The Global Cinematography Institute is a new school founded by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter) and Yuri Neyman, ASC (D.O.A., Liquid Sky). As their mission statement presents, the GCI is "devoted to the education of cinematographers and their extension into the digital and virtual realms."
The school is intended to be a graduate program for cinematographers who are already at the onset of their careers and focuses on teaching the traditional methodologies as well as a modern understanding of digital technology and the new wave of virtual cinematography. Zsigmond and Neyman's approach with the GCI is to arm the students with the tools necessary to get a head start in this potential new frontier of imaging to keep the cinematographer in the imaging loop from prep to final post production.
It's a short program, just four weekends long for level one and eight weekends long for level two. Holben is one of the primary faculty members teaching along side Zsigmond and Neyman in addition to some extraordinary names in the imaging world: Matthew Libatique, ASC, Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC, David Stump, ASC, M. David Mullen, ASC, Russell Carpenter, ASC, Christopher Probst and more. The faculty includes all working professionals with first-hand experience in the field that they bring to the classroom. The weekend program is designed around the working faculty schedules in addition to accommodating working students, as well, with classes focusing on a “learn today what you can use tomorrow” mentality.
Holben teaches several courses for the school: Digital Cinematography, Independent Cinematography, Basics of Optics, Advanced Optics, Advanced Digital Cinematography, Advanced Independent Cinematography, Music Videos and Grammar of the Visual Language.
For more information, visit www.globalcinematography.com
Academy Award® winning cinematographer (The Deer Hunter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and co-founder of the Global Cinematography Institute Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC (left) and co-founder Yuri Neyman, ASC (center) (Liquid Sky, D.O.A.) watch as students of the GCI light a scene on stage at Universal Studios.
Student Work
The following scenes are a result from Holben's Advanced Independent Cinematography class from Level 2 of GCI's course. Students are tasked with lighting and shooting a short scene in 45 minutes.
Starring David Haverty and Coronado Romero
Photographed by Derek Doublin
Screenplay by Dave Kost from "Book of Sides: Original, Short Scenes for Actors and Directors" Focal Press © 2015
Directed by Jay Holben
Starring David Haverty and Coronado Romero
Photographed by Brian Bradley
Screenplay by Dave Kost from "Book of Sides: Original, Short Scenes for Actors and Directors" Focal Press © 2015
Directed by Jay Holben
Starring David Haverty and Coronado Romero
Photographed by Danny Salazar
Screenplay by Dave Kost from "Book of Sides: Original, Short Scenes for Actors and Directors" Focal Press © 2015
Directed by Jay Holben