Crystal Cruises has teamed up with the esteemed University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts – alma mater of Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, and George Lucas, among many other film and media-makers – to present “Digital Filmmaking: The iPad iMovie Video Course” through the line’s exclusive Creative Learning Institute. Just launched aboard Crystal Symphony, the five-hour, complimentary course teaches professional filmmaking tools and techniques to create one’s own films, from pre-production to final cut. Led by USC film professors, alumni and other film industry experts specially trained by curriculum creators Kerry Millerick and Dina Sterr, the course utilizes the iMovie app for iPad, but teaches basics that can be applied to any digital format.
“USC is one of the best film schools in the world,” says Bret Bullock, Crystal’s vice president of entertainment. “We’re thrilled to bring guests a curriculum of this caliber to expand our Creative Learning Institute and teach vacationers even more new skills that they can take home with them.”
Using one’s own iPad, guests shoot one of five documentary-style genres while on board: Interview, Event, Commercial, Man on the Street or How-to. They then edit the footage and add music, graphics, voiceover and effects. Participants learn the importance of filmmaking theory in production — considering the video’s purpose, intended audience, camera angle and shot composition — and then how to create a trailer and digitally share their masterpiece with an “audience” of loved ones via social media.
USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, shares her enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are always delighted to have the opportunity to share some of our creative skills and our love of cinema and media with others. Crystal Cruises provides a special way to reach a very interesting and exciting group, and we are pleased that members of our faculty will be invited on board to provide lectures and workshops to their guests.”
The Digital Filmmaking course will expand to Crystal Serenity in January 2013, making the program available on all Crystal’s luxury cruises worldwide.
