The Fundamentals of Dance Filmmaking

with Nadav Heyman
Register
Amy Leona Havin
OCTober 21st 2023 | 1:00 PM PST – 4:00 PM PST
Masterclass
Festival Pass Holder: $35 | Non pass holder: $45
Reduced Priced Scholoarships available upon request

The Fundamentals of Dance Filmmaking with Nadav Heyman

About the Masterclass

Nadav’s three hour masterclass is a crash course in dance filmmaking. This lecture-style class will teach the fundamentals of producing/directing high quality work on any budget. Nadav will walk you through how to conceptualize, pitch, produce, shoot, and edit your film, balancing the creative ambitions with practical knowledge.

Funding Support By

PDFF Pass Holder Discount

Get lower prices for the workshop AND experience 24 amazing dance films! Festival Passes are sold online.

*You might be asked to show proof of Festival Pass purchase at the workshop check-in to validate discount.

The Holding Project

About the Artist

Nadav Heyman is an award winning dancer, writer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. In 2019, Nadav was awarded an artist residency by Subhashok Art Center (Thailand), where he created his solo work, “as.phyx.i.a.tion.” The film was subsequently published by Dance Magazine. His latest film, “Old Man At The Corner Store,” is currently making its festival circuit and has won awards at Dances With Films, Dance Film Festival Prague, among others, and will screen during Picks 1 at Portland Dance Film Fest. Nadav is the founder of dancefilmmaking.com, a new global platform for dance films, and a judge and board member of the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival. Learn more at www.nadavheyman.com.

The Holding Project

More about the Masterclass

Participants will be lead through the seven stages of dance filmmaking. They’ll focus on the importance of adding texture to an idea, including costumes, props, production design, color palettes, an interesting location, and most importantly, an arc. Through film examples, Nadav will demonstrate the importance of crafting a beginning, middle, and end, and how that separates dance videos from dance films. We’ll also discuss the often overlooked significance of pitching your film, to dancers, choreographers, cinematographers, and producers.

Dance films are often low budget affairs, and their success depends on a filmmaker’s ability to recruit and galvanize other talented artists. How do you get people excited about your project? How do you convince them to work for little or no money? What tools do you use? Nadav will share his approach to pitching and show the treatments/decks he’s used to get projects off the ground.

We will take a look at both practical and creative considerations of a dance film shoot, from shot lists and schedules, to budgets and permits. We’ll discuss the challenges of being a director and the importance of staying direct and honest, even when it’s uncomfortable.