Outdoor film schools teach students document wilderness and outdoor adventures.
Many film students have dreams of becoming a successful Hollywood filmmaker, whether it be in the top capacity of producer or the lower-rung capacity of cameraman. However, not everyone who is thinking about film school wants to go the conventional route; some students have ambitions of a more off-the-beaten path. Outdoor filmmaking offers an opportunity to learn about wilderness and adventure documentation in the tradition of Jaques Cousteau or Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. As of 2011, only four schools in the United States and Canada are specifically for teaching about outdoor film techniques.
Outdoor Video School
The Outdoor Video School (outdoorvideoschool.com) is located in Oneonta, Alabama, and offers both an outdoor video course and a home study course. The Outdoor Video Course is given at the Thunder Mountain Lodge and Preserve, which caters to hunters of deer, quail and pheasant. It's a four-day course that costs $1,275, as of 2011, and includes tuition, registration, room and board, books and other class materials. The Home Study Course offers DVDs and CD-ROM software and costs $59.95, which includes shipping and handling.
Outside Adventure Film School
The Outside Adventure Film School (adventurefilmschool.com) is based in Boulder, Colorado, and was established in 2007 on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This school serves as an on-location experience where the outside setting serves as the film laboratory. The school offers courses in various locales as diverse as Richmond, Virginia, and Machu Picchu in Peru. Each course offers opportunities for students to film adventures such as extreme sporting events and expeditions with course prices as of 2011 ranging from $499 to over $2,000, depending on the length of the course and its location.
Peter Peru's Extreme Film and Expedition School
Peter Peru's Extreme Film and Expedition School (explorex.net) offers a program with a focus on filming the winter sports of skiing, snowboarding and mountaineering. Students learn about film theory, conception, preproduction, production, postproduction, distribution, marketing and fundraising. This week-long course is not for everyone, though. Participants must have at least upper-intermediate skills in skiing and snowboarding, and must be between the ages of 18 and 36 years old. Peter Peru is an award-winning filmmaker who is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada.
Rack Focus Outdoor Multimedia
This video school is offered by Rack Focus, which is a production company that specializes in outdoor media. They teach students outdoor film by walking them through situations that simulate whitetail and turkey hunting. This hands-on exercise is followed by a written exam. Video, audio, interviewing and production techniques are taught. This two-day course costs $1,250, as of 2011, which covers food during course hours, a course packet, a Rack Focus shirt and hat with decal and a Course Certification Diploma. The company is based in Midland, Michigan.
Tags: Outdoor Video, Peter Peru, Rack Focus, about film, Adventure Film, Adventure Film School, costs 2011
