“Those who cannot teach” is what some say about teaching. “Bullshit” is what I say. I like to help anybody in anyway I can.
When I lived in South Africa I met a man named Garth Holmes on a commercial. He told me he was starting a film school in Johannesburg and would I like to teach lighting at University level. Let me say here that I am always up to a challenge and wasn’t going to let this one slide by. At first I thought I did not have enough experience but then again, I have worked in Hollywood and worked on over a dozen feature films and many more commercials, music videos, shorts etc. The main thing I kept in mind is that I had more experience than the students.
Now all I have to do is talk about it like I know what I am talking about. Easier said than done. I believe it’s a lot easier to just do your job than it is to explain how to do your job. I was really nervous that first day. It wasn’t even at a school it was in Garth s living room, with 1 chair for me and 12 students around the age of 20, sitting on the floor, blindly looking up at me. I could feel the anticipation in their eyes. They were waiting for me to tell them the way to become the next top Director or Cameraman. I learned quickly to speak slowly and repeat what I say. The one good thing I have is that I am a good story teller. If I ever got lost in what to teach, I told a story of something stupid I did while in Hollywood. I did plenty of stupid things so I always had material to talk about. That first year of teaching was a great lesson for me. It prepared me for the years to come. I still think of Garth and the opportunity he gave me and that I took. I miss him and will always think of him as a big brother.
When I got back to the United States, I mentioned to someone that I taught in South Africa and suggested I teach at a film school in Rockport Maine. My name was passed along and the school hired me for two weeks during the summer and 2 weeks in fall. I was often the Gaffer-teacher for a DP like Michael Minock that was teaching that particular class. My job was fun. I talked about equipment, how to use it, when to use it, and how not to break it. Eventually I taught my own classes. My favorite to teach is Location Lighting. I take a van full of students, age 17- 70 and a truck full of gear and shoot little scenes at different locations, and try to make it “look” how the story was written. Although we shoot a minimum of 12 hour days, it’s a lot of fun. I try to incorporate a very easy going attitude with a go like hell to get the shot, agenda. Maine Media Workshops is a serious place to hone your craft and work hard without too many distractions.
Another place I have been teaching is CDIA in Waltham MA a division of Boston University. I taught lighting as a guest lecturer a few years ago but now I teach Directing. The students still have that “deer in the headlights” kind of stare.
In this class we talked about how a script is written, how to break it up, blocking, how to talk to actors, storytelling and especially building confidence and that anybody is just somebody. Oh yes, one more thing….don’t waste time. Time is money.
I know I am not the best teacher. It’s more important to me that the students can express their thoughts and feelings first. After that I try to give them the “tools” to do the job. Finally, but most important I tell students that enthusiasm is the real key to success.