An old film projector projecting an image of a cassette, a roll of film, CDs, and a vinyl record on a white background. The title reads “Sounds of the Silver Screen”.

Sounds of the Silver Screen

ASL interpretation available upon request. 

This class is for people 18 years old and older and open to mixed ability participants.  

When: Wednesdays | January 18th – April 5th

Time: 3 PM – 5 PM

Where: National accessArts Centre (8083 Fairmount Dr. SE)

Cost: $165 ($13.75 a session)

Sounds of the Silver Screen – Class Schedule  

The Sounds of the Silver Screen workshop series will introduce artists to creating a short movie and combing it with a soundtrack. Artists will also explore how Hollywood movies create and add sound effects. The workshop will be divided into three sections: 

  1. Short Super 8 Movie Creation 
  2. Soundtrack Creation 
  3. Hollywood Sound Effects 

Short Super 8 Movie Creation 

January 18th – What is super 8?  

Introduction to using super 8 film to create movies. As a group, we will watch and discuss examples and spend time brainstorming ideas for our projects. 

January 25th – Storyboarding and Prep 

Each artist will work through storyboarding exercises to help plan the scenes for their movie. We will also use iPads to explore different ways to capture scenes before we shoot on film. 

February 1st – FILM DAY!  

This class is completely dedicated to filming scenes for each participants movie.  

Soundtrack Creation  

February 8th – Introduction to Soundtracks  

We will listen to famous soundtracks, discuss what makes them great, brainstorm ways to create soundtracks of our own. Artists will be introduced to a variety of tools to help along the way.  

February 15th – Stories in Music  

Artists will develop a story they would like to tell through music. After their stories are complete, we will interpret them through music and sounds. 

February 22nd – Layering Sounds 

Artists will continue working on their soundtracks by introducing more audio layers and effects. We will demonstrate cool ways to use computers to add digital effects to your sounds.  

March 1st – Layering Sounds Pt. 2 

This class will explore more approaches to layering sounds and coming up with cool musical ideas. Artists will explore iPad apps to create music using samples and loops. 

March 8th – Complete Your Soundtrack 

The whole class will focus on finishing each artist’s soundtrack. Artists will work one-on-one with workshop facilitators to polish off their music! 

Hollywood Sound Effects 

March 15th – Intro to Hollywood Sound Effects 

This class will demonstrate how movies and TV shows add sounds to video! After we watch examples, the group will pick a silent movie clip that they would like to add sound to. The group will create a list of sound effects to record. 

March 22nd – Recording Session!  

Artists will get to record sound effects for the silent movie clip. If artists are willing to try, they also get a chance to try voice acting. 

March 29th – Finalize the Scene 

We will work as a group to finish applying our sound effects and voice-acting to the movie clip. The clip will be full of sound by the end of our session. 

April 5th – LAST DAY  

Our last day will tie up loose ends and celebrate our hard work! We will review each artist’s work and watch the movie clip we added sound to.

Meet Katie Wackett

Katie Wackett is a multidisciplinary artist and film curator who currently works at the National accessArts Center developing filmmaking + cinema studies programming. Katie has facilitated several programs at the NaAC including Movie Club and a Super 8 Filmmaking workshop. Outside of the NaAC, Katie works at several film festivals and creates her own film works. Her career has centered on fostering community around film and creating positive educational experiences. Katie hopes to improve the accessibility of filmmaking, and ultimately encourage artists to share their unique perspectives through film and video creation.

Meet Carlos Arteaga

Carlos Arteaga is a musician and artist facilitator at the NaAC with a passion for community-building through art and music. He has facilitated several programs such as Art Share and the Modern Icon Project. With a background in sonic arts and music production, his approach to the new music programing at the NaAC aims to expose our artists to a wide variety of art and sonic media.  

Carlos has experience teaching and running workshops with diverse groups of people. He believes it is important to find different teaching methods that make sense for the participants. One of his main goals is to empower community members in a safe environment, where creativity and inclusion are central to the success of the programs.

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