Has anyone been to any of Dov Simens' Workshops?

http://dovsimensfilmschool.com/homepage.html

His hype sets off my BSometer... taking credit for the careers of Tarantino, Rodriguez, Baz Luhrman and more... it's just a bit much.

But maybe the info is good. I've seen some Kudos on this board about his books...

Anyway, any info is helpful. He is coming to DC and I'd like to know if I should consider the class.

Try performing a search. There have been good discussions about his brand of sharkery in the past.

Unless he's changed Dov is an okay guy.

Those people took his courses.

He used to teach a two day crash course on how to shoot a low budget feature.

You'd be surprised what he got on film for no money. But of course he's making more teachng than he ever did making films.

Robert,

I did a search before I posted, but only found a few fleeting references, and none that I could tell from people who took the 2-day course. I was searching under dov, and dov simens. Is there a particular thread you could point me to?

Gary,

I'm sure they took his class... but on his site he says "Dov's 2-Day Film school has launched the careers of: ..." When people so boldly overstate their influence I always question what they are making up for... or just what they are making up. Did you take the class?

Thanks for the input either way.

<<<-- Originally posted by Gary McClurg :
You'd be surprised what he got on film for no money. -->>>

Who needs money for film when you can just steal film stock?

Want to learn how to make a film? Donate your time to a local project. You'll learn more and it will cost you less than Dov.

I am shocked to see an endorsement from someone affiliated with the USC School of Cinema-Television. For shame.

I wonder if they are aware is he using their logo to hawk his shlock.

(If they weren't, they will be now.)

Robert,

Obviously you have some pretty strong opinions of the guy... can you fill me in on where they came from? What you know? I'd like to get some facts. My initial impression ran along your lines, though.

Heh! Usually, wherever I have opinions, they are strong ones. :-)

Despite some of my more curmudgeonly posts here, I really like to abide by the "If you don't have anything nice to say..." maxim. If you'd like to talk about Simens some more, go ahead and send me an e-mail.

I have taken the Dovster's class, and found it useful. It's a brief taste of all the aspects of filmmaking, either spiced (or hampered, depending upon your view) with Dov's own brand of gruff humor.

I would recommend it highly for beginners, and a toss-up for intemediates. At the very least, you'll come out of there ready to torture your relatives for the money for your film.