Study Filmmaking and Photography in Tuscany with the Pros

Applications are open for Alt Studio, a new filmmaking program in beautiful Tuscany, Italy.

Are you a film student looking for an opportunity to learn and cultivate your inspiration? Look no further than Alt Studio, a visual arts study program in Tuscany where you can study filmmaking or photography under the guidance of professionals working in the industry. 

"To spend time shooting in this charmed land will change any artist forever. I know it changed me forever."

In Alt Studio's five-week program, Tuscany's culture and beauty will be your muse as you learn from a diverse faculty who have been nominated for Academy Awards and shown work on the BBC, The Discovery Channel, History Channel, The New York Times, LIFE Magazine, and The London Sunday Times. During the program, visiting artists will also serve as mentors.

After completing an application, 20 students will be selected on the merit of their portfolios and/or personal statement. 

During the five-week Alt Studio program, students are submerged in Italian culture and coursework both critical and technical. Film classes include basic and advanced operation of various DSLR and digital video cameras, as well as an audio class that instructs students on choosing locations for sound capture and using mixers, wireless mics, and the latest portable digital audio equipment.

The curriculum is complemented by weekly field trips to other towns in the region, including Rome.

In classes, students will have the opportunity to participate in group projects, which include a documentary and mock neo-realist narrative short. Individual projects consist of three short films, and dual emphasis will include a personal essay film and a documentary/performance short.

The curriculum is complemented by weekly field trips to other towns in the region, including Rome, Siena, Bologna, and more. At the conclusion of the program, Alt Studio holds an exhibition and a night of screenings in Lucca, Italy to display students’ works. The same show is then brought to New York the following September.

AltStudio founder John Murphy, also a filmmaker, is a professor at Pratt Institute. He hopes to transform the participants into stronger creative individuals by exposing them to a different culture and influences.

"I want to share with my students an experience unlike any other: to work and create in Tuscany," he said. "Through Alt Studio, participants will be able to learn from my dear friends, who happen to be exceptional professionals in their fields, while completely immersing themselves in Italian culture. Living and working in Lucca, and exploring and documenting Tuscany will be one of the best summers a creative young person could ever have. To spend time shooting in this charmed land will change any artist forever. I know it changed me forever."

AltStudio runs June 1 – June 30, 2016 in Lucca, Italy. Apply here today.