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Jay Black and Teaching Philosophy
“I’m going to teach what I wish I had been taught, in the way I wish I had been taught it.”
About Jay Black and Teaching Philosophy
When I was a kid it seemed like movies affected me differently than they did other people. Sure, other people liked movies, but they didn’t seem to live them, like I did. I couldn’t get them out of my head, and it was hard to find anyone who shared my passion for them.
When I was seven, I asked my parents for money for Christmas in lieu of presents so that I could move to Hollywood. I was serious.
After getting a BA in Creative Writing from Georgia State, I made my way to film school in Virginia. This was where I was supposed to be. After earning my master’s degree, I became the Equipment Office Manager at the film school. Soon I was asked by the faculty to create a master’s level class on the use of movie equipment. My teaching career had begun!
I later specialized in teaching the Intro to Directing and Advanced Directing masters level classes, the History and Theory of Editing, and other editing courses such as AVID 101, 201 and effects. I also taught Final Cut Pro from time to time.
Over the next eleven years, while teaching, I also worked extensively in the “industry.” I worked on numerous productions, including shorts, independent features, music videos, commercials and industrial training videos. I took classes in acting at The Actor’s Place in Virginia Beach, and booked a few small parts, including three episodes of The New Detectives. (The character I played in each episode was killed. It was fun.) I worked on so much stuff I can’t remember it all.
At first my approach to teaching boiled down to this, “I’m going to teach what I wish I had been taught, in the way I wish I had been taught it.” This worked well as I generally received excellent reviews from my students.
Over time, though, I began to work out several notions about moviemaking that I felt needed to be the basis of the whole approach. First, I noted that great films have been produced from wildly different methods and techniques. Some directors storyboard, some don’t. Some rehearse with their actors, some don’t. Some even begin shooting without a completed script (Gladiator, Jaws) with amazing results. So part of my method became to introduce a global moviemaking toolkit from which the students could experiment.
Second, I came to see that whether it happens in the script, the directing, the editing, or by accident, all movies that seem to have the greatest emotional impact have the appearance of an orchestrated rhythm; a composed procession of scenes with varied intensities in the drama, the visuals, the length of the shots, etc. All the scenes come together into a working composition. So I began to design the planning process around the idea of orchestration, similar to how a music composer composes music.
The third factor was something that was with me from the beginning – I sincerely enjoyed engendering a passion for cinema and moviemaking in my students. This has not abated.
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Now I am offering this experience and knowledge to you through Key Light Movie Academy, and in a much more time-efficient and cost-efficient manner than you would get it through a university or any other instructional program.
Former Student Comments:
“As an instructor, Jay Black has an attention to detail and a mindful outlook on equality and fairness. His approach to mentoring students transcends the basic delivery of information, instead focusing on the students passions and natural creative abilities. His excitement for the subject matter, as well as his 20+ years of industry experience, make him a strong ally for the student who hopes to reach for the stars.
-Jon Mark Nail, Assistant Professor of Cinematography. Western Carolina University, School of Stage and Screen Film and Television Production. Jon Mark Nail has won more than thirty filmmaking awards. ” –
“I learned so much from Jay Black when he was my professor in film school. He taught more than just the basics of filmmaking. He gave us the tools we needed to create a narrative experience for the audience.”
-Molly Olive, Screenwriter
“My career in film and video production began with film school, and the first two classes I took were taught by Jay Black. I learned more in those classes than any others. Jay Black led us with a passion for filmmaking and knowledge of how to do it that sparked my creativity and drive in this profession. He is a skilled visual storyteller, with extensive practical and theoretical insight into every aspect of production including writing, producing, directing, cinematography, editing and acting. After taking film production classes with Jay Black I knew there was no other path for me. I have made a living in this field ever since, and couldn’t be happier.”
-Neil Grochmal, Senior Videographer and Producer – WHRO Public
Media, Virginia Beach, VA.
Jon Mark Nail is an internationally recognized
and award winning director and professor.
Guest Speakers
About Jon Mark Nail
Jon Mark Nail
Assistant Professor of Cinematography
Western Carolina University
School of Stage and Screen
Film and Television Production
Jon Mark Nail will be speaking at the Bootcamp on Lighting. He teaches cinematography at Western Carolina University and he is an expert at shooting professional images with minimal equipment, or no equipment. He is articulate and approachable when teaching his techniques. He has won more than thirty domestic and international awards for his movies.