(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Film Festival Fall 2025 runs from September 5th through October 10th with screenings on the Rutgers University campus and available via video-on-demand. In addition to the screenings, the festival is offering three free filmmaking workshops this year: intro to filmmaking, audio recording, and one on the film business itself. New Jersey Stage reached out to Professor Albert G. Nigrin, the Executive Director/Curator of the festival, to learn more.
Is this the first time you've offered such workshops during the festival?
No! We used to offer these exact same workshops as well as others for decades and stopped offering them because of COVID. We are hoping to reintegrate them into the New Jersey Film Festival!
The three workshops are free, but with limited seating. They all sound like workshops that someone would normally have to pay for. Did you get a grant to offer them for free?
Yes!!!! We received a Visual Arts Education Grant from The Arts Institute of Middlesex County and that is absolutely how we could offer them for free!
You are listed as one of the instructors for the Introduction to Filmmaking Workshop along with Morgan Kalmbach on Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 1:00pm. Who is the ideal attendee for this workshop?
This workshop is really geared towards the novice filmmaker but it is open to anyone. It is really being taught by the New Jersey Film Festival Assistant Director Morgan Kalmbach. I will be there to help her out.
What can you tell me about the workshop?
Morgan wrote the description for the Workshop: Welcome to the beginning of making a film! This introductory workshop course will cover key elements of filmmaking, with an emphasis on what occurs before the camera begins recording. The decisions and ideas crafted before a film is shot are critical, as they shape the film into what it will become. From screenwriting to casting to planning the look of your film, this course will offer a unique introduction and allow you to begin learning important skills and components of the filmmaking process.
You’ll learn about the thoughtful planning and artistic choices required to bring a story to life on screen. The class will feature discussions, examples, and exercises designed to showcase the many aspects of filmmaking. By the end of the session, you will have a solid understanding of how a film is developed and prepared before a single frame is shot. This course is designed for beginners and open to all experience levels, with no prior filmmaking experience required. If you’ve ever wanted to make a film but didn’t know where to start, this course is for you.
Filmmaking has definitely changed over the years (editing, equipment, digital film, etc.) but would you say the steps a filmmaker goes about planning how to bring their story to life is the same as it has always been?
Yes, the steps to make a film have not changed that much. It is all about having your shit together! One must pre-plan everything. The Pre-production part of filmmaking is the most important. The Pre-Production component focuses on the following elements: preparation/research, budgeting, choosing/using materials (camera, film, etc.), pre-visualizing (benefits/pitfalls), ordering ideas, using still photography and video, location selection (inside/outside), scripting shots, costumes/sets, cast/crew selection, lighting, weather, patience, shooting economically, etc.
The festival will also be offering an Audio Recording Workshop with Mitch Hiller as instructor on Sunday, September 21, 2025 at 1:00pm. What can you tell me about this workshop?
Mitch did the music for my experimental film The Furies back in 1996 and he has been the sound man for all the New Jersey Film Festival AV Concerts. Mitch is a sound master. He knows his stuff! Here is Mitch's description for his workshop: We will discuss a minimum amount of audio electronics to allow you to make proper signal interfacing decisions for your different types of recording gear. This will allow us to further discuss the different signal types; transmission methods you’ll come across when assembling your system.
We’ll discuss the various polar pickup patterns of different microphones; their benefits to tailor to your specific needs, and a simple method to identify their patterns from the basic construction of the mics, as well as other techniques to maximize intended signal sounds versus unwanted ones (a signal to noise concept). We’ll also talk about the problems created by auto-limiters as well as their occasional benefits.
From the various indie films I've seen over the years, I have definitely noticed a distinctive difference in the quality of sound in the films. A film that sounds good, in my opinion, just seems so much more professional. What are your thoughts on how sound can improve or lessen a film?
Sound is like a character in one's film and if done well can really enhance the images. I spend almost as much time on the sound as I do on the images. They go hand in hand.
Who would you say is the ideal attendee for this workshop?
This workshop is really geared towards anyone interested in sound.
The third workshop is The Film Business: Basic Legal and Business Aspects of Motion Picture Production and Distribution Workshop on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 1:00pm. What can you tell me about this workshop?
Steve Schechter is the New Jersey Film Festival Attorney and Board Member for over 30 years! This workshop is designed to provide participants with general understanding about the legal and business practices involved in motion picture production which all filmmakers should understand.
The workshop welcomes producers, filmmakers, film students, lawyers, as well as amateurs and the general public. The workshop will provide a general overview of various areas of intellectual property law, considerations for setting up your production company, understanding what rights are needed to produce a motion picture, how to obtain music, film clips and other clearances, and an overview of key contracts and key contract clauses in the production process and key components of distribution arrangements.
Steven C. Schechter is a film industry attorney who practices law in New Jersey and New York and is a lecturer on entertainment law at Seton Hall University. Mr. Schechter received his law degree from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and has a B.A. in Television, Radio, and Film Production from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Prior to establishing his own firm, Mr. Schechter was associated with Chasen & Lichter, a New York entertainment law firm, where he practiced entertainment, art, and publishing law, and with the legal department of New Line Cinema Corp. in New York City.
Is this for someone who is more of an experienced filmmaker?
No it is for anyone. I always tell my students that you need to have access to a good entertainment lawyer. Steve has bailed me out of many sticky situations in the past. Steve is an excellent contact to have!
The three Filmmaking Workshops are FREE and open to the public but has limited seating and requires advance registration. To register email them at [email protected].
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