WASHINGTON, DC – MZed, which produced the 31-city “The Art of Visual Storytelling Tour” back in 2013, featuring Saturday Night Live Film Unit cinematographer Alex Buono, has announced Alex Buono’s Visual Storytelling 2; Style & Subtext in Cinema. This 32-city follow up tour is a filmmaking workshop that goes beyond the original tour by focusing on lighting & shooting techniques, with a full day of live demonstrations.
Buono’s 15 seasons shooting for SNL have given him the opportunity to shoot essentially every filmmaking genre. Because of SNL's format, he faces incredible time demands; virtually every shooting situation presents challenges that must be overcome with almost no prep time. His field-tested experience allows him to teach attendees skills and techniques to utilize in a variety of lighting & shooting situations, such as shooting in mixed color temperatures, shooting in a car, choosing the proper lens, and controlling natural light.
Visual Storytelling 2 will be taught using gear that is practical and accessible. There will be a limited gear package used during the class and the instruction will utilize the same set of tools in different ways. This approach will give filmmakers range and flexibility to create several different looks with a modest set of affordable and easy to acquire resources.
Like its predecessor, Visual Storytelling 2 is divided into a daytime hands-on workshop and an evening lecture. In 2013, the evening lecture was all about the principles of visual structure. This time around, Buono will focus on visual subtext. Buono will delve into art history, literature, religion, politics and philosophy, and will discuss the seven most practical ways to add subtext to your films, including things like camera movement, composition, lighting, sound design, production design, hair design and even makeup.