Thank you so much for your ongoing support and commitment of the Film School Program. As we all know, this is not an easy time for anyone as the concern for the impact of COVID-19 continues to grow and we are encouraged to practice social distancing, be at home, and quickly adapt to new ways of connecting, learning, and working together.
Firstly…we want you to know that we are thinking about you, your families, your livelihoods and your finances at this time. We are all in this together and it’s in times of such challenge and adversity where our true selves, support for humanity, and true teamwork and leadership is revealed. I know we can do it.
Secondly…we want to let you know where we are at with the Film Program…as a film training program that is about working together, human-to-human connection, team building etc, you can imagine the challenge we are currently facing with programs and events being postponed for an uncertain period of time. However, amidst this ‘cri-sis’ (defn = ‘danger-opportunity’), we are committed to keeping our team healthy by following social distancing protocol and continuing our work remotely. We are choosing to use this time as an ‘opportunity’ to practice being true committed-learners and digital leaders: literally practicing our core values like never before.
We believe it is time to explore new ways of working together to inspire our best selves. We want to embrace what lies ahead with a sense of strength, teamwork, purpose, and hope.
As a proven platform to help young filmmakers find their place in the ever-changing world of film and life, we are committed to helping students navigate during this time from a health and wellness perspective, work-related mindset, learning and positive outlook. We will continue to make the best use of our knowledge, expertise and strengths to serve. We see our role as being a guide to help students continue to learn and experience the skills needed to confidently move forward in the filmmaking process, become their best, and effectively connect, learn new skills, take action, and grow together.
Focus on the 'Important' vs the 'Urgent.' Usually we are so caught up in the ’Urgent’ that we don’t have time for the ‘Important’. Let this be the time for working on what’s most important - building a clear vision, clarifying our values, re-setting long-term goals, growing and developing and learning innovative ways to become better at who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
In summary, use this as the perfect opportunity to REGROUP, RETHINK, AND RETOOL.
To support this process, we are going through a re-structure to keep the film school serving our students and supporting their desire to learn in a safe and efficient way. We will be working throughout in a small core of students (14), practicing safe distancing, frequent hand washing and within a sterile environment. There will be some video conferencing and lectures while keep our curriculum continuity, project-based exercises, discussions, projects for completion and much more. We encourage our students and their families to continue to be vigilant in the safe practices protocol at school and at home. We are still planning our year end screening of student works to the public, if not in a theatre setting, then in an on-line presentation. Please stay tuned for that.
The daily start and finish are still Monday through Thursday 9 to 3. This may vary, so stay tuned for any adjustments on that. We'll keep you posted.
Expect upcoming topics to include:
Just to name a few!
In the spirit of faith, trust, teamwork, and creativity,
Tony Papa and the PRDFS Team