CHANTILLY, Va. – WND announced today that it will host the annual Advent Film Workshop at its new studio facilities in Chantilly, Va., June 14-15.
Advent co-founders George Escobar and Michael Snyder will lead the workshop. Hour-long sessions include: film funding, micro-budget producing, hiring professional actors, effective marketing and distribution techniques, story development secrets and film career planning for filmmakers of all ages.
"We are excited about this new chapter in our film training program," Escobar said. "Previously we've held the workshop at Patrick Henry College, the home of our first feature film, 'Come What May.' Now we have the additional opportunity to work alongside WND, a powerhouse in online independent news, attracting over 7 million unique visitors a month and more than 40 million pageviews."
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Last year, WND Films produced "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment," inspired by the New York Times bestseller "The Harbinger," authored by Jonathan Cahn. It quickly became Amazon's No.1 faith documentary DVD, holding the top spot since April 2012. Escobar was the documentary's editor and director. He brought several Advent interns and associates into the production, serving as camera operators, audio engineers and production assistants. With that success, Escobar joined WND last January as its new vice president of film and television, reporting to Joseph Farah, WND's founder, CEO and producer of the "Isaiah 9:10" documentary.
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Currently, WND Films and Television is producing four feature-length documentaries for 2013 and is developing several online video news shows.
"Advent's students and interns will have the opportunity to work on media projects that garner huge national and international attention," Farah said. "WND is proud to help Advent in training the next generation of Christian filmmakers."
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Register while you still can at the Advent Film Group website!
Advent itself is nearing the post-production cycle on two narrative features: "Hero" and "The Screenwriters." Both are slated for a fall 2013 release. Another feature film, "Alone Yet Not Alone," co-written and co-directed by Escobar, with Snyder as a producer for Enthuse Entertainment, will be released theatrically by Enthuse in late September 2013.
"Collectively in these feature films, hundreds of our students received hands-on training in every aspect of filmmaking, from story development to cinematography to wardrobe, makeup and art direction, to marketing and distribution," Snyder explained. "That's what makes Advent unique. Our students make professional quality feature-length movies right from the start rather than student films or short films that have little market value."
Advent's approach to training students by giving them on-the-job experience in feature films has proven successful. It is now being incorporated by other trainers, including Liberty University, Chapman College and even the Kendrick Brothers, the makers of "Facing the Giants," "Fireproof" and "Courageous".
"This year we are limiting the number of film workshop students to 20," Escobar said. "We want to provide more personal attention to each attendee. Past workshops have had 80 to 100 students. We expect the last five remaining slots to go quickly."
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Learn more about the workshop, including how to sign up, at the Advent Film Group website.