Note that modules run at established times in the Academy year, and do not run at all times. In exceptional circumstances, some modules may be restricted or not run due to external factors.
Academy Activities
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Film & Video +
At the heart of the Digital Storyteller Academy's courses are the Film & Video modules.
Why?
Well, it's because in these modules we not only teach how to use a camera, but also show you where to put a camera for the best impression, how to do pre-production such as developing and writing your stories and scripts, as well as a range of other skills that can be used in film production and more.
As part of the Film & Video modules you will produce a number of short films and collaborate in more.
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Drama +
While we do not teach Song and Dance, we do run a class in Acting for the Screen.
One of the most important reasons for this, is that Crew - especially budding directors - need to understand what actors have to do to get your message onto the screen!
To be quite honest however, it is also the case that being part of the crew and seeing your name in the credits never quite matches seeing your face on the screen - even as an extra in the background.
And who knows - maybe you'll like the experience and start to star in your own short films?
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Design +Designing for the screen is one of the great unsung occupations that are required to make a production look great. This is especially true of those contemporary, non-genre productions where good design by nature simply goes unnoticed.
In our design modules we will show you what goes into designing for your productions - whether that is in the form of sets and locations, costumes, motion graphics or other aspects of the backstory.
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SFX / VFX +
Pretty much everybody has heard of 'green-screen' and many would love to see what they could do with it - especially if you are a fan of certain genres and television programs.
As well as teaching green-screen however, we also include a range of practical effects, make-up tutorials, special-effects make-up, and the use of computer graphics and digital sets.
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Certification +
Unless you are signing up to a higher academic course, the chances are that you will not get recognition for your work and learning in a club or hobby.
Even earlier qualifications types, such as iCreative Media GCSE's are more general and require study in far more subject areas to achieve a qualification.
For that reason, not only do DSA support you in producing work for your portfolios if you are part of these academic courses (for example, if you are at school, college or university) but we also have a series of internal Certification stages. Passing these stages allows you to use certain types of equipment within the Academy, but can also be publicly displayed, with a detailed description of what they cover to show the skills that you have learned.
Some modules are additionally being submitted for official CPD approval.
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Festivals +
As more DSA Studios open around the country and abroad, we will be holding local, regional and national festivals and competitions. Some of these festivals will be held in proper theatres, where lucky filmmakers will see their own work displayed on the big screen.
DSA also provide the means to distribute and promote professional films online and external competitions - so if you want to see your work reach a wider audience, this is certainly one way to do it.
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Games +
Filmmaking is just the start of the skills that you can learn with the Digital Storytellers Academy.
Using the core modules as a foundation, you can progress onto specialised modules that cover interactive VR and developing games using a professional game engine.
If you are a student in a school program, then these modules will also support your learning - typically, we use the Python language in our games development, the current staple of teaching programming languages in UK schools.