The New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Cooperative have begun hosting free online workshops covering a variety of filmmaking topics.
After health precautions brought the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Cooperative’s regular workshop series to an abrupt halt, organizers quickly adjusted to compensate for the unplanned interruption.
“We had to stop our in-person workshops and so we began working on new ways to continue offering film training,” said Tony Merzetti, Executive Director, NB Film Co-op. “This led to the creation of some online workshops. They’re a little shorter than our usual format but so far we’ve hosted several since early May and they’ve been going really well.”
These online workshops are being made available to members and non-members at no charge. Hosted through the popular Zoom platform and led by some of the province’s most accomplished filmmakers, workshops are limited to 25 participants to ensure the best possible experience for those taking part.
To date, some of the workshops have attracted a record number of participants. Since moving online, three recent workshops met their capacity limits.
“It’s been really successful us. We’ve had people take part from all over the province. We even had someone from Spain participate in one of them recently,” said Merzetti.
“It’s really neat that we’re now able to offer programming that’s accessible to people all over the province. And because we couldn’t do our usual workshops in Saint John and Moncton, this was a good way to make up for that.”
The NBFC has two workshops coming up before the end of June. The Screenwriter’s Journey with host Gillian Acreman will take place June 22 and Producing 101 with host Tracey Lavigne will take place on June 24.
Based on the growing popularity of this new programming stream, Merzetti believes online workshops could find a place within the Co-op’s future planning.
“These workshops are something we’re considering keeping as part of our programming once the pandemic is over,” he said.
The Screenwriter’s Journey | June 22 | 7-8 p.m. | Free (registration required) | Learn more
Producing 101 | June 24 | 7-8 p.m. | Free (registration required) | Learn more
