An OFS is an Online Film School.

Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Spy Kids) wrote a “10 day film school” book. Other authors have since followed suit with How-tos books about how film is simple and the learning goes quick. Yes! it doesn’t take long to get with the fundamentals of making movies and, like with music and languages, kids learn it faster.

They are even better teachers. Infact some of the best film know-how is spread by Youth Cinema makers who grow up with open access to cameras and the digital realm . They can write and shoot without having to deal with gatekeepers or need the approval of adults or, god forbid, censors. And they have begun to think cinematic, too.

When a young filmmaker makes a film, you get two birds with one peanut: fresh knowledge is added to the common know-how. Youth Cinema pays its (dark) stars with love, learning and growth more than money. A key reward for a young crew is the knowledge and experience of the making-of, of taking the dream home as a festival film. How was the movie made? How were problems solved? That is practical knowledge that rarely fits in an a paper book.

As the internet spreads knowledge, I searched for and found a lot of online film schools. They seem run by young makers, producers and media entrepreneurs. A pool of makers and experts who offer film ABC, substance, and application.

ABC = Alphabetization: of film-making. Our environment remixes images, representation and duplication form the core of our communication-based evolution. the ABC of it is cinematic storytelling.

Substance: Online film schools often include technical content, aesthetics, philosophy, math, history, geography. Film may be passepartout to understanding knowledge as it changes, in practice.

Applications: The How to? Movies are problem solving adventures, experimental tests of will, desire and expectation. To realise what you wanted to say and how you did it a key step of personal empowerment.

A post will soon list our favourite online film schools.

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