This summer, Pacific New Media introduces a new workshop series titled Elements of Film and Video Production. For seven weeks, we will present to you some of the best talents in the local industry who will share their insights on their areas of expertise. Production management, directing, screenwriting, camera, sound, editing, pre and post-production planning, marketing and distribution. Sign up for the whole series or register for the individual sessions that meet your interests and needs.
Elements of Film and Video Production
Tuesdays • June 19 – August 14 • 6:30 – 9:30pm • UHM Krauss 012
$300 for the whole series or $50 per individual session
Our series begins with Production Management by Renee Confair Sensano. With over 25 years of experience in the film and television industry, Renee has worked with HBO, Universal, Amblin, Sony and Disney, just to name a few. Among her recent Production Supervisor credits include The Descendants, Battleship and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Renee kindly took some time out of her busy schedule to share little bit about her herself and her perspective on the ever changing industry that she’s in.
What do you love about your job?
It’s always different & anything is possible.
This profession has taken me to amazing places, such as Ni‘ihau, Volcano (whereby we stood on a new lava flow wearing gas masks, filming while our shoes melted), Australia, extraordinary homes, military bases, ranches, gorgeous vistas, exquisite hotels… and places that are normally not on the radar for viewing.
How has film and video production in Hawaii changed since you started in this industry? What do you see in its future?
HD significantly changed the industry, as we know it. It’s slowly replacing film. High end TV shows & Commercials were always shot on film, but not anymore. Many of the major manufacturers of motion picture cameras have ceased production of film cameras (Arri, Panavision & Aaton)
Technology has taken camera phones & 5-D camera into the world of filmmaking. Plus, Final Cut Pro (software) allows the average citizen to edit.
Reality shows have changed the face of programming. The term, ‘scripted show’ is a bizarre concept to me… but that’s our reality now. I understand that ‘reality shows‘ makeup 1/3 of primetime network programming. Yikes! In my humble opinion, some of it is worthwhile, but a lot of it is crap.…especially those bad behavior shows that create unnecessary drama. It makes ‘stars’ out of people who shouldn’t have that kind of recognition.
Commercial advertising has also changed dramatically due to social media. Conventional ad agencies have had to re-invent since many clients have created in-house advertising divisions. Also, you don’t see as many of the BIG budget commercials anymore.
Facebook is an avenue for casting. Craigslist is an option for finding crew.
On the other hand, the visual effects are out of this world & extraordinary. I worked with the SFX person who won an Oscar for Benjamin Button, and he felt special effects for the most part would be replaced by visual effects in the next decade.
What’s the current working relationship like between mainland productions and local crew?
Hawai‘i has established itself with a reputation for having qualified & very talented crew…..but we just don’t have a lot of depth. So if there are more than 3-4 shows in town….we start running out of experienced people. Take ‘The Descendants’ for instance, they filmed with approx. 80% local crew. I believe Hawaii 5-0 has an ever bigger percentage. The bulk of the crew is based on Oahu. That said, the neighbor islands also have a decent infrastructure…..they just need more shows to shoot there.
What’s your favorite movie?
The favorite movie I’ve worked on is The Descendants. One of my favorite movies that I’ve watched is Forrest Gump.