AVFilm: Community Workshops

2. Film For All: Creating Content with Califa Witsch Are you curious about how to create content but feel stuck when it comes to video production? Fear not! In this three-hour class, you will learn to use tools you have to create a compelling video. Discover how to use your cell phone to the best of its ability to frame a shot, conduct an interview, and capture b-roll footage. We will learn lighting and sound basics, create a shot list, and go over a pre-production checklist to ensure you are prepared for your first shoot! This class is open to anyone who wants to learn the basics of video production, whether that’s for your family videos, business content, a documentary, or a low-budget narrative film. Califa (she/her) is a Sonoma County native who grew up in the Healdsburg countryside. She is resourceful, inspired, curious, and ambitious. In her teen years she learned video fundamentals and loved acting in the Healdsburg High School drama department. Califa majored in “Social Documentary” at UC Santa Cruz, where she studied documentary film in theory and practice. During this time she got her feet wet as a post-production assistant for the harrowing Peabody winning HBO documentary ‘Baghdad ER’ (Alpert 2006). Califa worked for Access Healdsburg TV teaching the community how to use cameras to create their own media, programming and creating local content, including sports events, as well as managing the station for a time. She produced and edited the feature documentary ‘Straight White Male’ (Erlendson 2012) which tells the story of two young transgender men and their journey across the gender spectrum. She is currently working on an archival documentary telling the stories of Holocaust survivors. She enjoys teaching filmmaking to Sonoma County youth with AVFilm. Califa loves the collaborative aspect of media-making and thrives in team environments. She specializes in creating meaningful content that educates, inspires and entertains. Additionally, Califa is a licensed real estate agent in California who specializes in helping people in Sonoma County buy and sell their homes.