news

Local students to present documentary, 'What Dr. Phil Got Wrong'

A short documentary filmed and produced by students at Elgin High School will be shown to the public at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 28. Elginites are invited to attend the free screening which will take place at the Elgin ISD Administration Building's auditorium, 1002 N. Ave. C.

The short documentary is being produced as part of a workshop sponsored by the Mobile Film School, an Austin-based company that has paired with Elgin ISD to allow local students interested in filmmaking, a hands-on opportunity to produce their own movie alongside industry professionals. [READ MORE]


Posted by patrick – Thu, 2007 – 08 – 23 23:25

On The Road: The Mobile Film School Drives Rural Students’ Ambitions

Several years ago, filmmaker Lisa McWilliams decided to give back. While traveling to and filming in rural America, McWilliams found young people with cinematic visions of their own. Unfortunately, those she encountered felt that they didn’t have access to the film community while living between the coasts. READ MORE...


Posted by patrick – Mon, 2007 – 08 – 20 15:42

Mobile Film School - KXAN Austin

News 8 Austin

The City of Austin is in a dogfight with other cities to attract film projects, but KXAN's Jim Swift went out to the country for a report on another film front.

Turns out an Austin-based school is hitting the road to bring the art of the film to rural areas all over the nation.

First stop: Manor, just east of Austin. READ MORE...


Posted by patrick – Wed, 2007 – 02 – 28 16:21

Crash Course in Filmmaking for High School Students - News 8 Austin

News 8 AustinSix high school seniors – many of whom have never picked up a video camera before – are spending the next eight days learning about filmmaking from industry professionals.

The students at Manor High School were chosen to be the first recipients of the Mobile Film School, a new nonprofit that brings the art of filmmaking to students in rural areas. READ MORE...


Posted by patrick – Wed, 2007 – 02 – 28 16:11

MFS Pilot Workshop in Manor, TX

Things are on a roll here at MFS headquarters -- we've just acquired a vintage Airstream trailer that'll have us on the road in no time! The strip-down, fix-up process has begun, and within the next few months our very first mobile production unit will be up and running. Our pioneer road trip will take us to Manor, Texas in February 2007, where we'll hold our inaugural MFS pilot program. Partnering with the Manor Independent School District, we'll conduct a week-long, total immersion filmmaking workshop for close to 20 local high school students and the community at large.

Posted by patrick – Thu, 2007 – 02 – 15 20:32

Mobile Film School Recognized as Film School of the Week

Movie Maker Magazine

 

MovieMaker Magazine has featured the Mobile Film School as the film school of the week. Here what they have to say:

Getting an education in movie making can be tough - the best programs can be almost impossible to get into, and cost alone is enough of a deterrent for some. But what about those who have no access to a film school, or even the equipment they need to start making movies on their own? The Mobile Film School was founded with these people in mind, with the mission to reach out to underserved communities by bringing film school to them. [READ MORE]


Posted by mfs staff – Sat, 2007 – 01 – 27 21:12

Listen! CBS Radio Interview

Check Out Details About MFS In This Radio Interview with Lisa McWilliams: In spite of the early morning hour, on a Sunday during SXSW, Joseph Dane managed to get a pretty thorough information out of me on CBS radio.

Hear the whole interview (mp3, 16MB), or read a transcript by choosing from the attachments to this posting.


Posted by samiam – Wed, 2006 – 10 – 04 01:04

Producer Sends Mobile Film School to new territory - Austin Business Journal, May 2006

Lisa McWilliams is hoping to get her show on the road.

For several years, the film producer -- whose credits include indie documentary "Before the Music Dies" -- has wanted to craft a nonprofit that could travel the country and teach rural residents about filmmaking. Now McWilliams says the project, dubbed the Mobile Film School, is poised to launch.

The school will operate two buses: one with a studio (including editing bays and camera equipment), and one with offices and a film resource library. McWilliams and other industry experts will act as the faculty and production crew. Students in each five-week session will produce a narrative film and a documentary, both of which will center on the students' hometown.


Posted by patrick – Tue, 2006 – 10 – 03 20:13

Moving Pictures: Mobile Film School Brings Big Dreams to Small Towns - Austin Monthly, May 2006

A restless kid with big dreams escapes his dead-end hometown to become a Hollywood star - it's the classic L.A. fairy tale. But Lisa McWilliams believes some of the nation's best stories are just waiting to be told in America's small towns.


Posted by patrick – Tue, 2006 – 10 – 03 19:59

Tour Guide - Filmmaker: The Magazine of Independent Film

Do you live in the back of beyond and lack the resources to properly learn the art of filmmaking? Well, take heart -- the Mobile Film School may drive into your town soon.

 

Once the Mobile Film School takes to the road in 2003, some would-be filmmakers will encounter a traveling movie studio designed to teach filmmaking and to mentor under-served people in urban and rural areas like the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Posted by patrick – Thu, 2006 – 08 – 03 01:05