt to heal infighting in struggling communities.
Jimmy Powell, Jr., an alumnus of the Maryland Institute College of Art, is a freelance videographer and editor. His clients include the NAACP, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and the University of Maryland Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Renee Ross is an educator, writer, and actress with a passion for film and television. She enjoys the art of storytelling immensely and is currently working on a screenplay, a novel, and a web series.
